The most wonderful time of the year is coming! The holidays are a time of family, friends, good food, cheesy movies, and picturesque weather (even if it’s bloody cold). As I am the Queen of Bucket Lists and I also start celebrating Christmas on November 1st, here is the only holiday bucket list you need.
1. Watch cheesy holiday movies
One of my roommates and I have been doing this a lot lately. Netflix is FULL of holiday movies. Some are good, some are laughably bad. We like to watch bad ones and talk the whole time about how bad it is. Make some tea or hot chocolate (or grab a bottle of wine) and watch some holiday movies!
2. Bake Christmas cookies
One of my most FAVOURITE things to do during any season, but mostly the holidays. I know I can’t wait to go home and bake with my mom. Here’s a link with some good recipes. Whether your preferred flavour is peppermint, chocolate, or gingerbread, there’s something everyone will like.
3. Christmas shopping
Ahh, the best time of the year to go to the mall! The mall is always so beautiful at Christmas time, and I think buying gifts for people is almost as fun as buying gifts for myself. Plus, you’re never too old to get a picture with the Mall Santa!
4. Distillery District Christmas Market
For all my Canadians, check out this super fun Christmas market in Toronto! They have tons of cute little shops, good food. and Instagram worthy photo ops. It’s also free during the week and only 6$ on the weekend.
5. Drink with your family
Christmas is one of the best times to (legally) drink with your family! Take a fam trip to the LCBO, pick up some fancy bottles of wine (on your parents’ dime) and drink up while you look at old photos or watch old home videos. It’s fun, I promise.
6. Go skating
A basic one but an essential one. Whether your hobby is figure skating, playing hockey, or trying to stay standing on the ice, there’s nothing more fun than visiting an ice rink in the winter. Plus, afterwards you can warm up with a giant mug of cocoa.
7. Decorate the tree
Decorating the tree is one of my families favourite things to do. Put on some Christmas music, get a glass of whatever your choice beverage is, and decorate that tree like a BOSS.
8. Check out the Aurora Winter Festival
A new festival with tons of fun activities has sprung up in Canada. It takes place in Vancouver and Toronto this winter. There’s a tube park, frozen pond, some carnival rides, beautiful “mystical worlds”, Christmas light displays, and Santa’s workshop. There’s also tasty food, hot chocolate, and mulled wine. Tickets are only $20!
9. Sip hot chocolate by the fire
A very relaxing and festive way to spend an evening! You can even try your hand at making hot chocolate from scratch instead of relying on those bags you get from the store.
10. Build a snowman
If you feel like braving the cold, get out there and build a snowman or have a snowball fight! Even more fun if you have little kids in your family.
11. Spend an evening wrapping presents
I’ve always loved wrapping presents! Spend an evening listening to Christmas music while you wrap presents for your friends and family. Try your hand at experimenting with giant bows or sparkling ribbons and impress your loved ones!
12. Build a gingerbread house
Nothing says “Christmas” like building a gingerbread house! Buy a kit, get your friends or family together and build. Want to make things competitive? Make it a competition and decide that whoever has the best-decorated gingerbread house wins a gift or beverage of your choosing!
13. Hang stockings
Remember that excitement when you were a kid and ran downstairs on Christmas morning to see your stocking full of treats? Re-create that Christmas magic this year by stuffing a family member’s stocking! There’s a reason stores have a stocking stuffers section.
14. Volunteer
The holidays are a great time to help those in need, and there’s usually a ton of opportunities to do so. When you’re home for the holidays with no school work to worry about, volunteer your time to help out.
15. Make paper snowflakes
A fun activity AND an inexpensive decoration. All you need for this activity is paper and scissors! You don’t even need a game plan, I often just snip here and there and see what happens. Besides, every snowflake is different.
16. Get an Advent calendar
I will never be too old for this. Who doesn’t like a new piece of chocolate every day in anticipation for Christmas? You can get inexpensive ones with smaller chocolates, or more expensive ones. I like to get the Kinder or Lindt brand calendars.
17. Wear an ugly Christmas sweater
The only time you can! Tons of stores are carrying these Christmas staples. Try to attend an ugly Christmas sweater party to really get into the spirit of things. They also sell ugly Hanukkah sweaters too.
18. Kiss someone under a mistletoe
Maybe don’t skip that holiday party your friend invited you to, because you might meet a cutie under the mistletoe.
19. Look at the Christmas lights in your neighbourhood
Drive through your neighbourhood in search of the best light display! Play some Christmas music, bring a to-go cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the drive. To take things to the next level, decorate your own house and try to outshine your neighbours.
20. Wear a Santa hat in public
Just maybe don’t do it at the same time as the ugly Christmas sweater. While you’re at it, pick up some Santa hats or reindeer antlers for your friends and family!
21. Make Christmas cards
Get crafty! Deliver them to your friends and neighbours. If doing DIY Christmas cards is not your thing, you can pick up inexpensive packs of cards from the Dollar Store. It’s an easy but kind wa to spread Christmas cheer.
22. Make dinner as a family
Bonus points for listening to Christmas music while you cook/eat. Find a meal that everyone likes (a challenge, I know) and try giving a task to everyone.
23. Wear holiday pyjamas
I rotate between my polar bear shorts and my red plaid fuzzy pants. It gets you in the spirit! Plus, there’s only one month of the year you can wear Christmas themed pyjamas.
24. Watch Christmas specials
When my brother and I were kids, we would watch Frosty the Snowman and Charlie Brown Christmas every Christmas Eve. The tradition just never died and we still watch it with our parents, except now we sort of make fun of it and get slightly buzzed.
25. Eat peppermint ice cream
It’s pretty sub-par, but it only comes out once a year so you should just do it. While you’re at it, try peppermint Oreos. Also sub-par, but gets you in the spirit.
26. Hang a wreath
Bonus points if you make it yourself! They are not super hard to make and you can get the supplies you need from your local Dollar Store.
27. Just go all out with the decorating
Christmas is the one time that my mom goes ALL OUT with decorating the house. Literally everything just becomes Christmas themed. From hand towels to dishes to our staircase.
28. Make Christmas cocktails
There are tons of recipes for these. You can also make them as mocktails if you’d like!
29. Kitchen dance party to Jingle Bell Rock
Or your song of choice. I will certainly be dancing to All I Want For Christmas Is You. I am a huge kitchen dance party fanatic (for good reason).
30. Read The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve
Only counts if you do it with FEELING. My dad read this book to my brother and I while we were growing up and I still remember how exciting it was. I could probably recite that book now.
31. Learn something about a December holiday you don’t celebrate
Yay learning! There are lots of other holidays during this season besides Christmas, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
32. Wear funky holiday socks
I love holiday socks. A subtle but cute way to be festive! You can pick up Christmas themed socks from the Dollar Store so there’s really no excuse not to kick your feet up in a pair.
33. Go get a Starbucks holiday drink
As if you didn’t do that on November 1st (I did!). My all time fav is a white peppermint mocha, but a close second is the chestnut praline latte. I recommend you try them all.
33. Enjoy this time of year with loved ones
The holidays are a great time to see your family and friends that you maybe don’t see very often. Enjoy it as much as you can! While the holidays can be stressful, it’s being with your loved ones that really matters.
Stay warm this holiday and enjoy the time to relax and eat food!