Hello! The holiday season is nearly upon us … Thanksgiving is next week and then we have the mad dash to Christmas! It’s known as the “most wonderful time of the year” and it should be, but all too often we get caught up in the frenzy … stressed out about gift buying, party going, event planning, traveling, and family gathering. Somehow, for too many families, the “wonderful” gets lost somewhere in there.
While many of the obligations associated with the holidays are simply a reality, there is still time to make the holiday season meaningful and memorable for your family. It just takes some planning! First, decide what activities and events are most important to you as family, then map them out on your calendar. Make sure they’re things you can commit to doing each and every year — they should truly be focused on celebrating the joy of the holiday season.
The Crisp Clan generally kicks things off on Thanksgiving Day, and from there, it’s off to the races! So here’s our list, from start to finish
Thanksgiving Day Coffee/Hot Chocolate Walk
We always start off our Thanksgiving with a morning walk … coffee in hand for me and Jacob, hot chocolate for the kiddos. No phones, no devices. Just us, the crisp air, and time. Talk about anything and everything. Just be together. If the weather permits, the girls bring their baskets and collect nature treasures. We use some of their haul for one of our favorite fall activities, which I’ll share with you all in a post early next week.
Thanksgiving Day Tree Decorating & First Gift
Whether you do this on Thanksgiving day like us, or pick another day, make sure everyone is together to put up your Christmas tree. Play Christmas music, sip hot chocolate, and take turns hanging ornaments and stringing lights and garland! I purchase an ornament for each of my babes and a holiday book and wrap it up. They get to unwrap it on Thanksgiving Day so they can each hang their new ornament on the tree! And then we read our new book that night while lying under our brightly-lit, decorated tree. This year, I purchased The Story Orchestra, The Nutcracker … we have a few of these books (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty). The orchestra music and illustrations are simply beautiful.
Follow an Advent Calendar
This is your daily reminder about what this season is all about … Christ the Savior. The word advent literally means arrival or appearance, and we use our advent calendar to count down and celebrate the most important arrival in all of human history — the birth of Jesus. I created one for our family because I wanted it to be unique to us … stay tuned for a post on how you can make your own too (hitting the blog on Sunday). But I did purchase a gorgeous set of advent cards here, which put inside each day of our calendar (plus a small chocolate treat). There are all sorts of options available — calendars, cards, etc. I like to create a calendar, and put the cards inside. This way, you have the calendar displayed, and the cards provide the substance. I linked to several options below, including advent cards that you can download and print (no waiting for shipping!).
Bake Cookies & Other Goodies
What could be more fun and festive than gathering everyone in the kitchen, mixing up batches of cookies, fudge, and biscotti? We play Christmas music, we dance, we sample, we have a blast. Be sure to make enough to share with friends and neighbors.
Volunteer or Adopt a Family
We like to either adopt a family and help them provide nice gifts for their kids or volunteer to provide a holiday meal to those in need. God calls us to serve others, and while His command should drive us to action all year long, the holiday season presents a unique opportunity to show warmth and compassion to those in need. It should be a time for hope and celebration, and for so many people, the weight of the world often prevents them from fully experiencing the joy of the season. Bring some light and hope to their struggle, even if it’s only in a small way. Volunteer to serve the needy a meal, visit a home for the elderly, donate your time wrapping gifts and delivering them to families who cannot afford to purchase gifts for their children.
Move Night with a Holiday Classic
Make a big pot of soup, pop some popcorn, and enjoy a holiday classic or two with the whole family. Do impressions of the characters … be silly … laugh. Some favorites in our house include Home Alone (1 & 2), Miracle on 34th Street, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Grinch.
Go to a Holiday Music Concert
We usually go to the Kennedy Center in D.C., but there are also lots of more low-key options at schools and churches. Just do an internet search in your area for holiday concerts. There’s something magical about hearing classic Christmas hymns played by an orchestra or musical group.
Attend a Tree Lighting
Almost every town or municipality hosts a tree lighting in their downtown square. Again just do an online search for tree lightings in your area. They’re a wonderfully festive occasion, often including caroling and extended hours for the local businesses who are anxious to sell their goods and goodies. Grab some dinner before or after to make a full night of it.
Attend a Christmas Eve Church Service or Midnight Mass
In addition to the peacefulness and beautiful music you’ll experience in a house of worship, it’s important to remind yourself what this season is all about — the Savior of all mankind, humbling himself to live among us… to see what we see, feel what we feel, be tempted like we are tempted each day, and, despite us not deserving it, conquering our sin, all of it, for all time.
Christmas Eve Gift & Story
The anticipation of Christmas morning often grows to a boiling point when you have little kids … release a little pressure by giving one gift on Christmas Eve. We also sit down to read the Christmas classic, “T’was the Night Before Christmas” together before we all head off to bed and await the arrival of Jolly Ol’ St. Nick. My mom purchased this for us last year to read on Christmas Eve, and the girls loved it. We plan to do it every year from now on … and that is how traditions are born!
That’s our list of 10! I’d love to know what holiday traditions your family practices … share with me in the comments!
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