How To Be Happy During The Christmas Holidays

Putting the “Me” Back in Merry: 15 Self-Serve Holiday Hacks

time off
Put your feet up & take some time for YOU during the holidays! | Image courtesy Pixabay user tookapic

What have you done for you lately? Don’t worry, Elfster is here to help. Somewhere between the age of childlike wonder, and getting all excited about car insurance, the holiday ritual loses its luster of revolving completely around you. We’ve all watched this scene play out:

One day, Little Starry-Eyed You outgrows your finest pair of footie pajamas, and what happens next? The grown-ups suddenly buck! At the first sign of self-sufficiency, you stop getting the stellar service you once expected every Christmas. Spoon-licking privileges are promptly revoked. No one’s there to film you descending the stairs in a sleepy stupor, capturing the precious moment you behold a new, souped-up Power Wheels doing donuts in the living room. But perhaps most outrageously of all, Santa doesn’t even write anymore.

Oh, how yuletide has turned. These days, you’re lucky to get a gift that elicits a half-hearted fist-bump, let alone a fit of ecstasy that sends you bouncing off the walls. (“Thanks for the moon shoes, Mom!”)

winter day
Your own happiness is key to spreading joy during the holidays. | Image courtesy Pixabay user jill111

So what to do about this painful predicament: Do you weep bitterly into your peppermint mocha, cursing this cruel, cruel world we live in? OR, do you take the holidays back and make them all about you again? Now, we’re getting warmer…

But before you start harping on the “reason for the season,” just hear us out. You can’t spread holiday cheer if you don’t have it yourself. So here are a few ways to practice some self-prescribed self-love in the season of give, give, give. Because the best way to do unto others is to start by spoiling yourself silly.

How To Be Happy During The Christmas Holidays

  1. cookie cutter in your own likenessBake gingerbread in your own likeness with these cute, custom-made cookie cutters.
  2. Write an official, handwritten, hard-copy wish list. That’s right. And slap that baby up on any fridge you can find. You can of course, use your trusty Elfster account, too. The squeaky wheel gets the gift.
  3. Speaking of which… Rent a limo, or even better, a party bus solely for you, and take a tour around town to look at all the Christmas lights. (Don’t forget to wave to the little people as you break the local noise ordinance.)
  4. Take a proper mental health day, sanctioned by the boss. Here’s a master class in getting the pitch just right.
  5. Bathrobe. All day, every day. Until the year is up.
  6. Not sure what to get you for Christmas? Enlist the help of a personal shopper and make it a surprise. Or, start a gift exchange and add a wish list to Elfster.
  7. Cash-in those rewards points you’ve been squirreling away all year. But don’t squander them on anything useful. A good rule of thumb is something gilded or drizzled in truffle oil.
    juniors cheesecake
    You deserve a decadent dessert. | Image courtesy Goldbelly
  8. Have dessert delivered to yourself. Because goodness knows, you won’t be stopping at the mall to think about other people.
  9. Fine. If you must go to the mall, go try-on ballgowns or tuxedos at the nearest fancy clothing store. Take a selfie for social media and pass it off as a star-studded soiree hosted in your honor. You’ll want to crop-out any admonishing sales associates in the background first.
  10. Commission your own Christmas song and play it on repeat at the office holiday party.
  11. Book an at-home massage through Zeel or Soothe. Then book another one.
  12. Stop and smell the entitlement with your very own signature fragrance.
  13. Build a sweet blanket fort, no kids allowed.
  14. Buy yourself an annual membership to a museum. Your brain will thank you for it.
  15. Put your literal stamp on any occasion… or just use it to tag every gift under the tree. That means they’re all yours now, right?

With these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to feeling jazzed, joyful and triumphant in the holiday season ahead. And the best part? That newfound enthusiasm will spill over like a hot cup of cheer on everyone you meet!

Pretty thoughtful of you, really.

Set up a Secret Santa gift exchange today for some family fun! Stumped for gift ideas? Browse Elfster’s gift guides for inspiration! Share your favorite ideas with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter @Elfster, and on Instagram @Elfster.

About Stephanie K 6 Articles
Stephanie was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, which she'll gladly tell you about, prompted or not. She enjoys colorful expressions, loopholes in language and computer-lit evenings with Microsoft Word. When Stephanie's not mulling over age-old riddles of rhetoric, you can usually catch her traveling the globe (or the far reaches of Florida), reading up on world history, or bouncing ideas off her husband and her dog. They know all about Tallahassee, but are still nice to her anyway.