I love holidays and the traditions that come with the festivities. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get into the Christmas music and lights and the merriness of everything and everyone during this time of year. I’d also be lying if I said that as soon as it’s over I’m not dreading the next few months of brown slushy snow, cold, and overall dreariness of the months to come. Can’t we just skip from January 1 to April 1? Or better yet, only have three months of beautiful, white pretty snow? I love to do outdoor winter sports (XX SKIING!!!!) but am done with it after a few months of bifs and shirt fulls of snow.
I never really got into “traditions” before living on my own. Our family always does the best Christmas day – egg strada for breakfast, open presents, go for a walk, head to grandma’s. I love it, and I guess in its own way it is a tradition. But this year, I put together my 25 Days of Christmas list – things that I am excited to try with my husband and friends. What other suggestions do you have for holiday to-do lists?
- 1. Create a cookie exchange
- 2. Drive around with hot chocolate (in a sealed mug, of course) and look at Christmas lights
- 3. Pick a few names off the tree at the mall and buy some exciting gifts for those in need
- 4. Attend a holiday parade
- 5. Watch my favorite Christmas movies (Hello, A Christmas Story and Elf) while drinking spiked hot chocolate in my jammies
- 6. Host a Christmas Round Robin
- 7. Create some pretty rockin’ DIY gifts for family and friends
- 8. Window Shop
- 9. Attend the Nutcracker in the Castle live display at the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh, WI
- 10. Create an Advent calendar
- 11. Decorate a gingerbread house
- 12. Create a recordable Christmas book for a new lil baby in our lives (Yay Carter!!)
- 13. Travel home and see family + friends
- 14. Make homemade apple cider in the crock pot
- 15. Hang lights outside on our patio
- 16. Go to a live nativity scene
- 17. Have a campfire with family in Wausau
- 18. Help serve food at a shelter
- 19. Open and give special gifts
- 20. Picnic dinner by Christmas tree
- 21. Go ice skating
- 22. Create Christmas cards
- 23. Make homemade ornaments for family
- 24. Make a homemade wreath
- 25. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas
What do you do for the holidays?
Hey Emily! Love your list!!! You’ve hit most of MY favorite things to do too
I just have to add to the Movie list, The (ANIMATED) Grinch Who Stole Christmas. And, of course, Christmas Vacation!!!!!! LOL
Hi Emily,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your list do you think you will get to all of them? You are a very good writer. Enjoy this holiday season!
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EMILY, I am a “list” person and loved your list! I wanted to “like” your post, but can’t find how to do that. Have a great holiday!!
i’m all about the christmas DIYs, but what’s “12. Create a recordable Christmas book for a new lil baby in our lives”? we could do that, if only i knew what it was…
)
i’m happy to announced that i’ve already done 5 of the items on the list, with the intent to complete a handful more. i had the same issue as remembermarie-would love to “like” this post!
Love the list! And, of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas…my fave.
Well done!
Nice…but what happened to your Thanksgiving blog?
i just reblog to much…and wordpress.com closed that blog.
Fab list! And thank U for droppin in at LW(5wise.wordpress.blog)
Like your blog, like your list!!! Gave me some great ideas – thanks. Have a happy Advent time. I am also a new follower. Ciao Carina
Emily, we always read the Christmas story from Luke or Matthew before we open gifts. It’s a good way to set the tone.
This is the one I would be sure to do – keep the Lord of Christmas in the Christmas above all else..
Theees are some great Christmas ideas! Not just a rehash of old ones. I love ‘em! You are right, Christmas traditions we kinda take for granted when we live at home. Its only when we go out on our own and don’t have them any more that we really appreciate them. I am trying to recreate my favorite ones for my two small girls now, from a train and village beneath a live tree to Advent. If it is ok I may reblog this as the big day draws closer.
Luv your blog. You have some great ideas here. Good luck with your clothing line! Thanks, too, for dropping by my blog
I like your list, but could not find the like button on this page..
Tell the kids and mom “Merry Christmas.” Family morning prayer and then walk to our village church for the early morning service. Get back to have breakfast and get to prepare lunch together with my wife as the kids swing on the mango tree and pull sweets from the Christmas tree and run around the garden, frequently interrupting the cooking and surprised to see that Daddy can cook too.
