Christmas Ideas

I sent this email to a friend who wanted to know more about my Celebrating-Christmas-All-December-Long list. I thought maybe it would be fun to post here! They are all mostly free ideas that just make the season a little more fun! Hope you enjoy it!

Christmas all Month Long Ideas:

* Sugar cookie day
(cut out/decorate sugar cookie dough I made while they are at school)

* Snowflake day
(we all cut out a bunch of snowflakes and hang them all over the dining room from sewing thread. It's really pretty because the heater vent in the ceiling makes them "dance" all month long.) If we can afford it I try to find snowflake designed paper plates/cups to eat on for dinner that night.

* "Muppets Christmas Carol" Night (our most favorite Christmas movie!)
(watch the DVD while eating pizza and drinking rootbeer)

* Secret Santa Night
(we always give a Nativity Set, one piece at a time, for the 12 days of Christmas - 1 piece from the Nativity set for each night with a paper telling a story about each piece - so this night we read them all together (take turns reading), wrap it, get it ready and under the tree for quick delivery in the nights to come - I have copies of the stories for them if you would like them)

* Best Decor Award
(we take a box of Chocolate Orange sticks and a computer generated certificate with us in the car and drive around the neighborhood and deliver it to the home we think has the best lights/Decor - we usually do this the week before Christmas as some people wait until then to put up their lights! The families are always SO surprised! It is fun!)

* Emma Cookie Day
* Cody Cookie Day
* Cameron Cookie Day
* Caleb Cookie Day
(They get to pick what kind of cookies we make. I try to do the cookie days once a week the whole month to spread them out)

* Polar Express Night
(Watch the DVD and make Hot Cocoa to drink - we also "must" get up and dance to the Hot Chocolate song LOL)

* Temple Square/Traxx
(We always have this one on our to-do's and never quite make it! Hopefully this year! - usually someone is sick that night! :( XXcrossing our fingersXX we make it this year... I think Caleb would be THRILLED to ride the train.)

* Christmas Caroling Family Home Evening
(we used to hit our own neighborhood, but now that they know so many people, we don't - they like not knowing who they sing to! LOL)
* Neighbor Gifts Delivery
(This year will be doing a Neighborhood Hot Chocolate and Donuts/Food Drive thing...EQ is sponsoring it :) hee hee! More info to come my ward members...)

* Game Night with Friends
(last year we had dinner together on a Sunday night and my friend brought this dough (I have the recipe) to make cut out cinnamon scented ornaments - similar to sugar cookies, but non-edible, and baked them. They made my house smell terrific for days! LOL and you could smell them all season from the Christmas tree. Then we played games.)

* Home Alone Double Feature
(With LOTS and Lots of popcorn!)

* Dorius Family Party OR Ward Party
(If his G'ma does theirs another night besides Christmas Eve, if not we don't count this one and often replace it with the Ward Christmas Party.)

* Ewell Family Party OR Visit with Santa
(G'pa Ewell always dresses as Santa at their party... so you could make a visit to a Santa for this night :) that's the highlight of this night anyway... LOL and it helps me know for sure we are on the right track for the kids gifts LOL)

* Festival of Lights
(we put the seats down and all load in the back of our car - usually with our old friends the Throckmorton's - yes it is very squishy - and sing Christmas Carols at the top of our lungs - you know...to annoy the dad's in the front seats *giggle*- and go see the Festival of lights. We open the back window once we are there and let the littlest ones peer out... it's way fun and cheap!)

* Make your own Ornament and give it away
(This year I got 2 kits at the Dollar Store that makes 3 ornaments for $1! )

* Kids Shopping Trip


* Kids Shopping Trip
(We take 2 at a time and they buy each other a gift for Christmas from the Dollar Store and wrap it. I take them usually & then we hide out in my bedroom while they wrap. The ones who stay home watch Christmas cartoons with Dad)

* Temple Anniversary "Date"
(We were sealed on the 6th... so we used to go drive around the temple and talk about our family's sealing and such. This year we may take Emma to do baptisms during the day (my friend Nicole Fuentes gave me names so we can all go! ;) ) and then have her talk about it for FHE that night.)

* Santa Cookies!! - Christmas Eve Eve (LOL)
We have to make Santa cookies the day before we need them! LOL Usually I just use pre-made dough and they place them on the cookie sheet, but then we turn on Christmas music and dance in the kitchen while they cook.

* Read the Nativity - while they act it out - by "candle light" - Christmas Eve
(I bought the battery operated candles you can get at the Dollar Store. They loved to read the Scriptures about Jesus' birth by candle light  right before bed and each use their own candles to go to bed with. Last year they also wanted to act it out and it was a hoot! I am sure they will want to again this year... Sophie makes SUCH a good baby Jesus! LOL! It also nice because the candles all take 2 batteries each, so I am guaranteed to at least have 8-10 AA's for Christmas morning! LOL)

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I learned to NOT tell the kids which day was for what for most of these, or even that I was planning it, so if it did not work out they weren't disappointed. They just love the surprise of Mom saying "let's go/do..." And often it took less than 15-30 min. but they were THRILLED!

One thing we have done since they were babies is read Christmas stories at bedtime every year. We have a couple of books that has a story for each night of December (Thank Aunt Becky!). We often miss one or two nights because, well, that is just how it is in December! LOL! But they love it! We usually turn off all the lights but the Christmas tree and right before family prayer we gather around the Christmas tree and read a quick story and say prayers. It really makes for a great season!

OH! Another thing we do every year that starts when we get out Christmas decor, but you could totally start it as one of your nights of Christmas in December...

We have a wooden manger that we keep under (or near) the Christmas tree. We have a bunch of yellow yarn cut into 2-3" lengths. Everytime we see someone do something kind/they do something kind or an act of service that no one knows about, one that would make Jesus happy, we put a piece of "straw" in the manger for "baby Jesus Christmas morning". Anyone is allowed to do it, anytime of day. The first year we did it, it was hard for Caleb because he would fill it and empty it all day long, he just liked being able to play with it! LOL The kids would get SO annoid at him! But last year they all did really well at it. We all laughed one day when I was at my wits end and I marched into the livingroom... and grabbed 5 strands of yarn and put them in the manger. The kids all wanted to know why... and I answered because I really wanted to yell at each one of you all and decided not to! They burst into giggles and it really lightened the mood. It is a fun tradition.

I hope you enjoy the ideas I try to use! If you have any others I would *LOVE* to hear them! :) Happy Traditions Planning!