10 Top Tips to Celebrate a Happy Christmas During a Pandemic

The thought of a Happy Christmas at this time of the year, might not be your top priority at present, but is surely crossing your mind right now. Pandemic or not, we miss our loved ones, but we all know that the pandemic doesn’t take time off to let us celebrate a happy a Christmas.

On autopilot I reach for my mask as I go down the escalator on my way to the grocer. I remember the first lock-down earlier this year – grocery shopping at the local shop was akin to going to Harrods for the day. 

Today was different though, as the mask plonked onto my face and the sliding doors opened, I was greeted by Christmas decorations of all sorts, flickering lights, a small display of local Portuguese handcrafts and delightful Christmas music. It was as if the child in me awoke from a deep sleep and my eyes were bright with excitement as I saw the chestnuts and dates bouncing off the display table into my basket.

I left there feeling energetic and excited about the weeks to come and almost guilty for not starting the yearly preparations sooner. Out the tree came, trinkets to go with and Spotify Biggest Christmas Hits blasting through the house ‘Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Rock’.

On reflection, I managed to turn all the pandemic challenges into blessings. I even took up Zumba dancing, so here goes my top 10 tips for having a happy Christmas during the pandemic:

Focus on the magic – We create our reality with our thoughts, so why not think about miracles, pleasant surprises, new ideas and inspiration? I recently posted the question “What positive things have happened in your life since Covid19?” on Facebook and got an overwhelming positive response ranging from ‘I rescued a puppy’, ‘I got close to my family again’, to ‘I awakened to the truth’ and ‘started an online business”. Dr Bruce Lipton has proven through the science of Epigenetics that it is our perception and not our genes that control our biology. Makes you think hey? 

Make self-care a priority – Yes Christmas is about sharing and caring, yet let this year be about sharing and caring for yourself also. Think about what you need to feel nurtured and enjoy having the time to invest in yourself this year. Why not re-evaluate Christmas and re-create a better one … after all it is different this year, why not make it good different?

Take back control of your life – Every time you allow the pandemic to chip away at your happiness, you give your power away. Do not let this Grinch steal your Christmas or your New Year for that matter, or your life, do not settle for that! Use the power of your mind and the strength of your heart to outshine the darkness. Every day wake up and say “Today is the best day of my life!”.

Stay away from negative people – You got to learn to set firm boundaries, especially in this time. Negative energy is not serving you. You can kindly ask the person not to share any negative thoughts with you and if it persists that person will know why you remove yourself from their company. Use social distancing to strengthen your aura. You can also create an imaginary bubble around you, protecting you from others’ negativity in times where it becomes too overwhelming.

Build up reserves – Over the holidays, especially if you go away on a trip or to family, it is a big chunk of time spent away from ‘work’ and also quite a big expense. If you are employed and feel like working over the holidays, enjoy the extra money coming your way. If you are self-employed, do not squander the time away feeling sorry for yourself. Get ahead of the game by preparing for 2021 so that you can start the new year with a solid foundation and clarity.

Focus on becoming better at amplifying the good – It compounds. Make healthier choices and feast on that. Better choices turn into better feelings which create the better version of you, you so desire.

Let go of the old and welcome the new – Throw everything stale out of your house. Liven up this Christmas with a different look and feel, inside out.

Embrace intimacy – This year the scale of entertaining friends and family is drastically reduced. With that comes great opportunity. Have you sat down and thought about how to make this year special for the few people celebrating the holidays with you? That idea that you came up with but have not been able to execute due to numbers? Well now is your chance!

Connect in new ways – Virtual parties with loved ones are becoming ever popular. Grab a cup of hot cocoa, a Christmas pud or pop some bubbly and stay connected to friends and family. “It’s not the same Helen…”, I hear you dearest, yet if you find yourself using words along those lines and wanting to sink into a pit of hopelessness, be reminded that when it comes to evolution, we do not want things to remain the same. With change comes the opportunity to grow and it is up to us to choose if we want to grow into healthier, stronger and more positive human beings or stay stuck in ways that no longer serve us. 

Do the little things well this year – Practice awareness of all things. The words you speak, the actions you do, the intentions you wake up with each day should all increase your energy and lust for life. This year let the Christmas decorations you put up, the gifts you send out, the food you prepare, the time spent with loved ones, let it all be done with true care and attention. Appreciate the little things and you will be blessed with the most beautiful festive season, experiencing the love and joy that reside in your heart always.

There you have it, I could actually think of plenty more ways to be positive and I realise that it is exactly what the power of happiness and positivity does. It is like a snowball as it picks up momentum. 

Have a Jolly Holly Christmas this year!