Have lunch together under the grand old mango tree in my parents compound with my parents, neighbors friends and siblings who may be around.
Play some loud Christmas music after lunch in the garden and just enjoy the garden and some intimate moments with wife and family at large.
Later in the afternoon take a walk to our tree plantation and proceed to climb a rock in the neighborhood which should melt down much of the calories swallowed up in the festivities and prepare us for a sound sleep while the villagers ululate and dance all night long,
My little son will show to fall asleep watching some horse movie that I have line up for him; probably Spirit or The Young Black Stallion. And a family evening prayer, chat/TV in our parents living room will be part of the evening.
Normally we fail to eat supper and end with a cup of tea or coffee with our parents.
That is how packed usually Christmas is in our country home and bet it will be more packed this year for the simple reason that I have a very short time to spend home just like I had little home this year.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Please drop a line next time around. I am off fpr another post now.
Love your list! I only wish we had more snow here in NC to enjoy more outdoor activities! I love “Elf”, too!
Hey thx for stopping by my blog…my wife will love these ideas..I will send her by
Thank you for stopping in at my blog. It is not such a lonely place now. We live in very different settings, have different interests and are likely very different people but I did like your Christmas post. I seldom make lists and have never made a list that long for anything but I have done or will do many of the things on your list. It is a good list. Eating birthday cake causes Christmas and many other things to change and the more birthday cake one eats the more things change. The biggest change is that one has to continually find new people to share the special occasion with because the old ones have gone. Eat enough birthday cake and they will all be gone!
I too love your list. I observe the Advent season and let me tell you, it gives you a whole new perspective on Christmas and its meaning.
Hi…
I used to love Christmas as as a kid but then when I was about 17 I stopped liking it… and I carried on not liking it until I was 33. In 2010 I had had some family related strife and I jumped at the chance of going to New Zealand to teach and then backpack around for a bit (a bit part of my eagerness was to be as far away from home at Christmas as possible..) Anyway I had a great time. It was summer, I was meeting lots of nice foriegn girls etc… But I just had one moment of sadness. On Christmas morning after doing laundry in a backpackers hostel in Invercargill (a frontier town right at the bottom of the world!..) I was sat in the kitchen on my own having a cup of tea with oldies radio on and they were playing Christmas songs and I just felt really sad and was remembering all the Christmases I had at home with my mum and dad and sister when I was little. A Filipino woman I’d met kind of waved across the kitchen and then came over and gave me a hug (we actually had what we could muster up for a Christmas dinner together that afternoon lol)… Anyway moving on in 2011 I had a minor illness for a while which required surgery and my family rifts were sorted and 2011 was the best Christmas since I was little. I just really like it again now. I think that year I missed it made it special again. Oh well that’s my Christmas story (not very magical but… well.. yeah lol)
Happy Christmas!! x
Christmas is hands down my favorite holiday, and this is my favorite time of the year. I’m always happy to see there are other people out there who feel the same way. I love having picnic dinners by the Christmas tree, watching holiday movies, wrapping presents while listening to Christmas music, baking holiday cookies, driving around the area to look at all the pretty lights, and making homemade ornaments. I’m actually taking my daughter to a tree lighting ceremony in our area tomorrow night. It’s all about creating new traditions with your family and friends. Enjoy your holidays!
I shall nab a couple of your ideas !
Long list to get thro but you sound full of enthusiasm so more than likely you will manage !
Great list! As for me…it is much more simple…there are the classics of Christmas movies, 2 Christmas trees (one is only for snowmen as I collect snow men decorations) and if weather permits, a Christmas morning ski!
Fun list! My absolute favorite thing is having a cookie exchange. All my guests bring lots of cookies! We exchange recipes and sit for some tea or coffee as we sample as many cookies as we’d like. Then before everyone leaves I give them a tin or gift bag to fill with cookies to take home to family or friends. Every year the party gets bigger and bigger. Now I limit it to just family. Still enjoy it though. Merry Christmas!
I like the list! I also enjoy Elf (I laugh so hard every time I see this!), A Charlie Brown Christmas, and A Christmas Story.
One tradition I enjoy is listening to Christmas music, particularly “O Holy Night” because of all of the themes of Hope in Jesus mentioned in the lyrics.
The list is awesome, and your sight is beautifully filled with wonderful Christmas ideas.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.