As you get to know me better, you’ll realise that HAVING FUN is very important to me. I believe its important for all of us, in fact.
I have a strong conviction (and desire) to make the most of my life and that means doing the best I can at what I choose to do workwise but it also means enjoying life to the full.
Having fun laughing, and enjoying good times actually really benefits us its not just frivolous play but it reduces stress, improves our creativity and actually boosts our productivity for those times when we get back to work.
So, take my motto: Enjoy life to the fullest. Relish every moment. Savour every last bit. You’ll never have this time back, do you realise that?
Having said that, I’ve in recent years discovered the power (and JOY) in bucket lists! They are such a fun way to make sure you dont forget to tick off some of those fun experiences you want to have in your life with friends and family. So, today I introduce to you the Christmas Bucket List a fun list of things to do over this Christmas period.
Some of it involves things to do with kids (seeing as I have 2 of my own) and so just skip those if you dont have any or be a BIG KID and do them anyway 😊
We may not get through ALL these items, but well be biting off a big chunk of the list
1.Go see the lights being switched on (or already switched on) in your local town or city :
For years, with our children, wed go to our local town, Walton on Thames, where thered be this Lantern Parade, and the streets were alive with stalls filled with delicious food (dutch pancakes being my favourite!) and there were fun rides for the kids to go on they loved it! Wed follow the parade, get some food (candy floss for the boys) and let them go at it on the funfair rides.
This year, Im going with girlfriends into London its become an annual affair for us too and were starting off with cocktails, and then walking the streets of London Oxford, Regent and Carnaby Street, Covent Garden to see the amazing London Christmas lights (plus the larger Department stores like Harrods and Hamleys which have incredible window displays). If its anything like last year, its going to be a blast!
2.Visit a Christmas Market
I love just browsing Christmas Markets and seeing the beautiful Christmas decorations and food that they have; it feels so festive being surrounded by the gorgeous smells & taking in all the things there are to see.
3.Watch a Christmas Movie with friends/family with hot chocolate & mince pies
Every Christmas time we like to snuggle up together and watch a Christmas movie we have a number of Christmas DVDS, but theres plenty more available on TV and Netflix, and I like to make special deluxe hot chocolate for my boys, with squirty cream, marshmallows & chocolate sprinkles & cinnamon. And then of course, heated mince pies!
4.Go see the craziest lit-up house in your area
This is fun! Everyone in London and surrounds (just about) does great at decorating their homes with pretty Christmas lights overhanging windows and in front yard trees, but then theres the unusual few who REALLY have a blast with it. You know the ones, right? 😉
We have a family in our local area who have lit up every available space on their roof and in their front garden with Christmas displays Santa & His sleigh, lighting down the pathway, Christmas reindeer on the roof -and more, oh so much more! Its a crazy display that gets tons of visitors go there every year just to see the spectacle!
I like to go SEE it rather than have my house look like that but my youngest son thinks its the coolest thing hes ever seen! So every year, we swing by for a good stare.
5.Read a Christmas Story together
Every year I make sure during December that I read a Christmas story to my boys even now, that theyre a bit older! Ive found a really amusing one that takes a funny look at the story of Mary & Joseph finding a place at the inn with the innkeeper and his hotel guests being constantly waken up by the flood of visitors arriving at odd times. Its very cute and funny and we always have a laugh reading it.
6.Go to Winter Wonderland in London (or find one near you.)
Im sorry that this is London specific but perhaps you have a Winter Wonderland close to you? Or a Magical Lantern Parade like we do in Chiswickor perhaps a Christmas Walk with lit up archways and trees like we do in Kew Gardens, London.
I have to say that London does Christmas well. I hope wherever you are does too otherwise, why not come for a visit here one year? Youll love it.
So this year Im taking my boys to Winter Wonderland in London a wonderland worth visiting at night with funfair rides, stalls and more.
7.Decorate the Christmas tree together
We do this as a family activity together, put Santa hats on and get to it! When my boys were really young, it didnt quite work out the way Id planned (THINK: bunches of Christmas decorations all in a clump in one area on the tree!); so Id quietly do some re-arranging after the occasion had ended (ha ha!)
8.Watch a pantomime or the ballet
This is pantomime season! Cinderella, Snow White.all the classics, over-acted, pantomime style! Go along & shout along at the appropriate moments when audience participation is required!
9.Bake Christmas cookies together
I dont bake much but this is one time of year when Ill happily do it with my kids. Weve got Christmas cookie shape cutters a Christmas tree, bauble, snowman and gingerbread man and we make Christmas shaped cookies every year together. And no we dont wrap them up & give them away we promptly eat them!
10.Go outdoor ice-skating
Have you got an outdoor ice-skating rink close to where you live? Now is the time! We have a few theres a great one at Hampton Court Palace and another in the centre of London for night-time ice-skating. Did I say that London does Christmas well?? I meant it
11.Go treat yourself to a festive drink and gingerbread man biscuits at a coffee shop
Im a Costa girl. No Starbucks for me. And for a special treat, I like to take my boys with me for a festive Christmas drink over this period, plus they can choose a gingerbread man cookie or mince pie or other Christmas-flavoured delight.
My favourite Christmas hot drink is the Gingerbread and Cream Latte YUM! This year Costa has brought out the Billionaires Latte as well nice.
12.Take a kid shopping for Dad/grandpa/sister/brother or any other member of the family
Even if we still pay for it ourselves, its great to take a kid out so they can choose something to give to a sibling, parent or grandparent; it does start teaching them to think about others and what makes them happy. Weve started doing this as a family and its really fun and cute to see what they choose! They sometimes surprise you with their thoughtfulness.
13.Volunteer somewhere together (a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen)
How can you volunteer together and remember those less-advantaged over Christmas-time? What can you do to give out to others during this special season? Christmas shoeboxes, or volunteering somewhere is a great reminder of what the season is all about: giving.
14.Buy advent calendars and gorge on chocolate every day
This is the one time of year when it really is socially acceptable (or maybe not?!) to eat some chocolate every day of December. At least I think so.
15.Write Christmas cards to friends and family
Okay, this is a lost art! Who is getting less & less Christmas cards every year, and more electronic ones, or watsapp messages instead? Yep, me too.
So why not sit with your children and write some at least to the very important people in your life and actually write a message about what theyve meant to you this year. Itll mean a lot to them especially as yours will stand out since its quite unusual these days.
16.Leave a gift for the postman
This doesnt have to be big or expensive! Postmen work so hard during this time of year, and a couple of years ago we decided to leave a little gift for ours by taping a chocolate to our mailbox with a special note for him and a THANK YOU for all he does. He was delighted and left our home beaming!
17.Drink Christmas cocktails
I do love cocktails. And Christmas cocktails? Even more fun. This year Im trying an egg-nog cocktail. How about you?
18.Make up your OWN Christmas Family Traditions
We did fun things as a family at Christmas time growing up. Maybe you did too, or maybe unfortunately you didnt. But you know what? You get to rewrite things for the future. YOU get to decide what youre going to do for Christmas from now on.
This is an opportunity for you to think up the most fun, zany or special and memorable Christmas traditions for YOUR family regardless of how it was done in the past.
We have a few fun things we do: mince pies & ice-cream on Christmas Eve in front of a cosy fire, Christmas stockings at the bottom of beds, sneaked in while children are asleep, Christmas movies and Christmas stories, and putting Christmas wrapping across the childrens bedroom door for them to burst through on Christmas Day, present opening right after breakfast with roll a dice to see who opens theirs next, and morenow its your turn.
I hope you enjoyed these ideas or have plenty of your own let me know what fun things YOULL be doing this December and through Christmas!
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