Christmas Smiles

Christmas. Even just the word draws a little smile on my face. Traditionally, one of my favorite holidays is Christmas. Despite the controversy over whether Christmas is the actual day of Jesus’s birth and some solid theories that His birth actually happened during the celebration of Sukkot, or the Feat of Tabernacles, I still love everything about it. I love the holiday gatherings, the lights, decorated trees, the music, the beautifully wrapped gifts, the smells, and all the holiday flavors—cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, and egg nog come to mind. But one of the things I love most about Christmas is all the smiles. Masks may have covered upturned mouths and toothy grins while in public, but sparkling eyes that crinkle at the corners are still a cheery, beautiful sight.

The other day one of my girls asked, “Mom, why are people happier when it’s Christmas? Why can’t they be like that all the time?” Good question. Perhaps it’s because Christmas is a season when we spend time thinking about other people instead of ourselves. It’s a time when people are more likely to volunteer and make donations. It’s a time when we make consistent time to consider what someone else wants instead of what we want. It’s a time when we take our hard-earned money and spend it generously on others, eagerly anticipating their smiles and exclamations of surprised excitement when they tear off the paper and bows. When we make the time and effort to take these actions of generosity, service, and kindness, we are taking actions that promote positivity. Studies have shown as much as 40%(!!!) of our attitude is directly derived from our actions. Studies have also shown that those who choose kindness and generosity are happier than those who are not. And as if that weren’t enough, studies have also shown that emotions are contagious and spread through our body language, tones of voices, and facial expressions with the most contagious being the smile.

So let’s take all of this information and put it together. We have most of the world intentionally, repeatedly, and consistently making choices that will promote greater levels of happiness and positivity in each person AND spreading this increased happiness and positivity to other people they come in contact with through a simple smile. It’s a contagious cycle of positivity that is perpetuated the entire season everywhere. And the thing about these cultivating emotions and contagious emotions, the more we engage in them, the stronger they tend to get. No wonder people tend to be happier and smile more often during the Christmas season! I just wish it would last all year because, well…it can!

We can make choices that promote positive mindsets after we eat all of our leftovers and take our Christmas trees and lights down. We don’t have to wait until next Christmas to live a lifestyle of kindness and generosity that helps keep those smile muscles working. Because there’s nothing magical about a day. Nothing magical, but…there could be something miraculous.

Jesus, whether He was born on Christmas or Sukkot, is miraculous. God’s love for each one of us, His never-ending, oh-so-patient, perfect and powerful love, is miraculous. The fact that because of Jesus, we can be transformed is miraculous. The fact that God is my source of hope and joy, both of which I possess no matter what happens in my life’s circumstances is miraculous. And THAT is enough to keep anyone smiling all year long. Merry Christmas!

Lyubomirsky, S. The How of Happiness, The Penguin Press, 2008.

Lyubomirsky, S. The Myths of Happiness, The Penguin Press, 2013.