My Favorite Festive Things to Do During the Holiday Season
Does anyone else feel that when September rolls around the rest of the year goes by so quickly? Before you know it, Halloween is here, often fighting for retail shelf space with Christmas decorations. And suddenly you’re planning the menu for Thanksgiving while your inbox is flooded with pre-Black Friday sales…
The holidays can get so busy with all the planning, traveling, holiday parties, that it’s hard to find time for yourself to take a breath and just enjoy this time of year. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget…for those of us that have 9-5 jobs…every project seems to magically have a deadline of December 18th. Why is that, anyway? You’re scrambling to get through the holidays, the weeks fly by and all of a sudden you are making New Year’s resolutions and taking your decorations down. Yikes. Where does the time go?
I wanted to mention a few things my hubby and I (or my siblings and I) like to do during the season that help us really enjoy the time we have together. It can be a challenge to set time aside for yourself as it is…and doing so during the holidays can be difficult. So I wanted to share with you some easy to do activities we like that help us get in the mood for the season.
Go Toys for Tots Shopping
Hubby and I will usually spend a late afternoon/early evening wandering around Downtown Disney and go shopping for the Toys for Tots bins. We generally like to buy 2 gifts, one for a toddler and one in the 7-12 years old range. Two of the reasons we like shopping at Downtown Disney are 1) we enjoy the decorations and 2) we get our steps in. When we used to live in San Diego, we used to participate in Toys for Tots Zumbathons. Donating to Toys for Tots has been a long-time tradition for us. We usually don’t shop for toys, so it’s always fun for us to look at something and think ‘Would I like this if I were a kid?’
Bake Cookies (or some type of dessert)
I like to use this time of the year to experiment with desserts. No, I’m not going crazy and coming up with random concoctions for desserts. But I usually research some healthy-ish way to make certain cookies or bread dessert. For some reason, using the holiday season gives me the chance to step away from busy work life and bake. I like to think I’m feeling extra adventurous and try to make some type of cookie concoction with almond flour. I usually don’t participate in cookie exchanges or anything like that, so I’m not really forced to make cookies, it’s just something I like doing. My cousin has a good variety of recipes for baked goods on her blog…her shortbread, sugar and chocolate chip cookies are widely used in the family. And she also has recipes for those with food sensitivities!
Dress Up and Try a New Restaurant
When it comes to dressing up, I like to be comfortable, but still put together. Hubby is very much a SoCal T-shirt and shorts guy. But we will usually pick a new restaurant that has a dress code and we will go all out, put on some fancier clothes, fix our hair and go to a restaurant where reservations are highly recommended. The last place we selected was an Italian fusion restaurant. The entire restaurant was decorated for the holidays and Charles Dickens carolers went to every table to sing. The bartender even made us some custom drinks!
Go to a Theme Park (or a Winter Playground/Holiday Festival)
Yes, it’s true that we love going to Disneyland during the holidays. For one thing, the holidays start early at Disneyland, so we get to immerse ourselves in the festive food and decorations in mid-November. Not everyone can go to a theme park, it can get pretty pricey…and hubby and I didn’t really start going to Disneyland until much later. Back in San Diego, we loved going to December Nights – Balboa Park was converted to an outdoor festival for a weekend. We loved going to the different buildings representing different countries and indulging in their food or drinks. I will say that one winter activity I have avoided was ice skating. I’m still traumatized…as a teenager I tried ice skating in Union Square San Francisco and saw an older gentleman fall and break his hip. The experience scared me away from skating outdoors.
Make Your Own Decorations
Black Friday is the perfect time to shop for crafts! I love shopping at my craft stores to stock up on holiday supplies. After the early morning craze, of course. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and buy everything on Wednesday (not always for the generous Friday discount) so I can create what I need while watching the Thanksgiving football games. Yes, I’m one of those who starts to put up decorations the Friday after Thanksgiving!
Watch a Classic Christmas Movie
Nothing beats a Christmas movie! I’ll admit, Hallmark Channel is my guilty pleasure starting in October. But the movies I’m talking about are the ones that air only during the holiday season. Freeform usually shows Home Alone movies, The Santa Clause (and various sequels). Our favorites to watch are The Sound of Music (which isn’t really a Christmas movie but seems to always only air during this time), Elf and White Christmas. Yes, that is an OLD movie. But it’s a good one – and it has Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney (as in George Clooney’s aunt) who are amazing singers!
Tour your local Candy Cane Lane Neighborhood
So I love going around the local (and sometimes not so local) neighborhoods to see the light displays. I love seeing how people decorate their homes — some have very elaborate themes! I’ve lived in a rental for the last decade or so, and we never had this opportunity to decorate outside. So have fun as you cruise 5 mph, sipping hot chocolate!
So those are my favorite things to do during the season that help me get in the holiday spirit!
I hope you take time aside to enjoy being with your loved ones.
