This time of year is always overwhelming. I haven’t figured out a way for it not to be, yet. Don’t get me wrong though…I LOVE the holiday season! It’s the time of year where my mind starts racing and I think of tons of things I really want to do with the kids before it slips by.
I decided, much like my 2012 Summer Bucket List, I’d make a similar list for the Christmas / New Years season and then I thought I’d share it with you!
So, without further adieu, here are some of the things I’d like to do with my family this holiday season.
1. Make and gift homemade marshmallows to friends and neighbors. I love this homemade marshmallow recipe from Amy Clark at Mom Advice.
2. Make a batch of homemade hot chocolate to go along with it! Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has a great recipe to use!
3. Create homemade Christmas tree ornaments with the kids. I’d love to try these clay and stamp ornaments from the Pine Feather blog.
4. Make homemade fudge. I’ve never made homemade fudge before, but have been inspired by my friend Jenny to give it a try! I think this Cookie Dough fudge from Cleverly Inspired looks so good!
5. Go caroling! I’m definitley going to take these Christmas Carol Christmas Music printables from Two Crazy Crafters along with us!
6. Have friends over for a holiday brunch. There are some really great brunch recipe ideas at the blog Bright Bold and Beautiful.
7. Adopt some kids off the Angel Tree at church.
8. Bake and decorate cutout Christmas cookies. I think Bridget’s new book, Decorating Cookies, will be a big help with this!
9. Have each kid make a homemade gift for each other. The Happy Housewife has a great roundup of homemade gift ideas.
10. Continue our Advent Calendar tradition.
11. Make Gingerbread Houses.
12. Make Gingerbread cookie men and go on a hunt (like we used to do!)
13. Read from our Jan Brett Christmas Treasury book each night
14. Bake a birthday cake and celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.
15. Go to the plaza and look at the lights.
16. Drink a skyscraper milkshake from Winstead’s and do our night of lights tradition.
17. And finally, visit Santa and create Portable North Pole messages for each of the kids.
That’s it (or at least all I can think of right now!) I’m sure we won’t get everything done, but I like having my ideas in one place.
What would you add or what are your plans for fun this holiday season?
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Great list! Your kids will cherish these memories forever!!
I love these ideas so much. The funny part… I am making my neighbors some homemade cocoa for gifts. It is so simple, quick, loving and delicious. I find myself nearing finals and not having much time for gifts, so I felt it was loving enough of a gift to give my awesome neighbors.
Thanks so much for including my fudge on your list 🙂 It is super easy…and yummo!
Tracie 🙂
What a lovely family pic! I love your bucket list. I’ll probably add…get my beauty sleep back on top of fun in the snow 🙂
Linda –
Thank you 🙂 I’ll keep ’em, for now, anyway 😉
Beauty sleep sounds really, really nice. I could use some of that too!
Will you adopt me? Please? I’ll cook!
Liz – You bet 🙂
You have the cutest family ever.
I haven’t got anything to add to the list, because what I’m excited about – having a TREE! putting up LIGHTS! – is old hat to people who aren’t living in a house of their own for the first time. But I’m definitely with you on the homemade edible/drinkable gifts, since that always goes over well, doesn’t clutter up people’s houses with a bunch of crap, and costs less money! I think that’s the route I’m going to go for most people this year!
Camile – Thank you! I remember getting our first Christmas tree and putting up lights for the first time. So exciting! Do you do a real tree or artificial? Have fun and congrats on the new house!
What a wonderful list. Those are the things your kids will remember and pass on to their kids.
I am so missing those Plaza lights, not sure we will get to KC to see them this year. And the Windstead’s skyscraper soda, those remind me of high school. Fun! Fun!
I love this! And you have such a beautiful family – your kids are all so adorable!
I actually finished making an advent calendar last night for my girls. We are starting 2 days late since my husband will be working on Christmas eve and day all day and evening both days so we are pushing it back to the 26th and 27th. My calendar I made is envelopes strung across a picture frame and each one has a prize (new christmas book or ornament for their little trees in their rooms) or an activity for the whole family on my husbands days off ( go see lights, see santa, go to the snow etc) I have baking ones to do with my girls when my husband is at work, and some other fun Christmas craft activities. One tradition we will miss is going to chop down our own tree. We did that every year we lived in Oregon and in Colorado. Now living in Vegas there aren’t many forests nearby, and we don’t really feel like driving to Utah to “Griswold” a tree. Soooo it may be a home depot lot tree this year. We will get it tomorrow am. I think. ha!
There is nothing like the holidays to motivate you into making more time for fun and family. I just did something like this recently on my blog and can’t wait to start checking things off the list. I might even have to add some of your activities, too! These are all wonderful ideas!
I love this idea!! I feel like I always have so much I want to do, but I really need to write it all out so that we actually do some of them!
This is such a great list, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and festive inside!
YUM- what a great set of fun things happening in your house. Hope your December is off to a great start my friend!
Looks like you’ll be having a lot of fun in the next few weeks! I love the holidays, but I try to keep them more simplistic… We have 2 Christmas parties to go to and then I might host one for our neighbors. I’d have to say thought that making fudge is on my list – I’ve made it once, but it didn’t turn out (I’m blaming the stove in our grad housing!)
I think you’ve just inspired me to make my own Holiday bucket list! 😉
I do a shopping and out to lunch day with each of my girls so they get some mom alone time 🙂
Your family is just darling- you are so blessed with all of those beautiful children!
That’s a great list. Wonderful photos too. I plan to relax and eat good food. That’s it!
Happy Holidays! Tons of great ideas 🙂
what a fun list…we make a birthday cake for Jesus every year…I think really good for the kids to remember why we have Christmas!
what a fun list…we make a birthday cake for Jesus every year…I think really good for the kids to remember why we have Christmas!
Great ideas! We are off to the snow very soon and that is usually lots of fun 🙂
I just want to get my Christmas tree decorated. This is the latest I’ve ever been and its killing me! LOOOVE all of your ideas, I’m going to create my own bucket list. I think that was on my last bucket list…
i love your idea, actually I loved your “make a list” idea since you shared your summer list few months ago.
We’re planning on enjoying as much time with each other and have the merriest Holidays.
What a lovely Christmas to do list! I love it! Esp the marshmallows! Christmas here is a summer affair, so my husband and I are headed to the beach for a holiday of sun and surf and celebrating a year well done 🙂
Love your list! My girls and I always bake sugar cookies around Christmas : ).
Love your list! My girls and I always bake sugar cookies around Christmas : ).
Such good ideas!
Good post. The holiday season seems the most awaited time of the year yet the busiest as well. Thanks for the post.