December is a month of celebrations, family get-togethers, giving and receiving of presents, and religious holidays. Whether we are the host or the guest, we have ample opportunities to tap into the wellspring of happiness, pleasure, and abundance that we call the spiritual practice of joy. This simple delight in being alive is one of the 37 key practices featured on this website.

Joy has many textures, and we need it to balance all the sorrows, confusions, anxieties, and exhaustions in our lives. It's an intense feeling that may seem to appear spontaneously, but it can also be cultivated. This map for a month of joy is designed to help you do the latter. We have found video clips on YouTube with music and images to lift your spirits and enable you to truly celebrate the deep-down daily satisfactions of this month.

To get in the mood for these brief joyful excursions, meditate on one of these quotes:

• "The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything."
— Julian of Norwich.

• "The beating heart of the universe is joy."
— Martin Buber

• "To find joy in another's joy, that is the secret of happiness."
— George Bernanos

Joy Videos

• Three Dog Night: Joy to the World
• The Corrs: Joy of Life
• The Beta Band: The Happy Song
• The Joy of Animals
• Beautiful Life Joy
• Beethoven's Ode to Joy
• Rare Earth: I Just Want to Celebrate
• Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson: Tonight I Celebrate My Love
• Stephanie Dosen: This Joy
• Crackerjack Junction: The Ewok Celebration Song
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas: Great Is the Joy
• Celtic Woman: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• Moya Brennan: Joy to the World
• Celine Dion: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
• Gaither Vocal Band: Give It Away
• Lee Ann Womack: I Hope You Dance
• Judson Laipply: Evolution of Dance
• Gene Kelly: Singing in the Rain


Songs of Joy
• Watch/Hear a Playlist of songs about being joyful, happy, and dancing