12 Books of Christmas
Buy and wrap 12 short stories or children’s books. Start opening them and read them at bedtime each night leading up to Christmas.
Elf on a Shelf
If you haven’t already heard of this Christmas tradition that has taken the world by storm, you can check out some of these very creative Christmas characters in action by clicking here.
Decorate
from the tree to the stockings, someone has to do it! So, involve the whole family in transforming your home into a Winter Wonderland! Popsugar suggests having a family camp out under the tree after you get it set up.
Volunteering
Whether it is at a local homeless shelter or ringing the bell at a local store, the spirit of giving is what the holidays are all about. Encourage your family to participate in a selfless activity like serving food, collecting clothing or cans, or hanging Christmas lights for someone.
Lights
You can drive around town and check out the light displays, or make an annual visit to an awesome light show. Lights are some of the most magical parts of Christmas. Make it a moment each year that your family can look forward to.
Movie Night
Pick a Christmas classic that your family can watch every year. Extra bonus if you all have matching pj’s or fuzzy holiday themed socks!
Christmas Crafts
From ornaments to Gingerbread houses, there are plenty of Christmas crafts to choose from. Here are some awesome ideas to get you started on this family tradition.
Sing
Whether you are caroling, doing Christmas karaoke, or driving around looking at lights with some of the seasonal hits playing, traditional Christmas songs are must have part of the holiday season.
Giving
If you are in the financial place to help others, adopt a Christmas Angel, fill a shoe box to send overseas, or find a local family in need of extra help during this time. There are many opportunities to give to others.
Santa Claus
You can visit him at the mall, write him a letter, or call his phone number, there are many ways you can get in touch with the Big Guy this Christmas season. Make it a holiday tradition that everyone can look back on with joy.
Everyone celebrates the holidays a little differently, we encourage you to check out holiday traditions from all around the world at this awesome Holiday Traditions website! Let us know your favorite holiday traditions in the comments below!
As the holidays approach, you’re probably looking for a creative party theme. If you’ve never attended a cookie exchange, it is a great twist to the traditional holiday party. Here is how it works:
- Each guest brings enough cookies and copies of the recipe to share with the entire group.
- As they come in, their cookies are displayed along with the recipe.
- The host supplies goodie bags so that each guest can create their own personal assortment of cookies and recipes to take home and try for themselves!
To get you started, let’s have a virtual cookie exchange! We’re going to share some of our favorite cookie recipes below. Then, you share your favorite cookie recipes in the comments.
Delish.com has a list of 50+ Easy Christmas Cookies. Some of our favorites include…
…Santa’s Trash…They take less than 30 minutes total!
…The 15 Days of Christmas Cookie Countdown…Such a cute idea!
…3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies…I mean, who doesn’t like simple?
…Best Sugar Cookie Icing…Only 5 minutes to create an icing that will wow your guests!
I AM BAKER’s list includes cute recipe cards and general baking tips like…
…sifting dry ingredients because it helps add air which makes your cookies fluffier.
…creaming the butter and the sugar instead of mixing. Again, this creates air pockets which help make your cookies soft and fluffy.
…adding eggs at room temperature so that your cookies are more moist.
We love their Sugar Cookie Wreaths and Christmas Tree Cookie Stacks! Don’t they look adorable?
And of course, Food Network’s collection of Christmas cookies is to die for. Here is our absolute favorite recipe:
You’ll need: cooking spray, 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, red peppermint candies (crushed)
Prep. Melt. Pour. Cool. Cut. That’s pretty quick and easy if you ask me!
We hope you’ll try some of the recipes we’ve shared, and we’d love to try some of yours! Share them in the comments below.
With the Holidays mere days away, you may be finding yourself stumped for ideas, or needing some inspiration for wrapping ideas. We’ve got you covered. This week we offer up some bright DIY gift ideas plus brilliant ninja gift wrapping tips. You may want to share this with a friend. You’ll make their day!
Turn an Old Book into a Gift Bag
Gift Bag – Try Upcycling your wrapping this year with an affordable alternative to the standard wrapping paper. Use recycled paper, stamps, and a dash of creativity to create a gift bag they’ll remember. You could even include some custom face stickers to give it an extra personal touch, including some memories of the times you’ve had in the year gone past, or perhaps add a silly note with some funny faces and expressions. The options are limitless! —> Click Here.
Origami Pyramid Gift Boxes
Via Lines Across
Origami Gift – When you are giving someone a small gift like jewelry, this is a very fun alternative to a standard jewelry box. Make your own pyramid gift box instead. The tutorial is incredibly simple to understand at a glance. Cut the paper as shown, fold it, and tie it at the top to close it. The box is easily reusable too! –> Click Here.
Wrap with Fabric
Via Julep
Knotted Fabric Box – Okay, boxes can be hard to wrap, but can you tie a bow? That’s all you need to do to turn a swath of fabric into a smart-looking gift bundle. This is a no-sew design and it is incredibly easy to put together in just a few quick steps using the tutorial. It’s a fun, bright, and colorful way to use scraps of fabric to wrap your gifts. –> Click Here.
DIY Soap: The Gift of Clean
Via Soap Recipes101
Mocha Soap Recipe: This is a soap that looks good enough to eat! This soap contains a variety of rich oils including coconut, palm and grapeseed oils. The addition of cocoa butter and coffee creates a truly yummy scent. –> Click Here.
Via
Home Spa Gift – Whether you keep them for yourself or give them as a gift, these adorable little things are bound to make someone’s day a whole lot less stressful. Bath bombs are skyrocketing in popularity. Why? They’re pretty, fragrant, fizzy, and unique. These are made from scratch with nourishing coconut oil. Give the gift of relaxation –> Click Here.
Beard Oil is the Perfect gift for the bearded man in your life. Sadly, there’s no Hallmark card for “I want to kiss you every day of my life, but your beard is giving me road rash.” Fortunately, there IS this. He can now maintain a beard that’s wonderfully styled, great smelling, and soft to the touch. —-> Click Here.
If the holidays get stressful or the winter doldrums set in, here is one sure-fire way to combat the blues: hot cocoa! Here is everything you need to create a custom hot cocoa bar.–> Click Here.
Are you trying any new gift wrapping techniques this year? Have any new DIY gift ideas? Tell us your tips & tricks in the comments!
