Living in a place like Arizona it can be hard to get into the Christmas spirit especially when you’re surrounded by cacti, tumbleweeds and warm weather (it is literally 85 degrees outside as I write this), so here are a few ways my lovely sunny desert friends that you can try to make it feel more like the holidays:

1. Pull out some of those decorations and string a cactus with some lights!(if you’re feeling a little extra you can even throw on some fake snow!)

2. Sing Christmas carols such as ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’ or ‘White Christmas’, it’s bound to help put you into that winter season feeling.

3.Speaking of seasons why not grab a ladder and pull those leaves still hanging on your trees, it can’t officially be winter until the trees are bare!

4.Throw on those Christmas socks and slide around the kitchen rocking out to Christmas tunes.

5.Hit up the sand dunes and go sledding.

6.Go indoor ice skating at a local rink.

7.Drive up to a place with some cooler weather.

8.Drive around looking at Christmas lights and admire all the decorated cacti.

9.Hike Camelback mountain in Phoenix and see the Santa and the Christmas tree at the top.

10.Make up a nice cup of hot chocolate and sit in front of the TV watching the yule log fire channel.

11.Bake cookies and yummy holiday treats!

12.Make paper snowflakes while blasting the AC, we may not have the real stuff but hey why not just replicate some snow.

13.Roast marshmallows with friends over an open fire(you might not even have to wear a jacket!)

14.Invest in an artificial Christmas tree ( be careful if you want a real one because it might combust into flames or it could die within a week with this heat).

15. Hang mistletoe...everywhere (why not better your chances right?)

16.Go ahead put the sweater on: even if you sweat through it that’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with being a little toasty right?

17.Invest in a punch out chocolate advent calendar.

18.Volunteer at a food bank, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter.

19.Have a gingerbread house making contest.

20.Lie underneath the Christmas tree and look at the twinkling lights.

21. Zoo-lights. enough said.

22.Make a birthday cake for Jesus.

23.Build a tumbleweed man.

24.Surprise neighbors with baked goods, a Christmas gift basket, or simply anything to bring a smile to their face.

25.Lastly, enjoy the precious time you have with friends, family and loved ones and create memorable moments with them.

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly." -Andy Rooney