The Holiday Bucket List You Never Knew You Always Wanted
Gift presence, not presents
It’s that time of year again! Holiday music is playing, the stores have been sneaking in winter holiday decor since before Halloween, and everyone is getting into the spirit of the season (or desperately wishing it were over, depending). In order to make the most of the holiday with experiences rather than gifts, I offer you the holiday bucket list you never knew you always wanted.
If you choose to participate, I’m interested in seeing how many you do or what you might add to the list that I left out. Feel free to leave a comment if you’d like, but let’s dive into the holiday bucket list to end all lists — because I love the holidays and lists. While this may seem geared toward Christmas, please feel free to share traditions you enjoy with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other seasonal celebrations.
Go ice skating.
Indoor and outdoor rinks can be found to enjoy a fun outing for the holiday season. Even if your best attempt at ice skating is scooting along the edges, desperately clinging to the sides, you may still enjoy the winter ambiance on the ice. This activity is great for singles, couples, or families.
Drink hot chocolate or spiced apple cider.
Nothing says warm and cozy quite like a holiday beverage. Grab a hot chocolate, enjoy your seasonal coffee favorite, or spice-up your apple cider.
Attend a holiday concert or go caroling.
Caroling may be an old-fashioned tradition, but it’s still a fun one. Get a group together and go caroling at a neighborhood, hospital, or nursing home. If singing isn’t your thing, attend a holiday concert instead. If these options aren’t available, consider attending a holiday concert online instead.
Make holiday cookies.
Exercise your creativity with a little holiday baking- and decorating.
Make, and decorate, a gingerbread family.
Or a gingerbread single person. Let it represent you, your family, your friends, or even your pets. Have fun with it.
Build and decorate a gingerbread house.
Go crazy and make an elaborate gingerbread house. It’s fun to make- and more fun to eat!
Listen to, and sing along with, holiday music.
You don’t have to go caroling to sing along in your home or car.
Decorate for the holidays.
Whatever holiday you celebrate, decorate and make your home and office a place that reflects the festive nature of the season.
Send out holiday cards.
A holiday card or family photo can be a great way to reconnect with family and friends at the holidays.
Make a snow angel.
Here in Georgia, snow isn’t necessarily a thing that happens. However, there are places where you can enjoy snow made by science rather than weather. Go there and do a snow angel, or get creative and make a sand angel at the beach.
Have a snowball fight.
Again, this is a tradition requiring snow, but it can be improvised. One year, we bought light-up “snowballs” from the store for an indoor version of a snowball fight. It was just as fun- and not as cold.
Go sledding.
Grab a sled or toboggan and enjoy a great day in the snow.
Get a picture made with Santa Claus.
You’re never too old to tell Santa you’ve been good this year and make a holiday wish.
Attend a tree lighting.
It’s nice to share in the holiday spirit and watch a tree lighting with friends or family.
Go on a holiday home tour.
Many communities offer a holiday home tour of homes in the area decorated for the season. It can be a fun way to get a glimpse into other people’s homes and to get decorating ideas for the holidays.
Enjoy a Polar Express train ride.
If there’s a train near you offering holiday train rides, it’s a grand adventure for children and adults alike.
Watch classic holiday movies.
Some of my favorites include It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and a Charlie Brown Christmas.
Watch new holiday movie favorites.
There are so many new movies that have become holiday favorites like Elf, Love Actually, The Grinch, Home Alone, and more.
Start a new holiday tradition.
On Christmas Eve, we open up one gift (spoiler alert: it’s always pajamas), and then we watch holiday movies and enjoy Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.
Participate in Jolabokaflod, or a Christmas Book Flood.
In this tradition, you exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading as a family. I love this tradition with all of my book-loving happy heart.
Play a holiday game for a gift exchange.
For a fun holiday twist to combine the Christmas Book Flood, make it a Blind Date with a Book and wrap up books you’d recommend and write on the wrapping a general description, obscuring the actual title. Party participants could play a fun game (like musical chairs to holiday music) to take turns choosing a book.
Participate in a holiday food drive, angel tree, or other volunteer activity.
It is the season of giving, not getting, and we can remind ourselves of that with a dedication to service each year.
Participate in a holiday-themed fun run or marathon.
If you’re not a runner, an easy fun run can be a great way to raise a little money for a good cause and work off all of the holiday treats we’re sure to eat.
Attend a holiday ballet, play, or other live performance.
Cirque du Soleil now has holiday performances, and the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular is indeed spectacular. The Nutcracker is a classic for a reason, and A Christmas Carol makes a wonderful live event. Find a live performance to infuse a little extra holiday magic in the season.
String popcorn garland.
This is a fun- and delicious- holiday tradition.
Count down the days with an advent calendar.
Some advent calendars have an activity a day or a prize; others just count down the days.
Attend a live nativity.
A live nativity is a fun way to enjoy the holiday and to remember that not all holidays started with tinsel and trees. It’s also a reminder to be hospitable to neighbors (ahem, refugees and immigrants, in a broader sense), to help others in a time of need, and to appreciate what we have even if we have little.
Roll a pinecone in peanut butter and birdseed to leave out for area wildlife.
Let’s not forget the wildlife this time of year. A little treat for local critters is a nice way to remind our families to think of others during this festive time of year.
Attend a holiday festival.
My town always has a holiday festival. Does yours? What’s your favorite?
Read a holiday-themed book.
I love to revisit A Christmas Carol this time of year. It was originally written as a ghost story, but it set the foundation for what we consider an old-fashioned Christmas to this day.
Have fun with Elf on the Shelf or Reindeer on the Roof.
I’m the lazy mom who barely remembers to get going with this one, but even if all I do is sit our Elf in the tree, my kids are happy to have a little holiday magic watching over them during the season.
Play You’ve Been Elfed.
Several versions of this game exist. Check out Pinterest or other sites to access the poem. Simply stuff a stocking or leave a small basket filled with treats at a neighbor’s door and then leave. It’s like Secret Santa with a pay-it-forward twist to spread holiday cheer.
Drive to see holiday lights.
Holiday lights are a sure-fire way to bring in a little holiday cheer.
Make homemade ornaments.
A little applesauce and a lot of cinnamon can make wonderful holiday ornaments. Just add cookie cutters and bake.
Make holiday potpourri.
Scent your home with dried oranges and cinnamon sticks or simply simmer apples, orange rinds, cinnamon, and clove on the stove or in your rice cooker for a wonderful holiday scent that will spread throughout your home.
The holidays aren’t about doing all the things or giving all the gifts. It’s about love, light, appreciation, and generosity. It is a season of giving and goodwill to all.
It can be easy to forget when we’re busy checking off our own lists, but a little bucket list can be a fun way to make the most of the season- provided that this list doesn’t feel like yet another obligation. Have fun with it. Do some or none at all, but by all means, have a Happy Holiday season!
