How to Get Into the Christmas Spirit One Cozy Moment at a Time

For many of us, especially as adults, life is filled with work, family obligations, and numerous responsibilities, which can make it challenging to pause and appreciate the season. But that’s okay: even amidst busy days, there are tiny, joyful ways to invite the holiday spirit into your life.

Here is how to get into the Christmas spirit in November or December through small rituals, familiar comforts, and simple moments that slowly turn December into something warmer and a little more magical.

Key Learnings 

• Sound, smell, taste, and visual cues naturally trigger positive memories and boost mood.
• Connection and generosity deepen holiday happiness.
• Gratitude journaling, writing letters to your future self, and engaging in cozy self-care rituals can create lasting joy and a sense of calm.

Permit Yourself to Have Christmas on Your Terms

Before we talk about Christmas lights, cookies, or movies, let’s clear something meaningful out of the way: you’re allowed to have Christmas that fits your life this year. Even if the holiday differs from your family traditions or society’s expectations, and all you want is to curl up under a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and “Home Alone,” that’s perfectly okay.

Now that we’ve made space… let’s invite the cozy moments in.

How to Get Into the Christmas Spirit with Small Daily Rituals

These quick starter boosters work because the brain loves familiar seasonal cues. Science backs this up: sounds, smells, and rituals that our brain associates with positive memories boost our mood and instantly bring comfort. 

🎧 Delight Your Senses

Here is how to engage your senses to the fullest for the immersive Christmas experience.

Listen to Christmas Music 

Music can evoke memories, even for individuals with memory issues. That’s why a particular Christmas song can suddenly make you merry or nostalgic. Play Christmas tunes while working, cooking, wrapping gifts, driving, or cleaning. 

A few playlist ideas for Christmas music include:

• An inspiring, non-distracting Christmas playlist for work.
• Christmas music for Pomodoro fans.
• Christmas lo-fi lists.
• Cozy instrumental oldies from the 1950s.
• Classic Christmas songs to sing along to.

Scent Diffusers and Candles

Smell is the sense most strongly tied to memory. Light candles or use scent diffusers with pine, cinnamon, vanilla, or orange. 

Alternatively, if you want to go all out for Christmas, consider crafting your own candles to use for decoration or as gifts.

Bake Christmas Cookies

Measuring ingredients, kneading dough, and decorating cookies are all activities that require focus, hence, distract you from anxious thoughts. 

Additionally, decorating cookies allows your brain to engage in play and creativity, stimulating dopamine release and making baking a fun activity to incorporate into your personalized dopamine management plan.

It’s also a great shared activity in case you’ve wondered how to get someone into the Christmas mood.

Here is where to start from:

• Easy Cookie Decorations for Beginners
• 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies
• Classic Gingerbread Cookies
• Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
• Vegan Christmas Cookies.

🍿 Watch and Read Stories That Feel Like Home

Watching Christmas movies and reading festive stories, all cozy and familiar, feels so good because our brains love predictability, which they associate with safety. 

Watch Christmas Movies

Turn movie night into a ritual with cozy blankets and Christmas lights.

Here are a few films to start with. 

• “Home Alone” series – 1990 onward. Mischievous Kevin outsmarts burglars while his family is away.
• “Meet Me in St. Louis” – 1944. A heartwarming musical about a family celebrating holidays in early 20th-century St. Louis.
• “While You Were Sleeping” – 1995. A sweet romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman set during the Christmas season.
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” – 1946. A man discovers the value of his life with the help of an angel.
• “The Princess Switch” – 2018. A baker and a duchess switch lives and find love during the Christmas season.
• “A Christmas Carol”(there are multiple versions, including the classic 1951 film). Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas.
• “Klaus” – 2019. An animated tale about how kindness and a magical friendship create the legend of Santa Claus.

Read a Christmas Story

Spiritual reflections, nostalgic classics, and children’s books all build a library of hope and quiet joy.

Classic Christmas stories include: 

• “Letters from Father Christmas” — J.R.R. Tolkien (1976). A collection of whimsical letters Tolkien wrote to his children, filled with magic and warmth.
• “A Christmas Carol” — Charles Dickens (1843). A timeless story of redemption, generosity, and the true spirit of Christmas.
• “Little Women” (Christmas chapters) — Louisa May Alcott (1868). A cozy portrayal of family, generosity, and warmth during Christmas time.
• “A Redbird Christmas” — Fannie Flagg (2004). A gentle, small-town Christmas story about kindness, friendship, and second chances.
• “Old Christmas” — Washington Irving (1819). Essays that celebrate traditional Christmas customs and old-fashioned holiday cheer.

