On Friday, we kicked off our family festivities for the Christmas season! I love making memories with my husband and children! This year, I have vowed to keep things simple. This year we are focusing on presence…not presents.
We always want to keep our focus on the true meaning of the Christmas and why we celebrate…the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While our Christmases, in comparison to most others, falls into a modest category, I can still find myself falling into the commercialism trap at times, but this year, I am determined to stay the course. The first Christmas was simple, and ours will be too.
New toys are great for a few weeks, and then they end up on the bottom of a toybox, but memories can last a lifetime. Make memories with your little ones this year momma. Make the mess. Use the glitter. Stay up past bedtime. Let that laundry go, and soak in every second of this Christmas with your family!
Here are some of the things that we are doing this Christmas season and I’m so excited! Maybe a few of these ideas could jumpstart your family’s Christmas activities this year. I hope you have an amazingly blessed holiday season and make wonderful memories!
Christmas Candy:
Hit Pinterest up and get in the kitchen with your little ones momma! There are so many creative ideas that everyone can find something that they like! Start a new tradition of making it every year. Make old favorites with grandma’s tried and true recipe. Just enjoy the time together! (If you like peanut butter and chocolate, here’s my recipe for Peanut Butter Balls. YUM!)
Festive Breakfasts:
Put a spin on breakfast with these festive but simple ideas. **Never underestimate what a little sprinkles and food coloring can do!**
Christmas Music:
One of the Christmas memories that sticks out the most in my mind is my mom playing a Christmas record on our record player. She cranked it up and we danced all around our living room while belting out “Frosty The Snowman”. I can remember laughing and giggling and how much fun I had that day. Put on some music for your little ones then dance and sing away!
Christmas Movies:
Hallmark, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu…there’s so many to choose from! Some of our favorites are: The Nativity Story, White Christmas, Elf, The Grinch, and It’s A Wonderful Life.
Hot Chocolate:
Put together a hot chocolate bar and let your little ones exercise their culinary creativity. (We like marshmallows, peppermint sticks, whipped cream, and sprinkles.) Click here for my slow cooker hot chocolate recipe.
Salt Dough Ornaments:
Trim your tree this year with handmade ornaments by your little ones with this simple salt dough ornament recipe. These are so fun to make!
Christmas Lights:
Whether you hang your own outside or visit a local display, get out and enjoy the beauty of all those twinkling lights! There are usually even drive by displays if the weather is too icky or cold or you have tiny little ones. Check your local paper or events pages for some ideas of places you can visit for some lights.
Christmas Parades & Parties:
Our small country town holds an annual Christmas parade. If your hometown doesn’t have a Christmas parade, check your neighboring towns and venture out. Set out on a family adventure and see what you can find!
Christmas Attractions & Activities:
This year we decided to try something new. We heard of a “Christmas Cave” that puts on a beautiful Nativity display in a neighboring state. The trip is just a little over an hour, so we will be making a little day trip out of it. Some of our friends visited this year and said it was awesome, so we are going to visit it as well this year. Are there any local attractions or activities for you and your family to visit this year?
Christmas Cookies:
Christmas cookies! One of my favorite things to make during Christmas time! We love making sugar cookie batter and cutting them out with cookie cutters. The kids decorate them with sprinkles and watch them rise in the oven. The smell of sugar cookies in the oven always remind me of Christmas time when I was a child. (Click here for my sugar cookie recipe)
Christmas Crafts:
Paper plates, scissors, glue, glitter, beads, cloth, ribbon…get creative! There are thousands of ideas for all different ages on Pinterest. Pop your masterpieces up on the refrigerator once you’ve completed them for all to view.
Christmas Books, Stories, & Scripture:
My kids love to be read to and I love to read to them! Cuddle up under some blankets and dive into some good books! Read the Christmas story in the Bible to your children and discuss what happened. Let them ask questions. Ask them to draw pictures of what you read. Let them help pick our books they would like for you to read to them. If you are anything like us, one book can quickly turn into 10!
Volunteer or Help Others In Need:
One of the greatest gifts anyone could ever receive is your love and your time. Do something kind for someone. It doesn’t always have to involve money, as some of the most important things in life have no monetary value, but they mean everything. Share a meal, donate to your local mission or shelter, offer your time or services to those in need. Pray for others. Share the good news of Jesus with others and most importantly, love others.
God bless you and your families this Christmas season!
I love love love this!! We made the salt dough ornaments one year, and they turned out great! The only downfall was that my two very large German Shepard’s at the time licked them to death on the tree! So we ended up putting them around the house on shelves for other decoration. 🙂 I will have to check out your recipe for peanut butter balls! They look delish. 🙂
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