It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and also the most chaotic if we aren’t careful! While there are many fun things to do during the Holidays, we all only have 168 hours in a week. Therefore, we must guard our time carefully. Least our schedule becomes packed, and the season fly by without us truly being able to enjoy this time with our family. A few months out I talk with Sam and the Kids about what we would like the Christmas Season to look like. From there we create a list of everything we can reasonably fit into the time we have available. Here is what My Family’s 2025 Christmas Bucket List looks like.
Creating the Christmas Atmosphere
While some may think it silly to consider the atmosphere of your home as part of a Christmas Bucket List I know if I don’t then clutter and chaos can quickly pile up. I enjoy more minimal and kid friendly decorations in our home. This looks like decorating with Pinecones gathered by the Kids from my parents’ yard. Oranges we have cut, dried, and strung together to make a Garland. Red and Green Paper Chains hung around the Livingroom. A plush Rudolph from Sam’s childhood hanging out on the couch. Rather than a real or fake Christmas Tree we purchased a Step 2 My First Christmas Tree that the Kids’ can play.
For the whole month of December our everyday dishes become the Christmas China Set I purchased inexpensively at a Thrift Store a few years back. A scented Candle burns in the early morning as everyone is waking up. Christmas Music plays softly in the background throughout the day. During the week we will either bake a fun homemade holiday treat such as Cinnamon Rolls OR Sticky Buns to enjoy. Other times I will buy one or two Little Debbie Christmas Treat Packs OR the Pillsbury Ready to Bake Holiday Sugar Cookies for the Kids to have.
Christmas Activities at Home
In the afternoons when independent schoolwork is completed then we schedule Christmas Activities that we do at home throughout the month of December. I like to spread the seasonal cheer out over the whole month, rather than there being so much build up to Christmas Morning and then poof it’s all over.
This looks like Decorating for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving when Sam is off and can participate. Reading a Christmas book every day until Christmas Day. Write a letter to Santa and then mailing it off. Color pictures from a Christmas Coloring Book. Make homemade Ornaments for Family. Prepare packages to be mailed out to Family that live out of state. Make, Bake and Decorate homemade Sugar Cookies. Prepare Christmas Cookie Mix Jars to pass out to Friends and Family. Make some Paper Snowflakes for our large Livingroom windows. Once a week we will watch a Holiday Movies and enjoy a Holiday Treat I mentioned above.
Christmas Festivities
We try to stick to just one outing a week as this seems to be what our family can handle during this season of life. Some of our Kids favorite Christmas Bucket List outings are Drive around to look at Christmas Lights. Visit with Santa. Luckily the past few years Sam has been able to have Santa come visit his place of work. We usually stop in to visit with Santa. Then pass out the Christmas Cookie Mix Jars we make for his employees while we are there.
Even though we homeschool I still like to have a fun Christmas Party on our last day of school before Christmas Break. The Kids will draw a name a few weeks in advance for a Secret Sibling to purchase a gift for. Then we pass the gifts out during our school Christmas Party in between working on Holiday Crafts, decorating Sweets, reading Christmas Books, etc. During the week of Christmas at some point we get together with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins to enjoy tasty food, catch up on life, and pass out gifts.
For More Holiday Resources…
Check out the Seasonal Archives over on the Blog to help spark ideas for your Family’s Christmas Bucket List. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday Season!
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