Getting into the Holiday Spirit

I’m not sure what it is - the pandemic, the lack of family and friends gathering together - but this year, I’m having trouble getting into the holiday spirit.  Even last year, the first year I celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas with only my husband and cat, was a bit novel and cozy - we hunkered down, cooked by ourselves, and enjoyed the peaceful solitude of our home.  This year, however, the edges are tearing and the center cracking.  I’m not sure how much more alone time we can take!  (As further explanation, we are in the minority (at least it seems like it) of still staying home, masking, social distancing, and avoiding inside social activities, notwithstanding the promise of the vaccination.)  So, what to do to jump-start that special holiday feeling?

My husband knew we needed a holiday spirit injection, so planned a trip to nearby San Francisco, a place that usually puts on a dazzling holiday display.  But this was not an easy task considering our current restrictions.  Used to riding in enclosed buses and taxis, I wondered how we would get around.  Of course there was the old tried-and-true walking (I got 20,000 + steps daily!) and the open-air cable car.  

(Pre-pandemic photo)

We dined outdoors despite the 50ish degree weather.  There were plenty of outdoor gas heat lamps for warmth.

And stopped to pose in front of our favorite holiday displays.

This weekend trip got the ball rolling and when we returned home, it was time to decorate the house.  We got a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, a record for us, but I stalled on decorating it.  I needed some sort of holiday motivation, and music is always an important part of that.  

I highly recommend the Los Straight Jackets Holiday Pandora station - includes mostly surf rock, Elvis, Stray Cats, BB King holiday songs, and the like.  This year, I stumbled upon the WWOZ New Orleans annual Frightening Holiday Music Extravaganza radio show.  I can’t explain much about it, other than to say it was a truly unique mix of holiday music, and I hope I’m able to tune in yearly from now on.  It, coupled with my favorite holiday cocktail, a Peppermint Martini (2.5 oz. vanilla vodka and 1 oz. peppermint schnapps):

provided the impetus to finally finish decorating the tree.

Once that was done, an Amaretto Sparkler (small amount of Amaretto liqueur topped with sparkling wine) inspired the rest of the decorations around the house.

Along with those drinks, who doesn’t need a savory snack?  My mother used to make cheese-and-sausage balls for breakfast on Christmas morning.  I’ve kept up the tradition by making them ahead of time and enjoying them during the weeks before Christmas.  Easy and delicious.

Next up for that cozy holiday feel, I love to immerse myself in holiday books, movies, and TV shows.  Elf and Bad Santa are a yearly tradition for movies, and any holiday baking show will warm my cockles.  

Many authors have holiday books and short stories to help make spirits bright.

Like Livia Washburn's Naughty or Mice

What are your favorite holiday traditions?  What recipes, movies, and books do you like?  Are you an author with a holiday story to tell us about?

Happy holidays to you all!

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Her second book, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon is now available.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.