Christmas Spirit all month long

Christmas spirit all month long

 If Gray Thursday and Black Friday set the pace for the Christmas season, it’s going to be a rough ride. Some years, especially when Thanksgiving and Christmas are close together, it seems like Christmas itself gets trampled in the rush to get things done.

 The very heart of Christmas can become like a flattened Black Friday shopper out in the cold parking lot of life.

 To prevent the scurry and hurry of the season from destroying what counts, it helps to focus on the charitable center, the Bob Cratchit cheer, the ho ho ho and the Holy, Holy, Holy. Will we end up in frustration, mummified in wrapping paper and wearing a scowl? Or will we shine with inner peace and candlelight glow?

 Here is a list of 25 ways to keep Christmas in perspective and help go for the glow:

 1. Hum carols throughout the day.

 2. Bell-ringers you come across? Visit them twice: once when entering the store and again when exiting. Make sure you smile and say hello. If a bell-ringer looks cold, bring back hot cocoa.

 3. Buy an extra pair of stretchy gloves and hand them out to a gloveless person walking along the road on a very cold day.

 4. Attach jingle bells to your shoe laces or boot zippers.

 5. Put money in a pop machine and let someone have a little complimentary Christmas sparkle.

 6. Even though you don’t have time, attend a holiday concert.

 7. Fill a mug with candy canes or Christmas goodies and take it to a business office. If you can find a place with a grumpy clerk or receptionist, all the better. 

 8. Fill an old mp3 player with Christmas songs, buy an inexpensive set of earbuds or headphones and find someone who would appreciate the sounds of the season.

 9. Hang a candy cane on the handlebars of a bike parked in a public place.

 10. Shovel your neighbor’s walk. When you are done, tie a ribbon on the mailbox or lamp post.

 11. Print out free coloring pages online and carry them with you, along with a couple of red and green crayons. Next time you hear a crying child in a waiting room, ask the parents if you may give the child the pages and crayons.

 12. Purchase or make a nice, unbreakable Christmas ornament and present it in a small, shiny gift bag, to a harried store clerk.

 13. Double a tip and leave it -- with a Christmas card -- for the server at a restaurant.

 14. Send a Christmas card to an almost-forgotten friend or a teacher from years past.

 15. Tie a festive ribbon onto the zipper of your child’s backpack.

 16. If you see a struggling shopper in a grocery store parking lot, offer to help unload groceries and return the cart.

 17. Diffuse arguments wherever you find them by asking about favorite holiday dishes or movies.

 18. If you order pizza on a busy day, give the driver a candy cane with the tip.

 19. Bring a poinsettia to someone grieving at Christmas time. Make sure to visit a while before leaving.

 20. Invite someone who needs company to watch a Christmas classic with you. Pop popcorn.