Five days till Christmas

 You're starting the day right when you are able to donate a large haul of cans to the food bank (Caroling for cans is amazing!), get coffee from Starbucks (paid for by a gift card), and are able to give the remainder of a $50 gift card to someone else because it expires at the end of the day & you won't use it (okay, for the sake of wanting to be transparent, I'll admit the it was a Secrets Rewards cards, so I helped another woman buy a bra basically...). And that was all before 9:30am.
Now I get to enjoy some time writing in a fairly quiet house in front of a fireplace (Have I ever talked about how much I love fire places?)
Christmas is the best time of the year. It's all about joy, love, and giving. People may complain that it's gone commercial, but it's really not that hard to ignore that. If the commercials are bothering you, turn off the TV and read a book or play a game with your family. Don't like the rush of shopping, make a gift or shop at odd times.
Okay, I'll admit, there's lots of cleaning, decorating, and planning to do, but it isn't supposed to be stressful. Blare that Christmas music you love (or whatever you want to listen to, movies work too) as you clean, and why not sing at the top of your lungs? Sometimes I even dance (and since nobody can see me while I do it, I have no shame).
Really, whatever brake you need for or from the season, take it. Do what you need to do to feel joyful and spread that joy!