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Before Hallowe'en is even over, the stores start pouring on the Christmas spirit. With so much to get done before the holiday, we really need to work on getting into the spirit of the holiday. But that's not nearly as easy as it sounds.
It's really best to start small. When you're in a store follow these two easy steps:

1. Smile at the stranger walking down the aisle or at the salesperson.

2. Wish them a Merry Christmas. If this is too much, start small - wish them a Happy Holiday. The "holidays" seem to take on a large section of the winter months whereas "Christmas" is really only one day. Small baby steps!

Once you've got the holiday greeting down, try moving onto something a little larger. Do something nice for someone! Bake some cookies (and if you're up to it, make them in the shapes of something to do with Christmas), or offer to babysit for someone that needs to get some holiday shopping or decorating done.

By now you should start feeling that deep down warm feeling that everyone associates with the holiday. Now, take a look under the house, in the cubby hole or wherever you store your Christmas decorations. Grab out the boxes and start going through everything. I suggest leaving the lights until the end. Nothing will dampen your newly built, yet still fragile, holiday spirit more than trying to detangle the lights that you dumped in the box last year!

If you're really feeling good about yourself, put on a Christmas CD and grab some eggnog and rum to liven things up!

Please drink responsibly! Nothing kills the holiday spirit more than a drunk, carolling holiday elf trying to get those darn lights apart!

Other ideas to help you out:

1. Put on a great Christmas classic.
2. Put out some scented pinecones (available at most department or craft stores)
3. Put out your Christmas tree (get a prelit one to save yourself the hassle of detangling those lights). You'd be surprised how much just looking at the lights in the dark brings a holiday mood to your heart!