Christmas always seems to come and go in the blink of an eye, and "The Polar Express" shows the stages like no other. So, hop on board and go through the stages with me!
"Well... ya coming?"
1. November 1: The excitement begins.
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GiphyOnce October ends, it feels like Christmas is right around the corner. Although Thanksgiving is sandwiched in between Halloween and Christmas, it seems to tie in with the Christmas spirit. So, comes November 1st comes all the excitement.
2. Planning to transform your house into a winter wonderland.
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GiphyOnce you're in the holiday spirit, you can't help but picture your household covered in winter decor. You get down your boxes of Christmas townhouses and lights then leave it lying around until you build up the motivation to actually decorate the house.
3. Starting to listen to Christmas music as early as you can.
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GiphyI'm sorry, did you say that Christmas music is on the radio? Sorry, turn that song off and play "Wizards in Winter" performed by the Tran Siberian Orchestra, please.
4. SALES! SALES! SALES! Black Friday shopping, you go.
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GiphyOnce Thanksgiving passes and Black Friday sales have finally started, it's time to brace the crowds and fight for presents for your loved ones. Or, if you're anything like me, you'll go with the mindset of buying things for others and come home with a bunch of presents for yourself instead.
5. The Christmas movie marathons begin, which means it's time to cancel all plans and stay in all day every day to watch.
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GiphyIs the acting bad and is the main character going to fall in love with the townie over the New York CEO? Yes. Am I going to tune into the Hallmark channel and watch every single one? Absolutely.
6. Realizing you haven't started decorating the house yet.
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GiphyYou stare at the empty, Christmas-less walls of your home after watching all of the holiday films and become disappointed in yourself for not following through with your decoration plans.
7. Ordering as many of the holiday drinks at Starbucks as you can.
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GiphyPeppermint Mocha, Chestnut Praline, or Eggnog? You have to just try them all.
8. Spending all day in the kitchen making Christmas cookies.
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GiphyIf you're anything like me, it's going to take you a few batches to actually get it right and not burn it. But, once you've perfected the art of cookie baking, your counter-tops will be full of oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and Christmas' favorite, sugar cookies.
9. Life is moving so fast, you realize Christmas is WAY closer than you thought.
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GiphyWait... wasn't yesterday November 1st?
10. Finally starting to decorate your house now that it's a week before Christmas.
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GiphyYou finally find the motivation to put the Christmas spirit on your walls now that Christmas is only a week away. But hey, it's better now than never, right?
11. Wrapping gifts at the last minute, just to realize you suck at wrapping.
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GiphyI think it's safe to say that after wrapping two gifts, the rest of them are going to be shoved in bags.
12. Christmas Eve: Reminding all the children that Santa is coming.
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GiphyNothing puts a kid on their best behavior than telling them that Santa is coming to visit. As the holiday has finally arrived and the prepping has come to an end, you might as well continue on with the Christmas fun.
13. Christmas Day: gifts, food, and most importantly, family.
The Polar Express Christmas Movies GIF - Find & Share on GIPHYGiphyChristmas day finally arrives and you spend it surrounded by family. You watch the ones you love smile as they open the gifts you got for them and stuff yourself with holiday feasts.
14. Denial of the fact that Christmas has already come and gone.
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GiphyYou have to go back to work and reminisce on the good 'ole yesterday where you were able to relax and enjoy the holiday. You can't believe that it's actually over and try to relive every moment by keeping all your Christmas gifts in the living room as if you haven't opened them yet.
15. February 1: Realizing it's probably time to take down the Christmas decorations.
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GiphyI guess it's safe to say that an entire month after Christmas is a safe time to finally stop celebrating it. Although sad, you take down your winter wonderland and start preparing for the next holiday.
16. The next Christmas countdown begins.
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GiphyBut in reality, what other holiday is as good as Christmas? The moment you finally stop celebrating, you start counting down the days until the next Christmas season.
With all the famous scenes from "The Polar Express," there's no way it couldn't depict the various stages you go through when it comes to Christmas. From the preparing, the experiencing, and the reminiscing, Christmas seems to last all year. So, if you haven't gotten in the holiday spirit yet, you better climb on board.
