How To Ramp Up Christmas And Amplify The Christmas Spirit For Those You Cherish The Most

It's not that the world stage has changed all that much but more so that the holiday is now several years old and people are starting to feel the commercial pinch of the holiday.

The people "waiting" as if they have an attitude of entitlement that you HAVE TO buy them a gift, even if you're so broke you need the money for bread and milk to survive! Well, there are two sides to everything and although there are a lot of negatives to consider facing around this holiday, there are A LOT of things positive and fun you can do.

Most choose to just ignore them and focus on the happy things, and the amazing feelings Christmas and the spirit of Christmas brings. This article will focus on the second one but will alleviate the first (negatives) in a cleaver and more enlightening way to experience Christmas (in my opinion). I hope you enjoy this article and find it useful.

The Plan Primer:

(leading up to the plan)

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Christmas spirit used to be easy

(even automatic)

It's become a commercial run business, however, and for many the pressures of Christmas being in line with their daily stress already- make people anticipate a whole lotta "uggggggg's". Before they can even really break into the spirit they've started feeling the stress. 

The stores commercialization of Christmas has become a sort of way to alleviate this stress (ironically caused by the same machine). Instead of just throwing Christmas at you in December, they start earlier and taper you in through perception so by the time you "realize" the holiday is approaching, your mind is conditioned to see it as a Good thing and the stresses, you have plenty of time to process how to deal with them.

THE PLAN:

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With all of this in mind it hits me- why don't people follow this same concept? Why aren't we breaking those around us into Christmas slowly and subtly by applying the same concepts the stores and commercial industries are doing? It makes sense doesn't it? The problem they solved is only solved at the commercial level- not the personal level. It's us that have to apply that one.

THEIR tapering you into the holiday doesn't make the fact that your 12 family members and 4 immediate family members all "expect" something good from you and likely are buying you something good (adding to the stress!) for you in exchange. The problem is that your broke, you're living paycheck to paycheck so funds are low for Christmas and seem to be at the lowest every year around this time right?

So how do you resolve those types of dellimas? Should we feel obligated to buy everyone a gift? Not really, but why don't we feel like doing it anyway? Likely because we're broke right? Maybe someone isn't worthy of a gift because they just used you and gave you none of their time all year... but again, the solution is right in front of us- the stores have formulated a brilliant scheme THAT WORKS! We just have to reapply it and emulate it for the personal side. So here's my idea:

The Strategy

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Taking from the commercial model, all you have to do is start Christmas celebrations In September, October, Or November. I prefer 3 months out because it's a good time frame to work with. I don't mean go buy a turkey or all the fixins and start eating like it's Christmas every week or even every month (although I might try the every month thing for fun). I mean start the giving, but without the Christmas cloak.

In this model you change "How" you gift, "How" you approach the entire Holiday, and it works seamless with anyone's normal Christmas scheme but they won't "expect" a lot from you by Christmas ("oh no you've done enough! You spoil me!") - Brilliant! 

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Perception Is Reality- Lots of smaller potent (because it's personal) gifts will always beat out a bigger gift (in the normal scheme of things).

Part of the value we lend to the perception of Christmas gifts is in part due to the value someone gives you. It boils down to the emotional bank account. If you do a lot for someone all year, they don't expect nor really need a "high quality" expensive gift from you. They feel on an even field with you so they may actually feel guilty if you got them something too expensive after pampering them for 3 months with "little" but "significant" gifts. 

On the other hand if you are in an imbalance with that person the more the imbalance the more they "expect" or "need" a "great" gift from you (in their perception of what's great that is). This article offers a way to be the aforementioned.

• Taking everyone in your important circles into account (those you'd buy a gift for on Christmas) first, you need to make a list of names. Nothing unusual other than doing this in September :)

• Take that list and weigh it against each person. Put each person on a page (in a notebook?) all by itself. So buy a notebook and use it for Christmas (then scrap paper later with what's leff, unless you have hundreds of people to buy for).

• What you do is figure out all the possible thing about that person that would factor into gift giving, and more importantly- WHY you buy them a specific gift, i.e. is he a golfer, does she love Knottsberry Farm's cheese packs? Is he into sports? What sport? and so on. The idea is to brainstorm everything about each person i.e. what they like, not just gifts but what things do they like doing? Have they always wanted to go bungee jumping? Write down everything you can. If these people are on this list this should not take very long.

