6 Christmas Celebration Ideas You've Never Thought of

The holidays are approaching! You probably have a number of annual traditions that you follow. Perhaps you decorate your home, buy presents and have a holiday party every year. While those traditions are tried and true, sometimes it’s nice to try something new. Here are some other ways to celebrate Christmas.

1. Wear Unique Apparel

Christmas can be a great time to wear outfits that you would never put on any other time of the year. You can try wearing a large Christmas bulb necklace or a Reindeer Menage a Trois Sweater.

Try to look at different retailers a couple weeks in advance, because they often don’t list their Christmas outfits until the holiday season.

2. Celebrate Christmas the Way Another Country Does

Over 160 countries around the world celebrate Christmas. They include countries where Christianity isn’t the most popular religion.

You may want to learn more about the Christmas traditions in other countries. You can try celebrating the same way that one of them do. Here are a couple country specific ideas to consider:

• In Mexico, they often have children perform in skits about the Posada (the time when Joseph and Mary went to the stable).
• In France, they have a special meal called Réveillon, which consists of lobster, oyster and roast goose. It is a nice change for people that want a change from their traditional holiday meal.
• In Finland, people leave wheat out for the birds.

You can read about more cultural traditions on Why Christmas.

3. Take a Trip to a Warmer Climate

Many people grew up in moderate or cold climates. Snow and evergreen Christmas trees have always been a reality around Christmas time.

However, sometimes it is nice to have a change. You can take a trip to Florida or another warm region. Rather than making snowmen and decorating a Christmas tree, you can bask in the warm water.

4. Give to Charity in People’s Names

Gift-giving has been a popular tradition for over a thousand years. However, many people are sick of the commercialism around it. If you feel that gift-giving has gotten out of control and is starting to ruin the spirit of the holidays, then you may want to try taking a more charitable approach.

Rather than giving gifts to your friends and family, you can give a donation to a nonprofit in their name. Ask them what nonprofit organization they want to support. Take the money that you would otherwise spend on Christmas gifts and give it to that charity instead.

5. Volunteer

Volunteering is another great way to give. You and your family can spend a few hours working at a soup kitchen on Christmas Eve. You will get to feel better about helping others and feel more appreciative of everything that you have. Here are some great charities that you can work with on Christmas:

• The Salvation Army
• The Red Cross
• Local nursing homes (many seniors don’t have anyone to visit with on the holidays)
• Meals on Wheels
• The National Coalition for the Homeless
• Department of Veteran Affairs
• Family-to-family.org

All of these organizations will glad to take volunteers around the holiday season.

6. Start New Year’s Resolutions a Week Early

Most people wait until the New Year to make their resolutions. If you are really serious about making major improvements in your life, then you may want to make some resolutions early. You may be more likely to follow through with them if you get in the habit before the New Year actually starts.

Try to come up with one or two ideas for resolutions that you really plan to follow through with. Losing weight, being more understanding and quitting smoking are all difficult but worthy goals.

Featured photo credit: Pexels via pexels.com

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