Follow Me in Merry Measure… Eleven and Counting!

Happy Throwback Thursday, Friends! As of today, there are just 11 days until Christmas.  Earlier this month, we started sharing ideas to make an old-fashioned Christmas.  Today, we’ll continue down that path… It’s barely halfway into December, and this writer has already come across numerous people who are simply frazzled and stressed because they “haven’t bought enough stuff for Christmas” yet. Do you know anyone like that? One of the best ways we can help them allay their anxiety is to remind them that not only is Christmas about focusing on Christ, but it’s also a time when the heart is important – giving gifts from the heart, spending time with those that we love, remembering those who have no one to share their Christmas with, etc.

An easy (and fun) way to get in the Christmas spirit, is cookie-baking, (and getting the whole family involved in the process).  The sense of smell is an amazing trigger of long-ago memories.  

Sugar cookies and gingerbread men are both good selections that have been around for ages and can help recapture that magical feeling.  And the other cool thing about these two cookies is that you can get the kids involved in decorating them! 

Whether they sprinkle colored sugars, or decorate with colored icing, or give the gingerbread man (or woman) raisin eyes, mouths, and buttons, the idea is that not only are you making cookies, but you’re making a memory that your kids can carry with them and pass on to their little ones someday.  Plus, you can bake extra and deliver some to friends and neighbors, and hopefully they’ll catch the spirit and try baking something with their family. 

Next, get the whole family into the old-fashioned Christmas spirit by having a preview night.  Let everyone know that in a week, your family will be having a Pre-Christmas.  Write everyone’s name on a scrap of paper, put them in a bowl, then have everyone draw a name.  They have one week to make something special for the person whose name they draw.  Whether they make it in the kitchen by way of a special food item, in the sewing room by way of a wearable item, in the garage by way of something constructed, or in their bedroom by way of a craft project, their gift should be well-planned, thoughtful, and meaningful to the person who will receive it.  Also, tell them they have to make their own giftwrap.  It can be out of newspaper, colored or painted computer paper, ink-stamped brown paper bag paper, or anything else they can think of.  Tell them to tag the gift with who it’s for but not who it’s from.  Then at the end of the week, turn off all electronics, including cellphones, have dinner together, and afterward, have each person separately go and fetch their gift then take it to a specific location within the house.  (The reason for going separately is so that no one else sees who brings which gift.)  After all the gifts have been gathered, have the recipients open them – one at a time.  When one person opens their gift, ask them how that gift makes them feel, what they like about it, and who they think made it for them.  Go around the room doing the same until everyone’s gifts have been opened.  Wait until everyone has had their turn before anyone confirms whether or not the guessed gift-giver was correct.  This activity is similar to a standard Secret Santa exchange, but with the gifts (and wrappings) being homemade and heartfelt, it will help get everyone in the spirit of giving to others (rather than “What can I get for me?”) and seeing the joy on someone else’s face when they receive something that was lovingly made especially for them.

There’s still plenty of time to watch some old favorite Christmas movies each night.  Leave the cellphones off, and gather around the TV snuggled in blankets with some popcorn, and make it a family tradition.  Some examples of favorite family Christmas classics are:

• It’s a Wonderful Life
• A Christmas Story
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• Elf
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• The Santa Clause (1, 2, & 3)
• Home Alone (1 & 2)
• The Polar Express
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman
• The Year Without a Santa Claus
• A Christmas Carol
• The Nutcracker
• Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol
• The Muppet Christmas Carol

Now, to make Christmas movie nights a little more festive and carve a tradition out of them, how about gift-wrapping a pair of fun or silly Christmas-themed “movie socks” (to be worn only when watching Christmas movies) for each family member to open and wear before the movie starts, and be sure to serve some hot chocolate, mulled cider, or eggnog to wash down the popcorn.  Another idea to get the family in the mood for setting aside their cellphones and watching the movie:  Give everyone a giant candy cane to enjoy while they watch.

This weekend, to help get the whole family in the spirit, create some Christmas-themed meals, such as snowman-shaped pancakes for breakfast, some mini-pizzas for dinner made with refrigerated pizza dough cut out with Christmas cookie cutters, or a Christmas tree shaped fruit and veggie appetizer tray before dinner.

Of course, another simple idea to help spark the old Christmas memories is by utilizing the olfactory system (the sense of smell), such as burning pine tree, gingerbread, or candy cane scented candles around the house.

That’s it for today, folks.  We hope you join us in creating an old-fashioned Christmas for your family, and we look forward to seeing you back here again next week!  Remember, there’s only 16 more days…

#oldfashionedchristmas #familychristmasactivities