Let’s be honest, many people don’t like the holidays. According to research company ValuePenguin, 61% of Americans believed they would be sad or lonely during the holiday season in 2023.
37% of people surveyed stated they would skip the holidays entirely if they could.
Among the reasons cited were financial struggles, complicated family relationships, and social media.
In the past, I never looked forward to the period between Thanksgiving and New Year. I changed my thinking about a decade ago when I realized I could make the holidays my own, so I created a pampering, time-of-peace, fun un-holiday just for me.
And you can too. Following are some suggestions to make the holidays more enjoyable. The key? Focus on yourself and what you want to do.
Start or Continue a Ritual
A ritual can be anything you do that brings you joy. For example, I watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy every year over Christmas, the Harry Potter movies usually between Christmas and New Year’s, and I make a homemade veggie lasagna on New Year’s Eve. I look forward to these things each year.
When I lived in New York City, I would join my Jewish friends and go to a movie and eat Chinese food on Christmas Day.
Some simple ideas that you could start doing each year include:
- Bake or cook something special that you wouldn’t normally eat. Or order takeout from a really nice restaurant in your area that you don’t normally eat at.
- Watch a few of your favorite movies and make it a habit to view them every year.
- Buy yourself gifts! You are the most important person in your life – buy yourself some fun things you might not otherwise treat yourself to.
- Take a walk or a hike to somewhere special, and start going back every year.
Pursue a Personal Project
One Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to paint my apartment, down to painting the floorboards with a small artist’s brush. I found it meditative, enjoyable, and when I was done, I was brimming with gratitude for my fantastic-looking space.
Projects to think about include:
- Paint a room or two in your house
- Clean out your closets and organize your home. I love cleaning out and donating what I no longer use over the holidays. It’s a great way to start the New Year.
- Create a vision board. Find some old magazines (libraries often have old ones for free) and cut out pictures of what you like or want. Glue them to a board and work toward bringing them into your life.
Get Creative
- Start writing that book you’ve always wanted to pen. Learning the craft of writing and publishing can keep you busy for years. (Trust me on that one…)
- Buy yourself some watercolors, paints, crayons, markers – and draw away. You don’t have to be Van Gogh; just have fun expressing yourself.
- Put on music you love that you haven’t listened to in a while and dance with abandon.
Take Up a Hobby
Have you always wanted to do something, but keep putting it off? Now is a great time to start.
Suggestions:
- Learn a new language – I have a friend learning Danish, and I’ve been considering conversational Spanish. Perhaps 2025 will be the time I take that class.
- Start playing an instrument – I’m debating on buying a small keyboard that I could store under my couch. I just might this coming year….
- Take a cooking class – Whether online or in person, learn to cook Asian, Italian, bread baking, cake making, and on and on.
- Yoga, hiking, swimming, knitting – find a club in your area and join it. You don’t have to do anything over the holiday, but research what’s around you and find things you want to do. Meetup.com is a great place to look.
Pamper Yourself
I often have a personal spa day at home, giving myself a facial, manicure, pedicure, and a neck and shoulder massage. If you’re a spa person, buy yourself a spa day – or, treat yourself at home and paint your nails a fun color that’ll make you smile.
Other Ideas
- Plan a Trip. It doesn’t matter if you have the money or not, plan a holiday. The act of planning releases dopamine in your brain, the feel-good hormone, and can be more rewarding than the actual travel. So think about where you’ve always wanted to go, and plan an itinerary. Who knows? It might help you manifest a way to get there!
- Take a Trip. If you have the money, travel somewhere new or to a place you love. Solo travel is way more popular than you might realize. I’m part of some solo women traveling groups on Facebook, and women are always posting to find others to connect with in areas they visit.
- Stay Local. Do something in your local area. Find something odd, quirky, and otherwise cool in your town that you didn’t know existed – get out exploring.
- Do Nothing. Stay in your pajamas and binge watch Veep, X Files, Friends, or whatever show you enjoy watching. Or just stay in your pj’s and watch clouds float by. The key is not to stress yourself or force yourself into doing anything.
Whatever you choose, please don’t buy the hype. Millions of people feel blue this time of year, so you’re not alone. Don’t be guilted into going anywhere or doing anything you don’t feel like doing.
Find adventures and new experiences that bring you joy and put a smile on your face. This is your life – discover your inner happiness this holiday season, and have fun!
Diane Hatz is an author, organizer, and inner activist. Join her email list to get monthly newsletters that include blog articles from Diane Digs and much more.