'Tis the season to spend time with our loved ones! Our family has a full calendar during December with parades, plays, breakfast with Santa, shopping, and more. But we always make the effort to plan a fun family evening when we can to just enjoy each other, chill out, and soak in the traditions of Christmas. The chaos can start again in the morning!
Here are some inexpensive, but memorable ideas to create a wonderful night with those closest to your heart:
Pajamas and Fuzzy Socks: We love comfort at our house! And what better way to start a relaxing, family evening than to shed the day’s clothes and jump into soft Christmas pj’s and fuzzy socks. Check out Christmas sales and scoop up a new pair of Christmas pj’s for the kids as a surprise.
Pick a Movie: Start your evening by letting the kids pick an after-dinner movie. If you have Netflix, there are lots of streaming kids’ Christmas movies to choose from. The Freeform network (formerly ABC Family) presents family Christmas movies all throughout the month of December. There are also Christmas-themed shows on the Disney and Disney Junior channels. Or simply pop in a DVD that your family already owns and has watched dozens of times. Christmas movies never seem to get old!
Make a snack: We chose the classic movie Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas so we decided to make a snack to go along with our film. These Grinch Kabobs are an inexpensive, light snack for everyone to munch on while dinner is being prepared (or as dessert!). All you need is toothpicks, grapes, strawberries, bananas and miniature marshmallows.
Christmas Game: Play a fun game at the dinner table. Try the funny “Would You Rather” Game by grabbing some paper, pen and a jar. Choose age-appropriate questions, and watch your kids’ minds start racing as they have to choose between two funny or complicated situations. Keep it lighthearted and enjoy the giggles! Examples of questions for my 4 and 6 year olds:
- Would you rather have permanent elf ears or permanent elf shoes?
- Would you rather have a playdate with Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
- Would you rather bake magic cookies with Mrs. Claus or ride in Santa’s sleigh?
Call Santa’s Personal Hotline: End the evening with a surprise! Who doesn’t love hearing that deep, comforting laugh from the magical man at the North Pole?! Gather the little ones around the phone and call 951.262.3062 and watch the excitement grow in their eyes as Santa bellows out his ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ and tells the children he loves them, instructs them on being good, and promises he’ll see them soon. The children can then leave a message for Santa. They will certainly sleep that night with visions of sugarplums (and toys!) dancing in their heads.
Here's to quality time together this holiday season!
