So it was my birthday yesterday, and I felt like a sack of poo, having to cancel all weekend birthday plans including a night away with Adam. The family lurgy finally caught up with me! Whilst Adam took the wild newly re-energised children out for the afternoon so I could rest, I decided to sack off all thoughts of birthday (we have rescheduled birthday fun for 2 weeks time!) and devise our family’s festive bucket list for 2014.
Whilst we’ve always had advent calendars and an advent candle, this is the first year that I thought it would be nice to have an advent bucket list. I’d bought some festive numbered clips from ‘Tiger’ (god I love that shop!), and some mini festive envelopes from Amazon, and set about writing a ‘festive-thing-to-do-a-day’ in each one. These range from big, exciting trips out (which we tend to only tell the children about on the day anyway, otherwise we have days/weeks of “are we going to X today” and it drives everyone mad!), right through to little Christmas rituals that take minimal time and effort. After the all, one of the main points of Christmas is to spend time together as a family and have fun. If we overload ourselves with ‘doing’ and ‘going’ too much, it makes for a stressful time. Just sitting down together and reading Christmas stories, or watching Christmas films, is just perfect!
I’ve also included an ‘activity’ which is all about giving, and that’s donating Christmas treats to a local food bank. Freddie and Sasha are still a bit young to ‘get’ donating old toys (I will happily do this on their behalf! 😉 ), I thought this was something age appropriate that Freddie in particular could understand, about helping others who have nothing, to have a nicer Christmas. As the children get older, then it would be nice to make a few more of these about giving something back whilst still enjoying the festive season.
Here is our festive bucket list, in no particular order…
- Go and pick out a tree decoration and go ice skating at the local garden centre.
- Have a Christmas dance party.
- Decorate the Christmas cake.
- Put up the tree.
- Decorate a Gingerbread house.
- Have a Christmas craft day.
- Make Christmas cards from the children for family members.
- Go to the under-5’s Panto in Wimbledon.
- Watch Freddie take part in his preschool nativity play.
- Make more mince pies.
- Go and visit the local Christmas lights charity display.
- Have a Christmas film afternoon/evening.
- Take each child to go and pick out a present for their sibling.
- Visit Father Christmas in his grotto.
- Have Christmas cream tea at the Ritz (this is for moi!)
- Visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde park.
- Make Snowman hot chocolate and use our chocolate spoons.
- Make Reindeer food.
- Watch The Nutcracker.
- Decorate Christmas biscuits
- Host a Christmas party.
- Donate Christmas food treats to a food bank.
- Read a Christmas book a day.
- Go to a church nativity service.
What are your festive plans this year? I’d love to hear!
Linking up with ‘Mummy Daddy Me’ and The Ordinary Moments!
Cute! What a sweet list. I will be doing some of these as well.
That’s a great list! I’ve got a mental list mostly of things to do together as a family when we get the chance including going ice skating and going up to the Birmingham Christmas market as well as all the little things like carolling and watching The Snowman and going to visit Father Christmas – if anything there are more fun things to do than days in which to do them 🙂
Author
Watching The Snowman is the best, an early childhood memory of mine too! I might save watching it with the little ones on Christmas Eve before bedtime! x
What a lovely idea! Those envelopes are gorgeous too. Hope you’re feeling better xx
Author
Thanks hon, and sorry for the late reply- been crazy with continued illness here and a severe lack of blogging motivation as a result! Hoping to get back on track soon! x
Ŷour envelopes are lovely. I haven’t done this as It felt like me putting pressure on myself, so I decided to go for spontaneous activities instead. You have given me some good ideas though, like making reindeer food xx
Author
Ours loved making reindeer food last year even though they were tiny- hoping they’ll enjoy it even more this year, and it’s so easy! x
What a fabulous idea I love it!!! A great way to ensure Christmas festivities are spread throughout December!!
As my husbands 30th is on Boxing Day we are treating ourselves to a holiday so Christmas is kinda cancelled for us this year!! Xx
Author
Ooh nice- is this your Sri Lanka trip? So exciting! x
Oh hon what a rubbish way to spend your birthday! Really hope you’re on the mend soon. Lurgies ruling my house too with biggest and smallest in a mess this weekend (esp smallest).
Your bucket list sounds amazing, love the envelopes too. I hope that doing this perked you up a bit? *hugs* xx
Author
It sure did, anything festive tends to make me feel instantly better, I do love Christmas! xx
Ah this is just so lovely Becky- we do a lot of these things over the Christmas period but what a lovely idea to do it as an advent idea. We have gone for something different this year too and are doing a book advent, they get a new book to read each day of the advent period. I love Tiger too- best shop ever! x
Author
Love the advent book idea! Such a nice thing to unwrap every day. I’m put off though by wrapping 24 items- the Christmas wrapping alone tends to give me the wibbles, I’m rubbish at making things look good with wrapping paper! x
Such a cute idea! So sorry you were ill on your birthday. Damn these winter lurgies. Hope you’re better soon! xx
Author
Thanks Elfa, and so sorry for the late reply! x
What a lovely idea and a great idea for advent. Love the pegs and the envelopes, just gorgeous.
Happy Birthday for yesterday and I hope you’re feeling better today! xx
Author
Thank you so much, and sorry for the late reply! We’re STILL fighting lurgy here in some way shape or form, feels never ending! x
This is such a fab idea Becky! I love the thought that has gone into this and the fact that it is not all about going places. Would definitely like to try this next year. xxx
Author
Thanks Lucy! I think we’ll try it again, although I also fancy doing that ‘Elf on the Shelf’ thing next year, I wonder if doing both will be too much to take on though! xx