A Chic Paris Holiday Season – Day 5 – Fun and Holidays?
December 7, 2020
Fiona Ferris in her book, A Chic and Simple Christmas, advises us to list out what we truly enjoy about the holiday season (so that we can be sure to maximize those experiences). On a related note, Gretchen Rubin in her book, The Happiness Project, devoted an entire month to the idea of play and fun (the idea is that happiness contains a component of fun in it.) Even with Fiona and Gretchen coaching me, I’m sad to say that I’m more like Dr. Seuss’s grouchy Grinch than the Dickensian generous, exuberant Ghost of Christmas Present. I once said, with absolute sincerity, that I wished I could just magically take a 2-month nap – from October 29 through to Jan 3 – and completely skip the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays.
My challenge today is to list out what is truly fun for me about the Christmas/New Year’s holiday season. I can tell you all about what my children and my husband find fun in the season. But me? Using Gretchen’s definition, if I found something about the “holiday” fun: I would look forward to it; I would find it energizing (not draining) and I wouldn’t feel guilty about it later. Hooo-kay, I’m looking a completely blank piece of white paper. To quote Gretchen, “am I so cheerless and dull” that I can’t think of a single thing?
Looking to the past, I can remember certain things that I enjoyed about the holiday season. In my 20’s, I lived in Washington DC on Capital Hill. I looked forward to admiring all the decorations I saw as I walked to work through the Capital grounds or going into Union Station. I enjoyed watching how much fun my two cats had playing with wrapping paper fragments on Christmas day. When the children were young, I had a terrific time finding small, charming gifts for them (on Amazon or eBay.) The fun for me was both the hunt and the anticipation of their fun with the gift. (Young children are so easily happy and joyful with any present. (Large empty appliance boxes are probably the best – they are worth days of concentrated play.)) As a child myself, I loved playing outside with my friends and hearing about everyone’s gifts after the big “Chrismtas feast” (normally held mid-day.) I usually loved my “Christmas Stocking Book” (a paperback book my parents would put in my stocking) and would eagerly look forward to curling up in bed after dinner to read it.
More recently, I’ve had fun ice skating at Prague’s outdoor skating rinks (set up just for the holiday season.) Paris and Prague’s outdoor Christmas markets are fun to wander around (usually with a paper cup of hot mulled cider.) One of the most fun Christmas seasons I’ve enjoyed in the last several years, was a Christmas where several old friends (and their spouses and children) joined my husband, children and me here in Paris for about a week. The children were all around the same age, the apartments where each family stayed were quite close together so the children could move around as a pack back and forth easily. We parents shared the logistics of the week (cooking, child care, etc) organically so that no one adult pair was fully loaded and each couple had a “date” night out. And I got to enjoy “hanging out” with two of my very oldest friends. The nicest part was that I enjoyed them – as adults – as much as I had liked them when we were kids.
Using the above list, maybe I can pull out a few ideas of what I find fun – watching my loved ones being happy and having fun themselves, outdoor activities in beautiful settings, spending relaxed time with people I care about, and enjoying some quiet solitude in the midst of the season.
I guess I can deduce from the above paragraph what I do NOT find fun (or enjoyable): holiday cooking, cleaning, holiday shopping in malls, crowds, noise, watching TV or sports, too much indoor time, and the pressure to find gifts for difficult people.
The other challenge for this holiday season (2020) is that there will be no easy socializing with loved ones and outdoor “Christmas Market” type experiences are highly uncertain because of the CoVid-19 precautions.
Clearly, there is more to think about here. It is possible to find a few elements that we find fun in the holidays and schedule those experiences into our season. What about you? What do you find fun to do in the holiday season?
2 Comments
Lara
I think there are many people who share those sentiments – I know I do. Christmas was a wonderful time as a child and teen – it was all presents, yummy food, trips to the beach (as it’s summer here in Australia) and no responsibility. It’s not until I’d left home and started doing my own shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc that I realised how much work is involved ! I’m with you – I loathe Christmas shopping. Some years ago I came to an arrangement with friends and family that we would share experiences,rather than give presents, at Christmas time. For example, my mum and I go for a lovely manicure and pedicure together at a local salon and then have lunch at a cafe.
The things I love about Christmas are few, to be honest, but like you I try to keep a few special things in mind. One is that cherries are in season for a brief time and the other is that mangoes are plentiful. I make sure I eat a mango every day ! I love seeing kids riding their new bicycles, skateboards, etc out and about on Christmas Day.
Julien M.
Fresh mangos are here in Paris, too! They are monstrously expensive but SO exotic and delicious. I like your idea of sharing experiences with loved ones. I’ve read that studies on happiness show that experiences tend to make us happier than physical things do. My plan is to schedule fun (and simple) holiday-related experiences each week for the whole family to do.