It seems like Christmas Activities came upon us quickly this year! I was sort of scrambling to figure out things that needed to be done early in the month--like the advent calendar and our Christmas Calendar--to make sure we didn't leave out any of our favorite traditions. If you're feeling the same way, I wanted to throw a list of funtivities out there so you can jump on the sleigh!
1. Every year we make a special December Christmas Calendar. We throw all of our Christmas Traditions on it. This year I stuck it on the refrigerator so that the kids could see what's going on (it also reinforces days/month/weeks/dates that we're working on for homeschooling) and an added benefit is that it keeps the front of my refrigerator tidier!
2. Spend an evening making a special trip to the store as a family to buy a popcorn tin. Watch a little Christmas show, listen to Christmas music, or write Christmas cards as you snack on popcorn.
If you don't want to spend $5-6 to buy one, make some of your own Hint of Cinnamon Kettle Corn and throw it in a tin or container you already have. Dollar Tree would probably have a cute container, too! This way you can participate in a fun tradition without spending extra.
3. If you enjoy the religious side of Christmas, find a live nativity, or find a church choir performance. Many of these activities are free.
4. Go for a drive or walk to see Christmas lights. Make hot cocoa and cookies when you get home.
5. Invite friends over to sing carols and have dessert. This is one of my favorite traditions! We always had a LOT of Christmas music going as a kid.
6. Listen to the Christmas channel on Pandora.com. It's free, and there is a lot of great Christmas music to be heard!
7. Set up your advent calendar. It's ok if it's December 3rd. Everyone will still enjoy it. Fill it with something inexpensive like jellybeans if you're on a tight budget, or fill it with activities, like, "Make Cookies", or "Sing Jingle Bells", or "Make a Christmas Card". It can be fun and free or inexpensive.
8. Watch the Reindeer Cam!! My kids get a total kick out of this. It's just a video feed of a couple of Santa's reindeer. Santa appears at specific times (see the website for details). He juggles, "Ho, Ho, Hos", opens mail, feeds the deer, etc.. It's great!
9. Make your own Christmas cards. I usually get free or inexpensive cards on clearance. This Christmas I'm going to give them some markers and let the kids have at the box that I picked up cheap last year.
10. Has anyone ever sent you an Elf Yourself? Why not join in the fun??? You could even make it your virtual Christmas Card and save on stamps.
11. If you're looking for some fun crafts to do with kids, or adding to your home school curriculum, here is a free Christmas Printable I found. There are a ton out there! You just have to look around.
12. Today I will be cutting out some circles with my Cricut. I'd had an idea to make a "Kindness Tree", sort of the way we made our Thankful Tree, but I didn't want it to distract from the Christmas Calendar. So I'll be cutting out the circles, we'll write an act of kindness that we've done or that somebody else has done for us throughout the day, and on Christmas, we'll read all of those things. I already see teeny tiny hints our family moving into the secular parts of Christmas, and I want to make sure our focus stays where we want it. I think this will help.
13. Make goodies for neighbors and friends! There are lots of goodies that can be made for a great price. Take the opportunity to get to know your neighbors or coworkers a little better.
14. Put Christmas books under the Christmas tree until presents arrive. They look nice, and your kids will enjoy pulling them out and having you read the books to them!
15. Have a Special Night. My husband's family always had a night where they would turn off all of the lights/electricity, light candles, and have some foods that Mary and Joseph would have eaten (olives, grape juice, cheese, nuts, figs--or fig newtons--etc.), look at pictures and read scriptures of their journey. The family would then go to sleep by candlelight. It is one of my favorite traditions that we have kept in our family. It feels so good in our home on Special Night. It's so quiet and reverent.
Katie, I like your list. It sounds like you'll have a nice balance of activities through the month of December. We haven't gone out just to see the lights in a few years. I think we'll do that again this year. When your kids get older, and busier with their own lives, sometimes these favorite family traditions fall by the wayside. Thanks for reminding me. And we'll definitely do cocoa and cookies afterward!
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