Christmas lights. Gingerbread. Presents. Movies. Family. Friends. All things we look forward to each holiday season and put on our Christmas bucket list.
However, 2020 has been a year of challenges, disappointments, fear and worry. As we approach the holiday season, I started to doubt we’d be able to celebrate it in the same way we always had. When I saw our favorite place to visit each year wasn’t going to open, I was heartbroken. And then I thought about our annual Christmas bucket list. I thought about breaking the news to our girls that we wouldn’t even have one this year.
But then I thought about what we most enjoyed doing and I remembered almost all of those happen in our own home! And I started to get excited! The gingerbread houses, the lights, the reds and greens and silvers. This year may be different but I am certain we can still have a festive holiday season.
Here are a few of our tried and true bucket-list favorites if you’d like to create your own Christmas Bucket List.
- Gingerbread Houses – Baking gingerbread from scratch or buying a precut kit, either way, building an edible house and covering it in icing and candy is such a fun tradition. Make it extra special this year by creating a whole village, using rice Krispies or even pop tarts.
- Christmas Movies – Home Alone, Elf, Frosty the Snowman – all classics. This year I intend to make a special night complete with popcorn and hot cocoa.
- Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt – Pile up in the minivan, drive through the neighborhood and be the first to find a Santa, a Star Wars character, a star, a sleigh, a penguin or a palm tree.
- Christmas Cookies – Sugar Cookies, chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles – whichever are your favorites, don’t forget to make a special treat for Santa!
- Reindeer Food – This is a fun tradition we love to do. Mix some oats, some white and or brown sugar, sprinkles – whatever you can find that sounds fun. On Christmas Eve, sprinkle it on the front lawn for the reindeer!
- Presents! – It might seem silly to put ‘wrap a present or open a present’ on a bucket list, but honestly, my kids love it! They love checking something off the list!
- Make a Craft – There are tons of Christmas crafts out there you can do with items you have at home. Pick one that looks suitable for your family and have fun.
Are you doing any of these this year? What is a Christmas tradition you plan to carry on this year? Whatever your plans are, I wish you a Merry Christmas filled with lasting memories!
