Every year I love to make up a Christmas bucket list. Some years it’s long, some years it’s shorter. Some years I literally write it down while other years I just have a loose idea in my head of the things we want to do as a family.
I love Christmas traditions. I love new Christmas traditions and old Christmas traditions. I’m all for changing up the traditions when we want to do something new as well. I don’t believe just because you’ve always done something during the holidays means you still have to do it every year if it’s not working for you and your family.
What I love most about Christmas traditions, or Christmas bucket lists, is making memories with my kids. As they get older it becomes even more important to me.
First because I am realizing how quickly time moves and that one day they will be making new traditions with their own families, but secondly because I am doing more than just surviving through millions of diaper changes, cleaning up of messes, and handing out fishie crackers. I feel like I have more time and energy to put into making memories during the holidays.
You know, when your kids are babies and toddlers well-meaning people who have grown children tell you to enjoy every moment? To soak it all in? To take time to just be present with them?
And I think it’s fair to say that hearing those comments while you have spit-up on your shirt, wearing the same mom-bun for 4 days, and sporting your every day outfit of yoga pants because you can’t be bothered with anything else, is irritating.
I remember thinking in those moments that I was just an exhausted mom trying to keep up with mom life and there was no time to “soak it all in”. I was just trying to survive on some really hard days. two out of three of my babies had health issues which means there was a lot of crying (for both of us), trips to the doctor, and doing whatever we had to do to cope.
But, now that my kids are 12, 10, and 7, I think about those comments and how much truth there is to them. Even if we can’t appreciate it at the time. As the kids get older you start to realize that raising your kids is just a season in life that will one day end.
It’s a good realization to have, because while I still fail at it many times, I find myself taking the time to enjoy these moments with the kids.
Which brings me to Christmas. Christmas is such a perfect time to be intentional about slowing down and making memories with your family.
Of course, Christmas can easily get too busy and overwhelming as well, so you really have to be intentional about making time for the things that matter or the season will be over and you’ll be disappointed that you didn’t get to do more of what you and your family truly enjoys.
We’ve tried to do this over the years. Some years are better than others. Last year was NOT so great, so this year we are making a conscience effort to free up more of our schedule to do things as a family.
So, today I want to share with you a list of Christmas traditions you can do with your family. A Christmas bucket list of sorts, if you will.
The best thing about a Christmas bucket list is that you can pick and choose what you want on yours. And it doesn’t have to be the same every year. You can keep what you want, and let go of what didn’t work or what no one really wants to do as much anymore.
You can grab the Christmas bucket list in a PDF file so you can print it and stick it your fridge! Get it here.
CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST
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Go to a Christmas parade
Bake cookies
Watch a Christmas movie while enjoying hot chocolate and popcorn (Elf is a favorite here!)
Build a snowman
Write a letter to Santa
Go sledding
Go ice skating
Build and decorate a gingerbread house
Go for a drive to see Christmas lights
Have a Christmas party complete with ugly sweaters and a hot chocolate bar
Make Christmas ornaments
Make snow globes like these ones here.
Go to a Christmas tree farm and cut down your own tree
Read Christmas stories
Go to a Christmas carol sing-a-long
Do a random act of kindness
Visit Santa at the mall
Print out some Christmas coloring sheets and color them
Go on a sleigh ride
Make Christmas cards
String popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree
Do a Christmas scavenger hunt
Cut out paper snowflakes and hang them from your ceiling
Take a walk while the snow is falling down
Make Grinch slime – check out the recipe here
Play a Christmas board game
ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season that we forget to take time for the simple things with our families. While making cookies with your kids may not seem like something big and exciting at Christmas, kids enjoy any time they get to spend with their parents.
It’s often in those simpler moments that beautiful memories are made. Our family is going into this Christmas season hoping to do Christmas activities with our kids that cause us to slow down and enjoy the moments with them.
Because, as I said above, this is just a season in our life and one day they either will be too old to be interested or they will have their own families and won’t be here to do things like build snowmen and bake cookies together. So I’m going to soak it in as long as I can.
Do you have special Christmas traditions you like to do? Do you make a Christmas bucket list? I’d love to hear your favorite things to do during the holidays in the comments below.
