Sarah Warsi

There is something to be said about it being 24+ degrees in early November. It’s a nice feelings, but it also just feels odd as you look at the leafless trees around you and as darkness begins to settle in at 4pm. It reminds you that this is definitely not a normal occurrence.

But hey, after the year we’ve had, we’ll take any last ‘blip’ of summer-like weather, right?

Also, I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but the holiday season just has this deflated vibe this year.

The pandemic, coupled with all the drama and fallout from the US election, among other things, have severely overshadowed that raw anticipation you normally feel as early as mid-October – in my humble opinion. The doom and gloom of it all has made it quite difficult to embrace any holiday cheer naturally. I know it’s easy to kind of ‘stop’ watching the news to get away from it all, but it’s been a mentally trying year and the ‘meh’ feeling just doesn’t go away that easily.

Now with December creeping up on us, it barely feels like we’ve entered the Christmas season. Another obvious reason is the hole that the pandemic has put into the joy of in-person holiday shopping. Malls are generally open, for the most part, but how much are people actually out and about shopping? And what is even still open these days with the economic toll that Brick and Mortar shops have had to endure this year. Of course, there are stores that are open, but you know what I mean – it just feels haphazard.

A friend of mine quite nicely decorated their place already – which did help lighten the mood for sure.

I plan to still send out holiday cards, (a yearly tradition), because this year especially, there might be a renewed appreciation for snail mail. Who knows? With the influx of social media activity and video calls at this point – it could be refreshing to receive an old-school card in the mail with an uplifting holiday sentiment written inside.

Turning on holiday music and holiday movies could also help serve as a nice escape. (Home Alone is always a winner).

Gingerbread house making never gets old, and also, I am sure there will be at least some outdoor Christmas activities open – but to what degree, I am not sure, as we continue to be conscious about avoiding large gatherings.

I know there are many things we can do to keep our spirits up but I just think we’ll need to try extra harder this year to get that true holiday “warm and fuzzies” feeling.

What will you be doing this year to get into the holiday spirit?

Peace & Blessings