christmas traditions

Russ and I have had a few too many Christmases where we didn't solidify how we wanted the season to go beforehand, so then the season came and went without enough intention. To remedy that, it's been on my list to figure out what we're going to do for Christmas traditions in our house.

At one point, I went through all my "25 things to do this Christmas!" lists on Pinterest and I compiled them all in one place, making a three- or four-page single-spaced document. When I looked that list over this year, it was overwhelming, so I kind of decided I wanted to have only a few concrete traditions, and then a short list of other options to do throughout the season. Here's what I came up with, which actually looks like a long list once it's all typed out . . .

• Decorate for Christmas the day/weekend after Thanksgiving
• Have matching family Christmas PJ's wrapped up and given on December 1
• Participate in Light the World.
• Have a nativity puzzle that we put together throughout December.
• Wrap up 25 Christmas stories and open one to read each night.
• Deliver neighbor gifts/treats
• Send Christmas cards/letters
• Do Christmas baking (sugar cookies, PB kiss cookies, 7-layer bars, & turtle brownies)
• Watch the LDS Christmas devotional and eat "Christmas Corn" (popcorn with white chocolate drizzled over top of it, topped with red/white/green sprinkles)
• See the Nutcracker (either Russ & I or our girls & I)
• Christmas Eve:
• Bethlehem dinner -- eat foods that they may have eaten, dress up as shepherds, tell the nativity story
• Set an extra plate at the dinner table because "there's always room at our inn"
• Read the nativity story from the bible
• Christmas Day:
• Monkey bread for breakfast
• Open presents one at a time from youngest to oldest
• Only one gift and stockings from Santa (the rest are from us!!)
• Meatloaf for dinner (Or McDonald's, if I'm not feeling up to cooking 😂 )
• Do "gifts for Jesus" at the end of the day or the end of present opening -- each write down what we want to try to give to Jesus in the upcoming year, and put it in His white stocking.
• Have a family sleepover under the Christmas tree -- either the day we put it up, or the night before we take it down. Not sure yet.

Other things to do throughout December, possibly for Family Home Evening nights:

• Gingerbread houses (or ugly sweater cookies or something)
• See Christmas lights
• Sort through old toys/clothes to leave a bag for Santa to take to other children
• Make cheesy Christmas sweaters
• Volunteer somewhere
• Go ice skating

So there you have it! This list will probably change over the years, but I like what we have so far :)

And just so I never have to do all that work again, here is the full compilation of Christmas ideas from the world of Pinterest:

·      Write letters to Santa

·      Make cookies and take them to the Missionaries

·      Go and look at Christmas lights

·      Have hot chocolate before bed

·      Pick names for family gift exchange and go shopping for gifts

·      Bake and decorate sugar cookies

·      Sort through old toys and “leave for Santa to take to other kids in need”

·      Gingerbread houses

·      Buy a new Christmas ornament

·      Give gifts to Jesus

·      Welcome elf on the shelf

·      Make gingerbread men to hang on the tree

·      Make snow globes

·      Do a service for someone in the family

·      Make a treat

·      Call a family member

·      Watch a Christmas movie

·      Do a service for a neighbor

·      Deliver treats to neighbors

·      Read THE Christmas story

·      Wrap Christmas gifts

·      Go to a Christmas concert

·      See the nutcracker

·      Sleep under the Christmas tree

·      Set an extra plate at the dinner table (there is always room at our inn)

·      Listen to Christmas music

·      Make a shaving cream Santa beard on your face—take pictures!

·      Make up your own words to a familiar Christmas carol and sing it to neighbors when you bring them treats

·      Write a letter to Jesus, put it in a balloon and send it up to heaven!

·      Make special popcorn

·      Play Santa for a day—see who can drink a cup of milk and eat a cookie the fastest!

·      Have a picnic by the Christmas tree

·      Talk about 25 miracles that Jesus did

·      Find Rudolph’s nose! Paint a red ball and hide it. Whoever finds it gets a prize and gets to hide it for the next day!

·      Make a pizza in the shape of a Christmas tree

·      Visit your local German Christmas Market

·      Make mulled cider

·      Make Christmas sweaters

·      Prepare Christmas pudding

·      Send Christmas cards

·      Visit your local castle or stately home 

·      Go to your local town’s switching on of the lights

·      Visit a plush department store for festive shopping

·      Order your turkey or Christmas Day meat (we order from the M&S options)

·      Decorate your Christmas tree

·      Compile your own Christmas playlist

·      Decorate the house

·      Create your ideal Christmas Day menu

·      Go to your local church

·      Kiss under the mistletoe

·      Visit Santa’s grotto

·      Go see some reindeers (did you know the UK has a small group of free-range reindeer in Scotland?)

·      Make some homemade gifts

·      Hide chocolate coins around the house

·      Go sales shopping

·      Organize a Christmas party

·      Build a snowman

·      Make paper snowflakes

·      Knit a hat or scarf

·      Visit your Grandparents, parents, relatives

·      Make a Christmas Day centerpiece for the table

·      Buy some woolly socks

·      Volunteer your time with homeless people and rough sleepers in the UK (see Crisis for details)

·      Tell someone you love them

·      Hang out a stocking

·      Go tobogganing

·      Volunteer at a local food bank (visit the Trussell Trust to find yours)

·      Sing carols with the local Salvation Army

·      Sit around a fire and warm your cockles

·      Make DIY gift tags

·      Go to Winter Wonderland in London

·      Go ice skating

·      Listen to a carol concert at your local stately home such as this one at Eltham Palace

·      Roast chestnuts on an open fire (or in the oven)

·      Visit a Victorian Christmas Fayre

·      Donate to your chosen charity

·      Make a Yule Log

·      Write a list of everything you are grateful for

·      Drink eggnog

·      Create a Christmas Eve snuggle box filled with fresh pajamas and wooly socks

·      Bake mini gingerbread houses for your hot chocolate mugs

·      Have a snowball fight

·      Do a Christmas inspired photo booth

·      Dance to cheesy Christmas songs

·      Make your own Christmas tree ornament (ideas here)

·      Go snow shoeing

·      Do a random act of kindness

·      Stuff the stockings

·      Make a wish

·      Buy yourself a Christmas present and wrap it for under the tree

·      Organize a Secret Santa

·      Light a candle and give thanks

·      Take a family portrait

·      Set out a child-friendly Nativity for play

·      Act out the Nativity using puppets

·      Make a paper chain to count down the days until Christmas with a verse on each link

·      Make a nativity gingerbread house

·      Watch the nativity movie

·      Make a birthday cake for Jesus

·      Have kindness/service elves that leave an act of kindness or service they hope the kids will do that day

·      Act out the nativity story

·      Go for a winter walk

·      Write Christmas letters to family

·      Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home

·      Attend your ward Christmas party

·      See a local Christmas play

·      Have a family game night

·      Make a Christ-centered ornament

·      Shop for gifts for children in need

·      Donate food to a pantry

·      Send cards to missionaries or military in your ward

·      Have an indoor snowball fight with paper

·      Watch old home videos

·      Put on a talent show

·      Watch the first presidency’s Christmas devotional

·      Read “The Living Christ”

·      Share favorite Christmas memories

·      Invite a family you would like to know better over for hot chocolate