Christmas is the most festive time of the year, everything is decorated with lights, baubles, colourful beads and garlands and you hear carols everywhere you go. But you can definitely make it even more festive if you follow this checklist of some favourite christmas things to do to make you get in the holiday spirit.
1. Visit A Christmas Market
Markets are wonderful little treasure troves. From handcrafted decorations to food from around the world there’s something there for everyone.
2. Have Mulled Wine
By far the best kind of wine, I will never understand why this is not a thing all year round. However that means we simply have to drink as much as we can while we can still find it. Tip: Make mulled wine all year round by boiling red wine with cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and lots of sugar. If you are not picky there is also a microwave version at Sainsbury’s all year round.
3. Decorate Your Home
That is a pretty obvious one but it has to be done. Making your house look festive will improve your mood from the moment you open your eyes in the morning. Apart from the traditional tree and lights you can consider adding cushions, blankets, scented candles and christmas cards your friends have sent you as well as lots of other little details that will make everything more festive.
4. Get An Advent Calendar
Not only do you get chocolates every single day but also having a countdown to Christmas day will make you look forward to it and get more and more excited every day.
5. Bake Christmas Treats
You could probably bake every day and still have more new things to try out. From traditional Christmas pudding and Christmas cake, to the yule log, gingerbread men and hundreds more great recipes, baking is a great way to unleash your creativity during the holidays.
6. Make A Gingerbread House
Bake the biscuits yourself or buy them ready made and just work on the assembly and decoration, building a gingerbread house can be a fun activity to do with friends. You can even make a competition out of it and see whose house looks the best at the end.
7. See The Christmas Lights
Trees, baubles, sleighs and all kinds of twinkly lights fill up the city every year and they always come with a big party when they get turned on. If you are lucky you get to see some of your favourite artists perform as the streets are transformed into a winter wonderland.
8. Go Ice Skating
Time to check your balance skills. Skating rinks pop up everywhere throughout December and they are a staple holiday activity. Now if only I could get an adult version of those balance penguins that would be very helpful (yes there is an embarrassing story behind this and it involves drying off with the hand dryer in the toilets for 40 minutes).
9. Listen To Christmas Songs
Songs always improve your mood so putting on a festive playlist with some fun songs to sing along is a great way to give you energy and make you more cheerful around the holidays.
10. Wear A Christmas Jumper
For this one the sillier the better! Snowmen with noses that pop up, reindeer with real bells on and trees with flashing lights are all spot on. Bonus points if you have made it yourself or you pair it with more accessories like bauble earrings, santa hats or elf ears.
11. Go To A Christmas Show
So many choices. From regular plays to pantomime, ballet and music concerts. Going to the theatre makes for a great night out with friends and family during the winter months.
12. Start A Christmas Tradition
Think of something unique that you can do with your loved ones every year. Some ideas include picking out a special new decoration to add to your tree every year, getting the Red Cup Starbucks mug of the year and taking a festive family photo that you can make an album with over time or even use and your Christmas card to your friends, especially if they do not get to see you that often.
13. Watch Christmas Movies
Those classic films that we all grew up with are exactly what you need for some festive nostalgia in December. Be it Elf, the Snowman or A Christmas Carol (I can not do Christmas without watching some version of that one), just pick up a blanket and a hot chocolate and you are set.
14. Make A List Of Presents For Your Friends
Christmas is all about giving and making people happy. Start early and make a list of your friends and family that you would like to get presents for and start picking bits and pieces up when you’re out at the shops. This will keep you organised and will reduce your stress about last minute holiday shopping. Plus, you get to pretend you are Santa, making your list and checking it twice.
15. Send Christmas Cards
Whether you choose to buy a pack of cards or make your own from scratch, a christmas card with some hand written wishes shows how thoughtful you are and in our information age where all interactions happen online or via text it is good to make an effort and go back to some more traditional means of communication.
16. Hang Your Stocking Up
Get a stocking with your name or just your initial on and hang it up the fireplace or anywhere you want if you do not have a fireplace. This way Santa will know where to deliver your presents and the traditional satsumas. Another great if you are exchanging gifts at home is to get lots of small things and fill up each other’s stocking with.
17. Attend A Christmas Party
Whether it it your work’s Christmas lunch/office party, a house party organised by your friends or a social, attending Christmas parties throughout December is a must. After all, you need as many excuses to wear your christmas jumpers as you can get.
18. Have Christmas Dinner
Turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce are a must for every holiday table. And to finish it all off Christmas pudding and brandy butter. You just have to have it.
19. Pull The Christmas Crackers
A party hat, a bad joke and a tiny trinket to add to your pile of presents. And it all comes with colourful paper, a loud noise and the fun to see who wins by keeping the bigger piece of the cracker once it is cracked. Family fun all around the Christmas table.
20. Watch The Christmas Specials Of Your Favourite TV Shows
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with your favourite fictional characters. Christmas specials are always fun and heartwarming and add some grounding to your regular tv shows. I particularly love the Doctor Who Christmas Special on Christmas Day.
