I love Christmastime. I love the entire month of December. As soon as I turn the calendar page to December, I start playing Christmas music in my home and in my car. I begin to make my 24-day countdown.

How do you plan for Christmas? Do you go Christmas carolling? Do you make a gingerbread house? Do you make gifts, decorations, sweets to give away? How early do you put up your tree? When do you decorate your home?

Christmastime is an excuse to be happy – for an entire month. Like any other aspect of life, Christmastime is what you make of it. I know well that when we are grieving, it is hard, very hard impossible to enjoy the season. But it gets better. I never believed it could but it does, in time.

It’s the small rituals of the Christmas holidays that bring us joy. That’s why I like to make lists. I make shopping lists, decorating lists, baking lists and activity lists. The activity list is fun. I learned how to do this from a friend when we were both in High School. On our lists for the holidays, we put items such as, “get a hot chocolate at McDonald’s”, or “watch the Christmas parade”, or “go skating on the rink at Centennial Park”. We would craft our holidays carefully, anticipating and enjoying every minute.

My list today:

1. Sip an exotic Christmas hot beverage at Starbucks.
2. Go for a walk in Centennial Park and then to Café Codiac for coffee and chocolate covered coffee beans.
3. Go for a walk at night along the river in Riverfront Park to see the lights.
4. Check out the skating at the new Ian Fowler Oval at Moncton’s new Events Centre.
5. Go for an afternoon walk on the golf course on Christmas day after brunch.
6. Make two Christmas wreaths, one for the front door, one for over the fireplace.
7. Take in the Festival of Lights at the Magnetic Hill Zoo.
8. Wrap presents while watching Christmas specials – the old ones like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Miracle on 34th Street, both versions.
9. Make my home cheery and bright with candles and nature-inspired decorations – adding something new this year.
10. Tell everyone to bring a joke to Christmas dinner to be shared around the table during dessert.
11. Play the “Find the Santa” game with the little ones, sharing my large Santa collection and providing chocolate marshmallow Santas as prizes.
12. Watch Hallmark Christmas movies.

What plans do you make for Christmastime?

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