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Ahhh the Holiday season has arrived!
I love revisiting old and creating new holiday traditions. We have traditions for pretty much every holiday but for Christmas we really go all out. Maybe it’s the Millennial in me… but I love experiencing the holiday magic right along with my kids. For me, celebrating the holidays is actually a form of self-care. It’s an opportunity for me to nourish my emotional needs by engaging in activities I love. It also helps me to nourish my relationships by spending time with those I love and strengthening those connections.
On a side note: if you’re on Instagram, I’m engaging in a personal 25 day holiday challenge where I use mindfulness to celebrate the holidays, demonstrating how slowing down can help you to more fully experience the activity you’re doing, rather than just going through the motions. I’ll also be noting how this impacts my overall mental health and ability to connect with those I love. If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness and how it can help you find and embrace the magic of the holidays, keep your sanity, and connect with loved ones, I’ll be posting in both stories and other content. You can find me and follow along here:
I’ll also be posting other blog posts in the coming Weeks about the benefits of mindfulness and how it can enhance your holidays. If you’re interested, subscribe to receive those and other future blog posts!
Now, I know we can sometimes have the tendency to go overboard when celebrating the holidays, doing too much or spending too much money, but this makes the holidays more of a stress or chore. Therefore, I’d like to share the 7 simple ways I create holiday magic for my kids, spouse, and myself.
#1 Elf on the Shelf
I LOVE the Elf on the Shelf! One of the reasons I love this tradition is because I get to watch the excitement and joy on my kid’s faces each morning when they see what the Elf has been up to or brought them. Another reason I love it is because it’s an opportunity for me to tap into my creativity. In previous years we have really pulled off some elaborate Elf hijinx that my step daughter has loved. In fact, we have never simply moved the Elf from one location to another without adding props or inventing an elaborate story. Now, I don’t tell you this to brag. The reality is that my husband and I have had the luxury of time over the last 5 years to plan and execute these Elf hijinx because we have only had my step-daughter for a few days every other week, which reduces the amount of ideas we have to plan and execute. This is quickly changing however, as our son is now two years old and is starting to develop an awareness and desire to participate in more of these types of activities. We want to create the same type of magic for him but to prevent burnout will have to do some scaling back on what our Elf is going to do.
When it comes to Elf ideas I’ve come up with some doozies on my own but I’ve gleaned most of my inspiration from Pinterest. I actually have an entire board on my account dedicated to Elf on the Shelf ideas. Click here to get to my Pinterest page:
Here are some of my favorites Elf ideas we’ve done over the years:
I’m also aware they sell Elf Kits on Amazon that come with props and ideas for 24 or 28 days of Christmas. If you’re short on time and prop supplies, these would be a good investment to help facilitate the magic of the season for your kids.
#2 Baking
This tradition is important to me because it was a tradition my parents did with me every year while I was growing up. Specifically, they made cut out cookies with me. I used to bake with both of my parents but my Dad really used to get into it. I remember he would always instruct me on the proper way to do things like, don’t use too much flour when you’re rolling them out or they’ll burn in the oven. Or, make sure to leave them a little thicker – no one likes a thin and crispy cut out. And my personal favorite mistake turned to memory, don’t accidentally swap baking soda for baking powder… to this day whenever I’m making something that calls for one of those ingredients I always double check to make sure I’m grabbing the right one!
The reason I love cut outs is because you can get as fancy or be as basic as you want, and either way they taste delicious!
Some things that help us tap into our creativity while decorating are food coloring and fun sprinkles. I love using the gel food coloring over the liquid. The colors are more vibrant and a little really goes a long way so they last quite a while.
# 3 Watching Christmas Movies
During the holiday season it’s pretty much a given that on a Friday or Saturday evening we’re going to be sitting down in front of the tv and watching a Christmas movie. Lights dimmed, Christmas cocoa in hand, and cozy blankets on our laps help to create the atmosphere that helps us get even more into the mood for Christmas.
# 4 Christmas Cocoa
Cocoa has been a way for me to connect with my step daughter, whether it’s during the holiday season or not. When it gets colder outside, I’ll surprise her with cocoa when I pick her up from school, make it upon request in the evenings, and when we’re out and about we occasionally pick some up at Starbucks (along with a cake pop of course). As noted above, we also sip on cocoa while we watch our Christmas movies.
To make it feel more special, we use specific cocoa cups.
We always top our cocoa with whipped cream as well as things like:
- Marshmallows
- Candy Cane (crushed or whole sticks)
- Christmas Peeps
- Chocolate Characters
- Sprinkles
- Cookies
- Hot fudge or other syrups
# 5 Christmas lights
Whether we’re paying to drive through the Festival of Lights in our city or taking in the local neighborhood’s displays for free, we love looking at Christmas lights! My husband really gets into hanging lights at our house too, and one year we actually won best Christmas decorations in our neighborhood!
If you don’t have a known spot to gaze at Christmas lights in or near your community, you can load your family into your vehicle and start driving around your area. The hunt itself may bring some excitement. You can also try googling, “Where are the best Christmas light displays near me” to try and find attractions or local suggestions in your area. Try upping the Christmas spirit by playing your best Christmas playlist and packing some to-go cocoa and snacks!
# 6 Reading Christmas books
My two year old son is obsessed with books and loves it when we read to him, so naturally we have accumulated a TON of books, including several Christmas books. He likes to read these throughout the year, but during the holidays I stack them and read them all in a Christmas reading session. We even put up a very small Christmas tree in his room and this really ups the ambiance while we read these books.
I’ve heard of families having a tradition of reading the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. As my son gets older, this may be something we have to adopt, if he continues to love reading so much!
Here are a couple of his favorite Christmas books:
# 7 Holiday sing a longs
This year, even before the month of December, we’ve already had several Christmas sing a longs. These aren’t formal – we hold them in our car, kitchen, living room or nursery. My step-daughter and I love to sing along to Christmas music in the car on the way to/from school. Me and my son have already watched one of the Christmas sing a longs on Disney Plus. We sang along and danced in the kitchen to Christmas music while we put up our Christmas trees the night before Thanksgiving. Finally, my son has a Sesame Street book, “Jolly Jingles” that has become an all year round favorite. This is a book of Christmas carols that are meant to be sung, not read. We’ve sang it to him so much that he now tries to sing along with us, which is cute because he can’t say a lot of the words 😀.
And with that, I wish you a happy holiday season and hope you embrace the simple things this season has to offer as part of your celebration!
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