How to Enjoy December: 10 Tips

How nice that “some people” are launching into their New Year’s Resolutions already … cleaning under the refrigerator and becoming disciplined at the dinner table.

For me, that would also mean wishing December would hurry up and get done! Enabling an inner critic means listening to a snarky, pushy voice all the time. Which would certainly drive me toward chocolate, and away from dusting.

Instead, here are some joy-spinners and pleasure-lifters to make the rest of this end-of-year month worth walking through (Northern Hemisphere version).

1. Short days, long nights: What a great time to get a full night’s rest! Pile on enough comforters. If you have a fairly quiet air cleaner, move it into the room where you sleep. Use it at night if it’s quiet enough, or daytime otherwise, to “scrub” without getting your hands wet.
2. The longest evenings: Try out a new series on your display devices (TV, cable, computer). Alternatively, stack the books you’d like to read next to your armchair, and dip in, with a hot beverage on an adjacent table.
3. Showcase your lights: Outdoor twinkling, or indoor candles — they both become especially appealing against the season’s dark background. It’s a two-way gift, since you may feel more optimistic and so will those viewing your lights (when’s the last time you placed a lit…