a little bit of merry

As I have mentioned several times, we are doing at least one Christmas activity everyday in the month of December. We started this last year and plan to do it every year as a way to make Christmas more special. (I can just see me with surly teens in a few years- "you WILL frost the cookies and you will like it!"

We want the focus of these activities to be the memories and experiences, so most things will be free or close to it.

Here are some of the things we are doing, in no particular order:

*Put up your holiday decorations- tree, etc.
*Build a ginger bread house (cheap/ easy option- use graham crackers! this is what we are doing.)
*Make Christmas cookies!
*Read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", or other stories.
*Do Christmas coloring pages. (We got a Christmas coloring book from Target for $1)
*Stone Mountain Christmas. (We have memberships. If not, this would be a terribly expensive evening. $8 to park and about $18 per adult or child over 3. It is mostly a bunch of lights. There are other places that charge tremendous amounts of money to see lights. To me, it isn't worth it, but could be something your family could look in to. If ours weren't free, I don't think we would go. But as a free activity, it rocks!!!)
*Walk around your neighborhood and look at neighbors' lights.
*Drive around your town to look at lights. You can make it a whole experience with hot chocolate and Christmas music, if you like.
*Visit Santa. Most places, the visit is free- you only get charged for the picture. We go to my parents' club and I love it! No lines or anything!
*Snuggle in bed and watch a Christmas movie.
*Drink hot chocolate and sit by the fire talking about Christmas' past.
*Go to a tree lighting ceremony.
*Wrap Christmas gifts.
*Sing Christmas Carols.
*Have a sleep over under the Christmas tree.
* Bake cookies and take to an elderly/ shut-in neighbor or senior home. (We are taking them to my dear friend, L's house since she just had the baby and can't get out for 6-8 weeks.)
*Let every member of the family pick out a new ornament.
*Take a Christmas picture of the family.
*donate food/ items to a food bank.
*donate to toys for tots
*make a Christmas crafts using cotton balls and glitter.
*make garland.
*Cut snowflakes out of coffee filters.

We have a pretty young child, so our list reflects that. You can do more advanced things for kids that are older or for just adults. (Bring out the spiked eggnog!)

The point is just to really wrap yourself in the season. There is magic everywhere! You just have to look.

Wishing you a very merry season!