• This list is going to help you figure out the next step- The 3 Month Christmas Pampering.

Two Month Christmas Pampering

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Now, what would you rather receive for Christmas (considering of course that your not selfish), the potential for a decent gift (and often a disappointment because everyone had to buy everyone else a gift too so you got stuck with a 10.00 gift, which would be fine but it's not what you really wanted), or would you rather get very personalized gifts that aren't all found in wrapping paper or a box, and that come at a perfect time when you need it? 

Stay with me....

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Now granted, you don't have to go all out for everyone in your list. The beauty of this idea is that it's not even dressed in a Santa suit! It's far earlier than most people expect Christmas to start, so you're just doing a solid for a friend or family member and calling it just one of many gifts they will get in the next 2 months. By not telling everyone your plan, nobody is the wiser or feels left out. 

This idea is mainly going to be for your immediate circle i.e. family that lives in the same area, friends not in other countries etc... so your list of names shouldn't be terribly long. You can also just pick several people to pamper and quietly do it- you don't even have to mention this is an early Christmas in motion- then you'll just seem like the nice guy or gal you are. If you tell them what's up on Christmas day or Christmas eve, they will really feel special. Say you have them on  a very short list of people you appreciate the most.

Here's a few ways to do that. Choose the one you like best or make your own from these ideas.

Based on your list on each person, you just have to find a different way every other day to "gift" them something. It can be a greeting/thank you card (unexpected), a 10.00 gift card (or whatever amount you want), or just an email telling them you appreciate something they did. It's not about money or buying expensive stuff, it's about making people appreciate the little things in life. It's about giving them the gift of appreciation, that you "know" them and what they like, need, want, what's important to them. Your gift need not cost a thing, just make it personal and memorable - the actual spirit of Christmas is based on this ideal!

It's more about actions than money, more about appreciation (we don't have Christmas "obligation" to stain our genuinely selfless action/gift) so people are more open to think wow, thanks and truly appreciate it. The surprise factor is also fun. Their appreciation is not YOUR gift- It's part of THEIRS (and yours too actually)!

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Do you see how this escalates into a really cool way to amp up and rekindle Christmas spirit?

You're basically diluting your potency of the full month of December over 3 months so you can better spend your money, give each person less but really give them more, and they appreciate it more especially if every day they are receiving something from you- a compliment  a note, a rose, a post it on their car saying something that states "I appreciate you" - literally it can be anything that makes them smile.

You don't have to do this daily, you can just pick one thing a week or however you want to do it- I like the daily gift and it helps me really see (because I have to widdle it down to 10 people just to afford to do it and have the time to do it) who I value in my life the most- and it gives me the opportunity to really pamper them and say THANK YOU. Again, the real spirit of Christmas is embodied in this ideal. This format also forces me to pay attention to my friends when they talk, what they post on facebook, and anywhere else I can learn and refine my 60 days of appreciation for that person.

I have always loved the idea of Christmas all year but not for every person I know. I will often treat any time I have money as an opportunity to make someone else smile- I give gifts all year instead of a major one at the end of the year.

I can give one person more with the money by spreading it across 60 days (and again not every gift costs you anything, my sister in law makes really amazing things to give people all year. I'll even spend money on things someone made so I get a double whammy  (they earn money from their creation, helping a fellow entrepreneur out, and you get a spectacular hand made gift- that expresses something personal to someone you love).

When you get something from someone every day for 3 months does it really matter how valuable it is on the surface? It's how it affects THEM that counts, that's the true value in a gift.

Cummulative gift giving is synergistic if done right. Each gift builds emotion upon the last. If the person who receives it loved it the next thing you give them that they love/like will have an aura of the other gift you gave them- it's an accumulation in the emotional bank account and you can really build your personal value to someone else this way because it's thoughtful and potent.

You really don't expect anything big, nor do you care if you feel pampered by someone- appreciated- right? I'll take 2 months of small gifts and pamerings over a flat screen HDTV... I can buy that myself, but the pampering, is priceless and unique!

Have fun with it. Share your ideas or templates like this in the comments! 

And I hope I'm the first to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm So Getting These Two Gems (both under 20.00) For Someone I Know Who'd Love It! I'm getting started now!