A Very Merry Christmas Time

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! – Buddy the Elf

Christmas!  The very word holds so much meaning for so many people.  Christmas time is full of  memories, hot chocolate, carolers, family, movies, and cozy socks.  It is the time of year that children, and some adults, spend all year waiting for and dreaming about.  However, it is easy to get caught up in all of the shopping, parties, and business that spending time with those closest to us gets forgotten.  Christmas break is the perfect time to plan some family events since the kids are out of school for a little bit.  Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can plan to spend quality time with your children this Christmas.

 

Go out and enjoy the holiday lights!

My family has a tradition of driving to a few key places near us that have streets filled with Christmas lights.  We have done it as long as I can remember.  One year there was a route in the newspaper that we took and we ended up driving around for over two hours!  That was a long time to be in the car so we decided the next year that we were just going to stick to our favorites.  We turn on the Christmas music in our car and just enjoy riding around and looking at the sights.  Maybe your house is on one of those streets.  Have your kids come out and help you set up some magical decorations  for your family and others to enjoy.

 

Watch Christmas movies

This could possibly already be a tradition that your family has.  There are ways to spice up this tradition though.  Have each member of your family pick their favorite holiday movie.  Or it doesn’t even have to be a Christmas movie.  There are some good new movies coming out over this Christmas season.  Spread the movies out over a week or more.  Make a new special snack to eat while you watch the movie.  It’s a great way to get the whole family involved even if the movie is more geared toward younger children.

 

 

Bake Christmas cookies

 I love Christmas cookies.  Pretty much every single kind.  It fact the more kinds the better!  But the fact is, we really should not be eating all of the Christmas cookies we make. Christmas is more than just focusing on just yourself.  Most of us have been blessed and this is a great time of year to give to others as well. Find a local charity, children’s home, or nursing home where you can donate your cookies and know for sure that they will be immensely enjoyed.  Kids love helping others, and seeing the joy that simply sharing with others brings will speak volumes.

 

Make a new Christmas ornament each year

This is a great way to get ornaments for your tree.  I always think that trees that have a lot of different and unique ornaments on them are so special.  It’s kind of like they are sharing a special story.  Your families story.  And there are literally so many different kinds that you will never have repeats.  There are gingerbread, salted dough, straw, popcorn, crochet, and cinnamon stick ornaments.  And those are just a few.  Bring out your crafty side and make a memory with your children.

 

Christmas book unwrapping

This is an idea that I just came across and I love it!  You wrap up 25 days, or however many days you want to do it, worth of books.  These could be old books or new books or a mixture.  Then each day you unwrap one and read it together as a family.  This is a great way to read through old books that maybe haven’t been seen in a while or brand new books that you just bought.  It is also exciting since it is wrapped and your children don’t know what book it is.