10 Things To Do To Get In The Christmas Spirit

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We all have our own traditions, each one a little different and no less special than the rest.  Here’s a list of 10 things my family considers a “Christmas Must Do.” It won’t really be Christmas unless we…

  1. Plan

The holidays don’t come together without tons of planning. The husband and kiddos might not realize all that goes into it, but we do! The holiday magic they take for granted wouldn’t exist without all the work we put in behind the scenes. Sugar cookies don’t make themselves and those matching monogrammed stockings didn’t hang themselves.

  1. Decorate

It wouldn’t feel like Christmas time without the tree, the stockings, the wreath, or those fabulous pine scented candles.  We know it’s the season because it looks like the season.  There are entire stores dedicated to just this one aspect of the holidays. So we dutifully replace our perfectly good everyday items with more festive holiday versions.

  1. The Tree

Okay, so it’s technically part of decorating, but the tree is such a big deal that it’s really a separate thing.  We spend a lot of energy and money making sure our tree is just right.  It must be the perfect height and width for the space.  We also place great importance on the lights and ornaments that adorn the perfect tree. You can use classic white or multi-colored lights. You may choose to dress the entire tree in carefully chosen coordinating ornaments or perhaps your tree is covered in a mix of memories and hand crafted items. However we choose to decorate our holiday tree, whatever its size and shape, we all agree it isn’t really Christmas without one.

  1. Shopping

Whether you love or hate it, you have to do it. You may choose whether to wade through the seas of people the local mall or point and click online in your pajamas, but shopping is like a holiday rite of passage.  It’s more than just the purchasing; getting the right gift involves much thought. After you have agonized over what to buy and ultimately purchased the elusive “perfect present” you go home and wrap it in pretty paper to wait under the tree.  You’re not ready for Christmas without wrapped presents under the tree.

  1. Read a Christmas Story

This really helps put everyone in the right spirit. Whether The Night before Christmas, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or The Bible’s Christmas story, you really should read one, preferably aloud with your children to get in the holiday mood. There’s something extra special about everyone snuggled up close as you read a classic Christmas story together.

  1. Lights!

Pile into the car with cookies and cocoa. Drive through a well decorated neighborhood very slowly and point out all the beautiful holiday lights and inflatables.  Watch as your children stare in awe and point excitedly at plastic Santas on roofs, inflatable Frostys, and giant gingerbread houses covered in lights.

  1. Cookies

Gingerbread men, sugar cookies smothered in icing, and other Christmas cookie favorites truly make the holiday season. There are tons of memories to be made in making and decorating cookies with your children each year, not to mention the amazing smell that will fill your home as you bake them! Besides, you are going to need the cookies to leave out for Santa anyway.

  1. Fireworks

This is a definite “must do” on my family’s holiday list.  We really enjoy snuggling under quilts with cocoa in hand while Daddy puts on a big firework show Christmas Eve night. Add this to your list of things to do and you’ll soon be glad you did.

  1. Religious Service

With all the hustle and bustle involved in many of our holiday traditions, it’s the reverie and peace of the service that helps me to slow down and remember the reasons I want to celebrate in the first place. It gives me time to pause and remember the things I’m truly thankful for this season. Besides, the classic Christmas carols being sung by a choir by candle light have a magic all their own.

  1. Christmas Pajamas

Children always want to open their presents early.  Wrapping a cute new set of holiday pajamas with a bag of microwave popcorn and a classic holiday movie is the perfect solution! After they fall asleep watching Charlie Brown with popcorn in their hair, you can put them to bed and start “helping Santa put out the presents.” Besides, those cute new Santa Claus PJs will make for some awesome Christmas morning photographs.

Written by: Sara Parise

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