Mood Boosters

Getting into the holiday spirit can be difficult, especially after a very tough year (and I think 2014 definitely qualifies.) If you're not feeling the hohoho, one cure can be to do something charitable in your community. I'm making stops at the food bank and the no-kill cat shelter this week to drop off some donations, and taking some signed books over to a retirement community center and the veteran's hospital -- and I'm wearing my Santa hat when I go. It is utterly impossible to be grumpy in a Santa hat.

When I'm online I often visit these holidays sites I've bookmarked as mood boosters, too:

Thanks to NORAD's Santa Tracker site we can play a new game every day, watch videos, learn lots of stuff about the holidays and keep an eye on their countdown-to-Santa timer on their front page.

It's always snowing somewhere, but with Snowday's holiday classic Create Your Own Snowflake site you can create virtual versions of the real thing, add messages and enjoy the simple delight of turning snips into gorgeous designs (without the paper mess.)

Last year my niece passed along her link to NorthPole.com, which is a free, child-safe holiday site with lots of interesting craft ideas and recipes for parents along with tons of activities for the kids.

One of my annual holiday traditions is to visit Jacquie Lawson's animated e-card The Snow Dog, which will make even the chilliest heart melt.

What do you do to get into the spirit of the season? Let us know in comments.