This holiday season may well be *different* but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be joyful. Let’s put our heads together and create our own, personal Stay-At-Home Holiday Bucket List. With a good attitude and a bit of creativity I feel certain we can make the most of this season and maybe even discover some unexpected upside to the situation.
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Holiday Bucket List
I like the idea of creating a written list of the activities we want to embrace this season and then scheduling them on the calendar. It’s all too easy to let the days slip away, only to realize we didn’t do much of anything of importance.
So get a pen and piece of paper and let’s start planning!
Here are some ideas to get you started…
1. Advent means “coming” or “arrival”. In the Christian church, Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time of preparation, prayer and sometimes fasting. But you don’t need to be religious to appreciate taking time to get quiet and look forward to Christmas. Light some candles each Sunday afternoon, make a nice cup of hot tea or coffee, and just sit quietly for half an hour or so. Maybe listen to your favorite holiday music. Consider getting an Advent calendar. This can be really fun for kids but adults enjoy them, as well.
2. Watch an online showing of The Nutcracker. Our local university theater often hosts live showings of The Nutcracker and while there’s nothing quite like being there, we can still enjoy a virtual event. Part of what I enjoy is getting dressed up for events like the ballet but there’s no reason we can’t do that at home. Maybe even make some fancy hors d’oeuvres and open a bottle of wine to enjoy during the show.
Your Guide to Streaming The Nutcracker in 2020
3. Take a drive to see the Christmas lights. Bring hot chocolate in insulated cups, tune in to a radio station playing Christmas music and sing along!
4. Watch all your favorite Christmas movies. We still have our favorites on DVD but with all the streaming services available these days you should be able to find plenty to enjoy.
5. Set up a hot cocoa station in the kitchen. Buy a huge container of hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows, candy canes, chocolate chips and anything else you enjoy in your cocoa (my husband likes the occasional splash of Bailey’s in his). Set out cute Christmas mugs and enjoy this treat often during the holidays.
We are now on our second container of this hot chocolate mix.
Setting Up An Easy Hot Cocoa Bar
6. Create a holiday playlist. Choose your favorites and leave off the ones that annoy you. It’s really nice to have your own, customized Christmas music to enjoy. You could also make a public list and invite friends to add their favorites. Here is a post including links to a few of mine to get you started:
LWD 2020 Holiday Playlist
7. Do you have a fire pit (or an outdoor heater)? It’s good to get outdoors but that can take some intentional planning when it’s cold. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and whenever you see an evening that isn’t too horribly cold, plan an evening outside. Build a fire, make some hot apple cider or mulled wine, then bundle up and enjoy a half hour or so outdoors.
8. If you have a record player, set aside an evening to listen to Christmas albums. We have a few Christmas albums and I try to add a new one each year. This is the one I’m looking at for 2020:
9. Set up a Zoom event and invite some friends to join you for a virtual cocktail party. You could even get fancy and send formal invitations. We’ve done a few of these parties during quarantine and it really is nice to get to “see” friends.
10. Bake holiday goodies. Set aside a few hours to bake your favorite Christmas cookies and other treats. Consider making some to share with others, such as the folks who have been delivering packages (lots and lots of packages!) during all these many months of the pandemic.
11. Give to others. There are innumerable charities. Choose one or more that are doing meaningful work and make a donation. Is there a local organization collecting canned goods or hosting an Angel Tree? It always feels good to share our blessings with others.
12. Call up the spirit of Christmas past. Pull out the photo albums or dig out all those videos you took of the kids opening their presents. This would be a fun time to relive those fun moments.
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I hope that gave you some ideas for creating your own holiday bucket list. If you do a search you should be able to find LOTS of other fun ideas. My daughter has a blog entirely devoted to Christmas and she has so many great suggestions. Check it out:
The Stress-Free Christmas
I’d love to hear what you are planning to do to make this holiday season special!
You may also enjoy…
Holiday Bucket List ~ How To Create Yours
Creating a Stay-At-Home Summer Bucket List
Christmas Bucket List 2020/Fun Things to Do
32 Fun Virtual Holiday Party Ideas
As it happens, part of why it’s taken me so long to get in here is my determination to check off the things on my holiday bucket list. I made a point of getting a few decorations up, have been listening to holiday music every day for at least a short time, and have baked a bunch of holiday goodies. Also, since my parents had to be pulled in to our bubble anyhow to help me when Kelly was still in Hastings and I’d come ahead to Wales with the petkids, Mam and I have done our holiday shopping and wrapping together, even grabbing a cocoa and cake from somewhere that does vegan friendly options too so we could enjoy them in her car, since the current situation prevented us from having them at a cafe like we used to before I moved away.
That sounds so lovely! I hope you are feeling settled into your new home.
Getting there. Still a lot of unpacked boxes around, and loads of organizing to deal with in the new year. But we like the new house, and are so far happy in it.
Wishing you the very best during the holidays and the new year to come.