It’s no secret that this year is going to be one for the records books. The bummer is it will be for all the wrong reasons.

If you’ve been watching the news lately, it’s pretty clear that a lot of holiday traditions like gathering together are not going to work out this year.

That means, that guy from Tennessee won’t be “headin’ for Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie.” Not in 2020, at least.

Here in the states we’re gearing up next week for Thanksgiving but it feels lowkey and almost no key…

Even with facing unprecedented restrictions, the 2020 holiday season is coming up on us fast and it’s up to each one of us to make it as jolly for ourselves as we can.

If you need a little bit of Christmas, right this very moment, here’s some great ways to get in the mood, especially if you’re not feeling the fa-la-la-la—la of it all.

Let’s get your Christmas 2020 vibe turned up. (I promise, no more Christmas cliches…)

Decorate Now!

I can tell you from personal experience, if you’ve been feeling bummed out by this craptastic year, and you need a jolt holiday cheer, decorate your house for the holidays.

First, it get’s your adrenalin going which leads to endorphins, etc. I’m no doctor but getting up and lugging boxes of decorations out of storage absolutely helped to clear my cobwebs out.

I always feel the possibility of the season when I open all the boxes with sparkling and shimmering decorations. My wheels start to turn and I get a serious jolt of creativity.

I wish I could bottle that up for the rest of the year!

There’s no “no white after Labor Day” rule for Christmas decorating.

You don’t have to wait until after Thanksgiving. If you need some happy now, get those decorations up!

If you do decide to put your decorations up now, get into it. Don’t just throw it together. Make a plan and make it special.

If you start more than a month before Christmas, you have lot’s of time to make everything look amazing!

If you’re reading this way after the Thanksgiving holiday, there’s no better time to decorate than now!

Turn Up The Tunes When Decorating

This might sound kooky, but I binge listen to 80’s music when I’m decorating my house.

What, no Christmas music?

Nope.

I don’t listen to Christmas music when I’m decorating for Christmas.

Hear me out: There’s something about deep diving into the obscure 80’s channel on satellite radio that just gets me in the mood to dance around and sing. That feeling feeds directly into my enthusiasm for decorating.

That’s my bag but you can totally jam out to whatever gets you in the mood to get your house decked out.

My theory is that I’m being nostalgic for my younger days.

Music has always been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember.

If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you that all I ever wanted for Christmas was records, tapes, cd’s, musical instruments and anything else remotely adjacent to my music obsession.

So, when I put on that 80’s music, I’m instantly ready to get to work and knock out a house worth of Christmas sparkle every time!

You do you, put on whatever makes you joyful and get to decorating!

Be Thankful Everyday

Not to discount Thanksgiving, but the holidays are not completely about the food.

Yes, be grateful for the food you have but remember to give thanks for the other things you’re blessed with.

This year, more than any other year in our lives, we need to be thankful for health, wellness, prosperity and the abundance that we have.

Don’t have $1,000,000 in the bank? Be grateful for what you do have.

Give thanks for your blessings and mean it. And give special emphasis on the reasons why you’re grateful.

If you can’t gather with your family and friends to share your traditions, give thanks for all the past years that were special.

I’m a firm believer that gratitude for what you have invites more into your life. Call it manifesting. Call it Law of Attraction. Call it Spirituality. Whatever name you give it, practice it every day.

Keep a journal of 5 things you are grateful for each day. Make it a habit by writing the 5 things at the same time each day so you get into the habit.

Do an experiment and keep this gratitude journal for an entire month. Start on November 25 and write your five things each day until December 25.

Who knows, you may enjoy it so much that you want to continue on into the new year and beyond!

Make a Donation to a Cause You Love

Help alleviate another’s struggle.

Donate to an animal shelter.

Go thrift shopping at the City Mission.

Support Veteran’s services with a contribution.

It doesn’t have to be an endowment. If you can afford a few bucks, any organization will tell you it will be helpful.

Serving others is meaningful and important and it will definitely get you in the mood for Christmas.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to revolve around money at all. If making a financial contribution is not feasible, you can:

Donate your time: Maybe your organization needs help coordinating a project. Or maybe they need help coordinating people. Ask if you can lend a hand.

You can donate your talents. Maybe you have a specific talent that they need like graphic design, administrative talents, or a specialized vocation that requires a license, legal, medical, etc.

Sometimes helping an organization survive and thrive so they can help others is the most important thing you can do.

Get Your Hands Dirty!

One of the best ways to get out of a holiday slump is to take on a project.

Paint a room

Paint a picture

Do a festive diy project

Plant some paperwhite or amaryllis bulbs – they’ll be in full bloom by Christmas if you start them just before Thanksgiving.

Doing something creative will engage your mind and watching your Christmas flowering bulbs grow will definitely help you get in the Christmas spirit.

Looking for more of the gardening long game? Plant some tulip or daffodil bulbs so they’ll be ready in the Spring– quick before the ground freezes.

Engage Your Senses

Fresh baked Christmas cookies anyone? Too early for that?

How about a scented candle that smells like caramel apple pie or a wax melt that smells like snickerdoodles?

I find that peppermint essential oil in my diffuser always makes me feel Christmas-ey even in the middle of summer.

Scent can trigger positive emotions and there’s no better time than the holidays to bring it on in whatever medium you choose.

Let’s swing back around to music for a sec. If 80’s music doesn’t put in in the holiday mood, crank up the Christmas music. Dust off the old LP’s or have Alexa stream your favorite tunes.

Create a mix tape of your all-time favs so you’ll always have exactly what gets you grooving in the most festive way. Play it on repeat, who cares?!

Take time to watch your favorite Christmas movies or maybe find some that you’ve never watched before.

I recommend digging into Christmas movies from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. I find a new gem every year and it’s so much fun to see all the ways the studios made Christmas come to life on the screen.

Do a Little Something For Your Co-Workers and Friends

Gosh, if you haven’t seen people in person since the pandemic started, now’s the chance to show them that you’re thinking of them.

If you’re a baker, start planning your favorite festive treats. Maybe it’s your signature Christmas cookie. Maybe you have a yule loaf that slays?

Not a baker? Try making a special Christmas ornament that you put time and effort into. (This is one of my favorites. I make a signature diy ornament every year to give to my friends. It’s just a thoughtful way to say I’m thinking about you.)

Not into crafting? How about getting blank greeting cards and writing your own special and specific message to them saying how much you appreciate them and what they do.

Leave the generic, big box greeting cards for last year. If there ever was a year to lay it all out on the line, 2020 is that year.

This tip can be even more impactful for your family members that you can’t be close to this year. Write those Christmas cards and put it all in there. Tell them what they mean to you and how their presence in your world makes a difference.

If 2020 has taught all us citizens of the world it’s that tomorrow is not guaranteed so don’t leave things unsaid.

There you have it, my favorite ways to get the Christmas vibe cranking!

• Decorate Now!

• Turn Up The Tunes When Decorating

• Be Thankful Everyday

• Make a Donation to a Cause You Love

• Get Your Hands Dirty!

• Engage Your Senses

• Do a Little Something For Your Co-Workers and Friends

I’d love to hear how you kick the blues to the curb for Christmas. Leave me a comment below.

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I write about small space design and decorating, sustainable furniture options, positive self care and a variety of do-it-yourself home décor.

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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.