5Ways to Make Christmas feel magical again.
Every December I want to feel like I am literally living inside my very own Christmas Hallmark movie. And I’ve learned that making Christmas feel magical at home is simple.
Any day of the year, if you are like me Christmas isn’t just for December. I love the lights on low in the evening, maybe a candle burning. I even play Christmas music and watch Christmas movies in July. These are the feelings I carry into December when Christmas is really in the air, when it’s finally cold outside and maybe we luck out and get a little snow that’s my favorite kind of Christmas.
Funny enough, when December finally arrives it’s the easiest time of year to lose that feeling altogether. At some point in our lives we turned Christmas into something we are preparing for which is great but when you reach December 26th after decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking, parties and endless lists of what to do, we suddenly realize we spent the whole season getting ready for Christmas instead of actually being in it.
When I remember Christmas as a little girl there really wasn’t anything elaborate about it and yet Christmas was so magical. To this day I can still feel the wonder and the nostalgia. My family didn’t have long lists of activities to get through. What I hold onto is all the wonderful food, the cinnamon rolls, grandma’s sugar cookies and my Dad taking us to cut down a fresh Christmas tree every year. We would cuddle under quilts on the couch and watch Christmas movies with caramel popcorn while the tree glowed. A magical December doesn’t mean doing more it’s all about the little things that you repeat every year which I lovingly refer to as traditions. This is how you create a magical Christmas without long to-do lists. What if Christmas could actually feel the way it looks in the movies?
And if that’s the kind of Christmas you’re craving too, that’s exactly why I created SLEIGH | THE HOLIDAY EDIT—to help you do a little less of the Christmas work and make more room to actually be in it.
Here’s how.
Decide what you want December to feel like.
We usually start December thinking about the lists, the decorating, shopping for gifts, parties but we rarely ask ourselves what we really want December to feel like.
When I picture my favorite kind of Christmas, I don’t see lots of gifts or lots of festive outings. Really, I see myself at home, in the quiet in my Christmas jammies and the tree glowing in the evening. With a Christmas movie playing. It’s peaceful and quite ordinary.
But your magical Christmas doesn’t need to look like mine or anyone else’s. Maybe yours feels busier because that’s what you want. But before you make another Christmas list, choose three words for how you want December to feel. Does it align with what you say you want this December? Maybe you want cozy. Nostalgic. Slow. Sparkly. More playful. Peaceful.
Once you know how you want Christmas to feel, it becomes much easier to decide what belongs in your Holiday Season and what doesn’t.
I’ve created a few ways you can make Christmas feel magical this Holiday Season below. Take what you love. Leave the rest and make it work for you. A magical Christmas isn’t about what to do this Christmas, it’s more about how you want Christmas to feel.
Make your home feel like Christmas before Christmas gets busy.
Think about your favorite Christmas movies and how they make you feel. What do you see that makes you instantly feel like Christmas is so magical? You do not need a perfectly decorated house. What you need is a full spectrum sensory experience to create your own Hallmark movie right inside your home. Sounds like science but it’s true LOL. And it works.
- Fresh greenery — a little tree, a wreath, or a pine-scented candle
- Something cozy — Christmas quilts, plaid throws, and pillows
- Soft lighting — dim the lights and let the Christmas tree lights do the work
- Something baking — cinnamon rolls smell so comforting
- A little jingle — your favorite Christmas playlist. I love Frank Sinatra.
- A hot cocoa station — festive mugs and marshmallows in a cute jar
Create simple traditions you can actually repeat.
The traditions that bring you the most joy are probably very simple. They get repeated without even thinking about them. Tradition happens when something captivates your heart so deeply you cannot see Christmas happening without it. For example every year I bake cinnamon rolls with Christmas music playing in the background. The comforting aroma instantly takes me back to being a little girl with my parents baking goodies in the kitchen. Christmas isn’t Christmas without fresh baked cinnamon rolls. Your own Christmas traditions can be just as simple. The only requirement is that you love them enough to repeat them next year. Here are a few beautiful ideas for making new traditions.
- Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning
- One favorite Christmas movie every year
- Driving around to see Christmas lights
- Grandma’s cookie recipe
- Champagne while wrapping presents
- Cutting a fresh Christmas tree
- The same playlist while decorating the tree
- One December night with nowhere to be
If you’re already thinking about the traditions you want more room for this Christmas, SLEIGH | THE HOLIDAY EDIT will help you clear some of the busywork out of the way before December even begins. Less time getting Christmas done, more time actually living in it.
Romanticize the Ordinary Parts of December
This where living inside a Hallmark movie comes to life. Instead of waiting for Christmas day to feel the magic, bring a little Christmas into the ordinary things you’re already doing. Most of December is just normal life, laundry, groceries, food prep, cleaning the house but what if you could lean into the magic of Christmas on any Tuesday in December? Here are some dreamy ideas to help you romanticize December effortlessly.
- Cocoa in your favorite mug while answering emails
- A Christmas movie playing while you cook dinner
- Take the long way home to see the lights
- Light a candle while cleaning the kitchen
- Have early morning coffee with the tree lit
- Go on a snowy walk with a warm mug in hand
Create your own Hallmark movie moments
There’s a reason I love Hallmark movies so much. It’s always snowing and there’s always a happy ending. The moments are intentional and the characters are fully present in the Season. It’s all about Christmas. You can actually see the lights, the decor, the food , the laughter when it’s a in a movie.
I realize real life doesn’t come with perfectly timed snowfall or a town tree lighting outside your front door but you can create little moments that make any normal day feel like a cinematic December night.
You do not need an elaborate plan. You just need to look at an ordinary night in December and ask yourself, “How could I make this feel a little more like Christmas? Here is some inspiration for you.
- Pack hot cocoa in a festive thermos and drive around to see Christmas lights
- Put on flannel pajamas early and turn off every light except the Christmas tree
- Watch an old Christmas movie — a classic like White Christmas or The Grinch
- Pick up coffee and walk through town when the shops are decorated for Christmas
- Make something warm for dinner and play Christmas music instead of turning on the TV
- Go outside during the first snowfall, even if it’s only for five minutes
- Bake brownies on the weekend and eat them warm while the kitchen is still a little messy
- Put a blanket by the fireplace or Christmas tree and have dessert there tonight
How would December feel if you stopped waiting for Christmas magic to find you and started creating little moments where it could actually happen?
The Secret to Making Christmas Feel Magical Again
After all these years of loving Christmas, what do you actually believe creates the magic? It’s probably not doing more. I think the secret to making Christmas feel magical can come naturally, especially if you lean into what’s right in front of you, like a snowy walk with a hot coffee. You’re having coffee anyway, why not make it more magical by taking in what Winter gives you?
The feeling of magic comes from taking the time to pause and notice December. You create the atmosphere with a little decor and some twinkle lights, then repeat the things you love every single year. This is how you turn the ordinary into something really special. This is tradition. Simply recreating what you adore, and this is how easy it is to make Christmas feel so magical without a lot of extra work.
Christmas magic doesn’t just happen on Christmas morning. If I am being totally honest, I am in Christmas all year long LOL. Anyway, the magic lives in the tiny moments that are easy for you to be in. You won’t have to think too hard to make it happen. You don’t need a perfect Christmas to have a magical one, you just need to notice that it’s near and lean into your favorite things. For me, it’s a cinnamon roll with a candle lit, the tree sparkling, and a Christmas movie playing on a snowy night. That is Christmas.
Want a little help creating your magical Christmas this year?
I created SLEIGH | THE HOLIDAY EDIT for the woman who loves Christmas deeply but doesn’t want to spend the whole season working through it.
Inside I’ll help you prepare for Christmas before December gets busy, simplify the things that tend to steal your time, and create more room for cozy traditions, ordinary moments, and Christmas magic you actually want to be there for.
Your most magical Christmas yet, with a whole lot less doing.
