Thanksgiving was great, Black Friday was successful for consumers and retailers, alike, and now the Christmas season is here.

And, no matter what higher being you may believe in, this time of year is one of the most magical and most memorable of all the seasons. All you have to do is allow the spirit of giving, sharing, caring and fun to envelope you.

Decorate your home. No matter where you live, light a tree, hang some garland, find some mistletoe and string a few lights. And, do it with someone you care about — your best friend, a son or daughter, a mother or father, a husband or wife. Grinch or not, if you do that one thing, you’ll begin to feel the spirit of Christmas seeping through your body, and pretty soon you’ll be as excited as a child about this most wonderful time of the year.

Play Christmas music. There’s a plethora to enjoy. Be it Christian, contemporary or somewhere in between, the music of the season will bring a smile to your face and a spring to your step. It just happens. It, too, is part of the Christmas magic!

Promise to be kinder to others. It’s a vow we should have made long before this time of year, but if we haven’t — or if we haven’t kept it — now is the time to do so.

Since Christmas is about giving, caring and peace on earth, it’s the perfect time to seek those things within our own heart and then share them with others.

Buy a gift for a needy child or order a Christmas meal for an elderly person who may not have anyone to share the holiday with this year. There’s nothing that will put you in the Christmas spirit any more than offering something to someone else. It’s amazing how that one act of kindness can make one feel. All it takes is doing it to experience it.

Open your mind and, more importantly, your heart to this time of year, allowing yourself to welcome the giving of others, experience a joy that transcends all understanding and accept a magic that is hard to see but easy to feel.

And let the celebration continue.

It’s not about the money you have or the money you spend and it’s not about the prettiest of decorations or the number you put up. It’s about miracles and love, peace and magic, all wrapped in the story of a baby born so long ago in a Bethlehem manger.

So enjoy this season day by day, and help someone else to enjoy it along the way.