How To Maintain Your Holiday Cheer Throughout the Year

 
Now that the holidays are over, people are starting to fall into the humdrums of winter. Winter can be dreary, but what makes the first part of the winter season bearable is the holiday season. However, there’s no reason not to continue celebrating some holiday traditions throughout the year! Snap back into loving life with this list of simple ways to keep the holiday spirit going throughout the winter.
 
Bake cookies

Baking cookies is another great way to keep the holiday spirit up throughout the year. Invite your friends over to make cookie dough from scratch and then decorate the cookies. (Just be careful that you don’t overindulge in them!)

Keep giving gifts 
The holiday season is a season filled with gift giving and receiving, but there’s no reason you can’t give gifts throughout the year. There’s nothing better than receiving a “just because” gift. And the gifts don’t have to be expensive! Get some nail polish or a fun pair of fuzzy socks to give to a friend. People will just be happy to receive an unexpected gift.

Keep your apartment or dorm room decorated

It is a little bit tacky if you leave a Christmas tree up all year, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping Christmas lights strung around your room! The lights will give your room a nice whimsical and festive look.

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Surround yourself with family
There is no reason why you can’t keep in touch with your extended family that you only see at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Try to send an email every once in a while or give them a phone call. It’ll also help make the holidays less awkward when you’re sitting with your cousin and trying to make conversation.

Send more cards
Although handwritten letters have become more of a rarity nowadays, there are certainly a lot of letters mailed throughout the holiday season. Handwritten letters are always exciting to receive in the mail. Grab a couple cute dollar cards from Wal-Mart or Hallmark and send them to a friend. Fill the cards with encouraging quotes and it’ll definitely help bring a smile to their face.

Volunteer

The holidays are filled with opportunities to volunteer and leave your mark on someone’s life. The chance to volunteer is still there throughout the year; you just have to take the initiative to get involved! Sign up to work at a food kitchen or coach a Girls on the Run team.  Volunteering is a holiday tradition that should never goe out of season.

Celebrate everything.
Go get frozen yogurt after you turn in a particularly hard term paper. Get Cookout milkshakes with your roommate once you (finally) clean your room. If you’re having trouble finding a reason to celebrate, look up some of the random holidays that people have created (and trust me, there are a ton). Grab some friends and celebrate National Puzzle Day on Jan. 29 or make a homemade cherry pie with some friends on Cherry Pie Day on Feb. 20. The point is, it doesn’t matter what you celebrate as long as you’re enjoying it! Even when the actual holidays come back around, everyone celebrates different holidays with different traditions. There’s no reason not to carry that same sentiment throughout the year.