In trying, and struggling, to get in the Christmas spirit this year, I’ve pledged to trim away all the unnecessary holiday stuff from my schedule and focus.

It started last weekend when I drove up to the Mall of America to take my three nieces Christmas shopping. The next day I attended the Herald’s annual Christmas party.

I wanted to keep my holiday spirit alive early this week, but I found myself struggling to feel festive during the hustle and bustle of so many things going on. The lack of snow doesn’t exactly make us Minnesotans feel festive. So to keep up the spirit, I turned on a holiday radio station to get myself in the mood as I drove to work. But the music that came on quickly killed the mood; it was music I just don’t like. I’d switch back from time to time and find another track I had zero desire to hear.

Christmas music is pretty representative of what I’m finding this holiday season: There’s so much stuff I don’t care to waste my time on. There’s a wave of Christmas-related mumbo jumbo vying for my limited energies, attentions and money.

Just turn on the TV. See how long it takes for an advertisement of some sort to pitch you the latest holiday sensation. Spoiler alert: Not very long.

It’s a little bit like Christmas presents. I’ve been reminding my mother this year not to get me any candy as a filler gift. It’s an easy, cheap way to stuff a stocking, but I’ve spent recent months focused on maintaining a workout routine. Chocolate would just sabotage me or turn into something I’d end up wasting.

So I’m taking a stand. I’m turning off all the Christmas songs I don’t like, all the holiday movies I don’t like watching and all those things I don’t need.

I’m focusing on the necessities. For me, that’s things like my annual nieces’ shopping trip and other family festivities.

And of course, I’m logging onto my Spotify account to fine-tune a mix of holiday music.