It can be hard to feel festive around Christmas when you live in a place where it’s only snowed 16 times this century. We probably won’t ever have a white Christmas here, but there are lots of ways to make it feel Christmasy without the snow! Today for the 12 Days of Kaelamas, I’m sharing how to make it feel Christmasy even when it’s 80 degrees out 😉 thanks to my manager for giving me the idea for this post hahaha
1. TONS of decorations
Obviously one of the easiest ways to make it feel Christmasy is to cover your home with decorations! I absolutely LOVE Christmas lights, and we actually keep a few strands of white ones up year round because they give off such a nice soft light. I would put them everywhere and have my home lit only by Christmas lights if I could. The pictures above are from our old apartment, but our new place is lovely too, complete with two Christmas trees! I also love to scour the Dollar Spot at Target for little decorative Christmasy things that won’t break the bank. They have tons of little banners, signs, garland, and lots of other things that will add just the right touch of holiday goodness.
2. Wearing warm Christmas sweaters and other festive clothes
Even though it usually doesn’t get below 70 degrees here, I still get a lot of joy out of creating lovely festive outfits. It’s getting near the end of the season now so I’m running out of ideas but we’ll make it through haha. Sweaters, leggings, or basically anything green and red will help you get in the spirit even if it’s not snowing outside. Oh, and sparkles – sparkly clothes can make any outfit feel Christmasy. Disney always comes through for holiday outfits. I got a new holiday Disney crew neck sweatshirt this year (see the photo to the left) that I ADORE and plan to wear even when the season has passed! People say not to have TOO much holiday-specific clothing because you can only wear it for a few months out of the year, but I wear it year-round because there’s always time for Christmas.
3. Make Christmasy foods
Hey, I have a previous post about this! Since this season has been so busy we haven’t made a lot of Christmasy foods, but we will definitely try to before the year is over!! I have lovely memories of making Christmas cookies with my family when I was younger. There’s just something so cozy about enjoying warm cookies with twinkly Christmas lights on in the background. It’s a great holiday tradition regardless of where you live.
4. Throw a party
We didn’t do a Christmas party this year because we’re in the middle of moving and it would be too hectic, but we did one last year and it was soooo much fun!! One of my favorite Christmas party activities is the White Elephant exchange…it’s so fun to see what crazy things people bring to the party. It’s a great way to bring everyone together, especially with cast member friends who will probably have to work on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
5. Gather with friends
I remember the first Christmas I spent without my family I was legitimately SO sad…I never get homesick at all but I just missed them so much that year. Luckily, my parents (and our dogs!) came down to visit last year and are doing it again this year. In the meantime, one of the BEST ways to make things feel more Christmasy is to spend time with your close friends. They just make everything better when you’re sad, but also when you’re happy and celebrating! I’m so glad I have such amazing friends to spend the holiday season with, and this year I get to spend it with my wonderful fiancé too <3
Okay so I guess this post was kind of just a summary of my previous posts but that’s okay haha. This is how we celebrate Christmas in a place where it never snows, and I love it! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed this post! the last day of the 12 Days of Kaelamas is coming up (and I’m still not sure what I’m gonna write about) so stay tuned for that!
xo, Kaela