Get your personalized dopamine management plan!Take a quick quiz

🎄 Decorate for the Spirit

When your space feels festive, your mind follows.

Put up a Christmas Tree

A self-evident tip, but a powerful one because your brain sees this as a symbol of celebration and festivity. Your Christmas tree can be significant, small, real, artificial, or even a tree made of Christmas lights on the wall.

Hang On Christmas Decorations

You can craft your own decorations, such as paper ornaments, dried orange garlands, or homemade wreaths. When you work with your hands, your brain releases dopamine, which boosts your mood and helps you feel merry. Plus, the tactile grounding helps calm your nervous system.

🎁 Give and Connect

At its heart, Christmas is all about connecting more deeply with family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and sometimes even oneself.

Wrap Gifts and Sign Christmas Cards

The texture of the paper, the sound of the scissors, and the repetitive nature of folding, taping, and writing soothe your nervous system. 

During these activities, your brain also focuses on generosity and connection, hence, it releases feel-good chemicals. 

Volunteer or Donate 

Generosity activates the brain’s reward system. As a result, levels of oxytocin and dopamine increase, which are the neurotransmitters associated with connection and joy.

Here are a few simple ideas to try this holiday season:

• Volunteer at an animal shelter.
• Serve meals at a soup kitchen or community food bank.
• Read to the elderly in a nursing home or to children at a library.
• Clear out your closet and donate clothing, books, and household goods to a local shelter or thrift store.
• Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line.
• Leave a positive review for a small business you genuinely appreciate.

📝 Add Seasonal Mindfulness & Reflection

This section is particularly significant for adults learning how to get into the Christmas spirit, as responsibilities can often overshadow the wonder of the season.

Add Some Gratitude Journaling for the Season

Gratitude journaling helps reduce stress hormones and increase serotonin levels.

How to practice seasonal gratitude journaling

• Write 3 small things you appreciated today (a quiet morning, Christmas lights, a kind text);
• Focus on sensory details in your entries: smells, sounds, textures;
• Try prompts such as “One thing that made today feel lighter…” or “A small Christmas moment I noticed today…”;
• Keep entries short.

Write a Letter to Your Future Self

This practice helps you see that life has chapters, not only tasks. How to write your Christmas-season letter:

• Begin with the date and your current life situation.
• Describe how this holiday season feels.
• List all things that happened to you (ones you’re grateful for as well).
• Write what you hope to accomplish and learn next year.
• Finish with words of self-compassion and support. 

Engage in Cozy Self-Care Rituals

Cozy rituals help regulate your nervous system, especially during the holiday season when it can feel loud, busy, or emotionally charged.

• Play soft Christmas music or instrumental holiday music;
• Wrap yourself in warm blankets with a book or a Christmas story.
• Enjoy hot chocolate or hot cocoa without the need for multitasking.
• Stretch gently before bed or practice slow breathing.
• Step outside for crisp, fresh air and a quiet reset.

7-Day Mini Christmas Reboot 

You can start this plan at any time, even if Christmas Eve is closer than you anticipated.

Final Thoughts

The true Christmas season is all about making space for the things and moments that warm your heart. Small rituals, sensory joys, and mindful reflection all add up to a December that feels cozy and full of meaning.

Carry the festive joy forward with Liven: try the Liven app (Google Play or App Store), gain new insights from the Liven blog, and understand your mental health better with Liven’s free wellness tests.

References

1. Bentley et al. (2023). Nature, smells, and human wellbeing. Ambio, 52(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01760-w
2. Green et al. (2023). The proust effect: Scents, food, and nostalgia. Current Opinion in Psychology, 50, 101562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101562
3. Hutson, J., & Hutson, P. (2024). Neuroplasticity and creativity: Transformative potential of fibre arts for growth and well-being. Faculty Scholarship, 698. https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/faculty-research-papers/698
4. Kaiser, A. P., & Berntsen, D. (2022). The cognitive characteristics of music-evoked autobiographical memories: Evidence from a systematic review of clinical investigations. WIREs Cognitive Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1627
5. Mental Health First Aid USA. (2022). The importance of practicing gratitude and celebrating small victories. https://mentalhealthfirstaid.org/news/practicing-gratitude/