Finding Christmas Spirit...in July

This past week a friend of mine told me she was watching Keepsake Week on the Hallmark Channel. "Christmas movies were going to be on all week," she said. Normally, the thought of Christmas, especially in July, would be more than enough to drive me insane. However, I've made it a point to learn what I can from every person and situation I come across, so I decided to grit my teeth and take a look. You know what, I actually learned something.

I've talked in previous posts about my dislike of Christmas. Up until a few years ago, I was the biggest Grinch on the planet. My children changed all that. I have been trying my best to provide the best Christmases possible for them. It isn't easy, so I am usually very happy when the season is over. You can imagine how thinking about Christmas in July isn't particularly appealing to me.

Now, back to this past week. What did I learn from watching Christmas movies in the Summer? As much as I dislike Christmas, I still enjoy watching Christmas movies. I did find that watching them in July still felt the same as watching them in December. It felt good to remember the joy of Christmas, even if it is Summer. I think I learned a valuable lesson: you can carry the Spirit of Christmas with you throughout the year.

At Christmastime, we often talk about how we should carry certain aspects of the season with us throughout life. We should always be giving. We should always carry joy with us. You know what I mean? We nod our heads in agreement, but as soon as the season is over, we completely forget. Watching these movies in July reminded me of all of this. Now, I'm not saying I will become one of these folks who tries to keep it Christmas year-round, but I do think we could all benefit from a little Christmas joy once in a while.

I think when it is Christmastime we all try to be a little nicer. We all try to be a little less selfish. We all try to spend time with family and/or friends. We all try to be little happier, even if it is for a short time. Why not try to be the better version of ourselves the whole year? I know, easier said than done. I'm a work in progress, too, but I do think it is worth the effort. Well, these are my thoughts this week. At the very least, it did feel nice to watch some feel-good holiday films for a week. Have a wonderful week, everybody!