So you thought your Christmas was going to be boring? Same old – same old. No way, don’t treat the spirit of Christmas with such disdain. My friend, if you embrace the Christmas spirit, the Christmas spirit will embrace you. Here are some fun Christmas ideas to keep the joy flowing all holiday.

1. Pin some mistletoe (or a palm tree, or a piece of your neighbour’s bush) on your door and invite a cute girl or guy over for dinner.

2. Make your own Christmas decorations. Listen, there may not be snow falling outside but this doesn’t mean that you can’t have snow falling on your indoor Christmas tree. Find yourself some white paper and make some snowflakes. Scissors and white paper are not only for bored kids in a classroom. Those cut out flakes are cute.

3. Build a gingerbread house. Ok so this may be a slightly more advanced Christmas crafty idea, but all the same the time and effort are worth it. Even if you get sick of stale gingerbread after day 4. There are lots of gingerbread recipes online, find a 5 star one which gets Martha Stewart’s vote of approval and bake up a storm. Make some piping icing and you can create something which Hansel and Gretel would be proud of. Be sure to take a picture and let the world share in your baking skills afterwards, of course.

4. Have a sing along. Even if people pretend they don’t like Christmas carols, I don’t believe they are telling the truth. Invite along some friends, find a musical acquaintance and organise a night of caroling. Do it on the weekend so the neighbour’s don’t want to throw a guitar at you after your fourth off-key verse of silent night. Don’t forget to light some candles and if at some stage you feel like knocking on doors and turning it into a charity event, that’s ok.

5. Make a wreath. You may not really have holly where you live (I’m in South Africa and we don’t)  but you can improvise. Create a circle out of wire and wrap any green looking plant around it. If you have any pine cones lying around put those in. Feel free to spray paint, add glitter, red balls or ribbon. Your neighbours will be so jealous of all your Christmas festivities when they see it.

6. Knit a stocking. I’ve just been to the shops, there are no decent stocking options. In fact, you can barely find socks this time of the year. The whole of the Southern Hemisphere is wearing sandals it appears. Who can blame them when it’s 30 degrees outside. Anyway, we all know it’s not 30 degrees at the North Pole and that’s where Santa comes from and he probably needs a sock, or two to take home. Sorry, I digress. Get out your knitting needles and make socks to fill for everyone. You can keep the completed ones and reuse them for the following year, Santa won’t mind.

7. Watch Christmas movies and eat caramel popcorn. But you can only do this if you wear a onesie. Otherwise it doesn’t count. A onesie is one of those really large, really, really warm one piece pyjama sets. If you are worried about getting hot, find a room with an air conditioner. There is no way it acceptable to the spirit of Christmas to watch Christmas movies any other way.

8. Drink Champagne.

9. Have a dress up party and make everyone wear a Christmas hat and an ugly Christmas sweater and red and green. And reindeer noses and every other Christmas thing you can possibly think of.

10. Play Secret Santa, except it usually doesn’t remain secret for very long. Here’s what happens, you pick someone’s name out of a hat and then you have to “secretly” buy a gift for them. Then at the official Secret Santa Party you give out your gifts and guess who bought it for you. It’s fun, and it’s cheaper than buying EVERYONE something.

See, I’ve got your Christmas covered. Now run off, I have some Christmas cookies to make before midnight. And some people to show love to, because let’s face it, that’s the MOST fun part of Christmas.