How To Fall in Love With Your Small Town Again This Holiday
If you live in a small town, you already know it’s a lifestyle with many perks. Small towns tend to offer a sense of peace and quiet, a slower pace so you can stop and smell the roses, and often, the yard space you need actually to grow those roses. Small towns also often have easy access to nature, plus lots of opportunities to get to know your neighbors and the folks you bump into when you’re out dining or shopping.
Of course, it can also be too easy to fall into a rut from time to time, no matter where you live. Maybe the pace of your small town has been feeling a bit too slow recently, or you’d love to be able to pop into town without bumping into someone you know. The good news is that with the holidays right around the corner, it can be the perfect time of year to remember everything you love about where you live. Read on for some tips on how you can fall in love with your small town all over again this holiday season.
Refresh Your Holiday Home Décor
Finding an appreciation for where you live begins with your own home. We all nest a bit more than usual during the holidays, so it’s a perfect time to refresh your space by adding some festive and cozy touches. Coming home to a comfy winter wonderland will instantly make everything about where you live feel a bit more magical.
While we all have our standby seasonal décor, it’s also fun to upgrade your holiday decorations from time to time. A fresh garland can transform a banister, a Christmas throw blanket can make a den or living room feel extra cozy, and new Christmas stockings or a new menorah or string of Hanukkah-themed lights can give your mantel a seasonal makeover. Falling in love with wherever you live – whether a small town or even the big city – can only happen if you also fall in love with your own space first!
Cut Your Own Tree at a Christmas Tree Farm
One thing that you’ll find in many small towns, or at least a short drive away, are Christmas tree farms. This holiday season, you can make finding your perfect tree an event by heading to a Christmas tree farm with your family or friends. Throw on a festive outfit, like a Christmas sweater, some evergreen plaid fleece-lined leggings and some snow boots, and head out to your local tree farm to cut your own tree.
Many Christmas tree farms also offer little treats while you peruse the rows of trees, like hot cocoa or maybe even some baked goods. Enjoying the process of finding your tree might even take you to a part of your small town you’ve never been to before or give you a chance to meet new folks while also supporting small and seasonal businesses in your community.
Bring Cookies or Small Gifts to Your Neighbors
One of the perks of living in a small town is knowing most of your neighbors. So, take the time this year to spread a bit of holiday cheer in your neighborhood by bringing around homemade cookies, like Christmas sugar cookies, peppermint bark brownies, or gingerbread cookies. If you don’t bake, or you don’t have the time this year, don’t worry – it’s more about the gesture than it is anything else.
You can instead opt to bring small holiday gifts, store-bought seasonal food gifts, or even holiday cards with candy canes attached. This is a great way to reconnect with neighbors you haven’t spoken to in a while, show your appreciation for the neighbors that are always there to lend a hand, or meet some new neighbors that moved into your town recently. Building a sense of community through these small and thoughtful gestures is a surefire way to find a new appreciation for where you live.
Volunteer in Your Community
Giving back to your community is another guaranteed way to reconnect with it. The holidays are a perfect time of year to find volunteer opportunities near you, whether at a local nursing home, an animal shelter, or maybe a local food or toy drive you’ve seen signs about around town.
Spend some time looking into the different opportunities in your town, and then invite family – or even one of those neighbors we were just talking about – to join you. Building a connection with the people and the causes in your town will help you see your community through a new lens. And you might even find an ongoing volunteer opportunity that you’ll integrate into your life beyond the holiday season.
By transforming your home into a cozy, festive space, finding a local Christmas tree farm to support, bringing some holiday cheer to your neighbors, and giving back through a volunteer opportunity, you’ll find many reasons to love your small town this holiday season.