This post is inspired by a post Diana made on Christmas songs she really really loathe. It is not my list of Christmas songs I absolutely loathe (even though there are quite a few of those as well).
Rather I was thinking about broadening the spectrum. Because there are many different things born out of our culture through time, that relates to Christmas, and either really lifts my Christmas spirit, or well ruins it. So I decided to make another list, except, it is two lists, one of things/concepts that, if your Christmas spirit needs a boost, these are cannot miss cultural stuff, and another list of things (because I really needed to not be so positive all the time) that can ruin even the strongest Christmas spirit.
So without further ado, I bring you my five Christmas spirit lifters, and my five Christmas spirit “downers”.
5 things categorized as “stay away from this or risk getting your Christmas spirit totally ruined”:
5. Low-Fat Christmas
I am sorry, but this is just a horrible concept waiting to go wrong. As a girl who has been dieting and also shedding the weight over the last one and a half year, I am saying No to low-fat Christmas.
I can see how someone has gotten the idea, but please, no Christmas food is healthy or low-fat/low-sugar anyway, and you just take all the fun out of the food by trying to “low fat it”. The point is, that to make it low-fat you have to change it quite a lot, and well – then it isn’t the traditional Christmas food anymore, and as much as I like couscous or baby spinach, it just is not Christmas food. And getting your hopes up for traditional Christmas feasts, just to have them crushed by “low fat” new and exciting recipes is just not for me. Give me my full fat traditional Christmas food and then I will eat it, enjoy it, and then maybe just be a bit more strict with myself come January.
4…Mickey’s Magical Christmas
This might seem a bit harsh, and it is, but it is deserved. This is not a attack on this movie in particular, this one is just an excellent example of it. Take the nicely drawn Disney Characters we all love, and animate them to look like weird blob-like creatures with a passing resemblance of the original characters, put them in a Christmas setting with almost no plot, and sell it for as much money as you can. This is just so slobby, and everytime I see it, it annoys the hell out of me.
Many of the great animation movies have shown that it is possible to make both endearing and amazing animated characters, and also tell amazing stories using computer animation, so why don’t you? There is absolutely no excuse for the trainwrecks that are “the animated Mickey Mouse Christmas stories”.
3. H. C. Andersens Christmas fairytales
Yes, I know I am trampling on someone’s toes here, but really? I will be the first one to admit that H. C. Andersen has written some both beautiful and inspirational fairytales. Yes I admit it. But… He is not exactly one for getting into the Christmas spirit, is he?
His Christmas “fairytales” has a tendency to be filled with “the feeling of let down”, making stupid decisions, and people dying. Come on, give me one person who has sat down, read The little match girl, and felt their spirit being lifted, and felt joyous, after hearing the story about a poor little girl, that had nothing, got nothing except hallucinations and then died…
So it is not because of his lack of talent, that Andersens stories about Christmas is on my list, but because nothing can make you feel down as small girls dying, trees that feel left behind and Snowmen that only loves what will kill them…
2. “Put the Christ back in Christmas”.
Yes, this is a discussion that has been going on these last many years. Is Christmas only for Christians or for every one, and should Christmas be more about Christ and less about Santa, and what is up with all those people just enjoying the season without caring about the existential problems of whether they should have fun if they are an atheist/Christian/Jew/Jedi Knight/etc. And I come down on the side of “I just don’t freaking care, let me enjoy Christmas my way instead of bothering me”.
But I mean it, if you want to look up the discussions going on, it is at your own risk, nothing is more crushing to the Christmas spirit than a bunch of serious people discussing whether some other people aren’t keeping Christmas the right way, or whether they even should be celebrating Christmas at all.
1. Destiny’s Childs – 8 Days Of Christmas (The Christmas Album)
Yeah, I know what you are thinking, is it really fair to put Destiny’s childs Christmas album on the top of the list of things that can ruin the Christmas spirit. And, to answer: Yes, it is fair, because nothing ruins the Christmas spirit, than Destiny’s Child murdering innocent Christmas carols. And yes, they are definitely murdering them. The poor innocent Christmas carols like Carols of the Bells (here renamed Opera of the Bells) does not know what have hit them, when Destiny’s Child starts murdering them with R’n’B and too many weird vocal liberties and intonations, making the poor song almost unrecognizable.
If you do not believe me, try listening to this (at your own risk):
5 things categorized as “always raising the Christmas spirit”
5. Mince Pies
I know not everyone will agree with me, but despite the fact that I am Danish and we do not have a tradition for mince pies, I do think there is anything that says Christmas more than a good mince pie. This also mean that I make them every year myself, and have had to go through quite some experimentation, to find the right ingredients that would work instead of the ones in my recipe, because they do not sell either lard, nor mixed spice or mixed peel in convenient stores in Denmark. But I will make mince pies regardless of this fact. If you want to expand on this “thing”, it could also hold the homemade biscuits and homemade candy that is made in this household, but if I had to choose one thing, it would be the Mince Pies. Homemade sweet Christmas treats are always great for lifting the Christmas spirit.
4. The Christmas music
I will not go into more detail, since I already have a whole blog post on Christmas music already, but this is something that always lifts my Christmas spirit.
3. A decorated Christmas tree and Christmas lights in general
Nothing can lift my spirits as seeing a decorated Christmas tree. It does not have to big, or stylish, or expertly done, it just needs to look like someone has had fun decorating it. And what I really like about Christmas trees are that they often has Christmas lights, and I love Christmas lights. It does not matter if it is electrical lighting on a house or it is candles that are lit, there is just something about lighting the darkness at Christmas that makes me happy inside and raises my Christmas spirit considerably.
2. Gift giving through December
I do not know how widespread this is outside of the Nordic countries, but both me and my boyfriend has a Christmas stocking, and his kids has as well for the days they are here in December. This means that my boyfriend gets a small gift every day of December until the 24th (this year it is small letters with funny facts, or interesting histories in them), and I get bigger gifts in my stocking once a week. As a child I thought it was an elf (a Nordic type of elf, it is a rather grumpy old man with a beard and a red hat, that was said to live on the farms in the old days, where if you where nice to him, he would help out with the animals etc.) that brought me the presents I got every day in my stocking.
But I love the whole idea of have small things every day (or every week) to help you count the days, and making every day until the 24th special. This also includes the chocolate calendar I have, which I open every morning and get a new piece of chocolate every day until Christmas.
1. Great versions of Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol
I just love that story, so I will recommend three different ways of enjoying it (you can do all three, as I usually do).
Firstly you should read a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, it really is worth the read, it is a brilliant story, that is both well written, and is imbued with Christmas spirit. Secondly, you should get a hold of the audiobook of the book, read by Jim Dale, one of the really great voices for audiobooks.
If this is not enough (and it probably is not) then get hold of Muppets version of a Christmas Carol. It is lovingly made, and with great understanding of the story. And it is just heartwarming in the Muppets version.
I think that was all from me, hopefully I could inspire (and help you avoid) something this Christmas.
Gro
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