25 Days of Christmas

I think this is a great idea, this Christmas challenge from A Peek Inside The Fishbowl. There are so many things to do at Christmas and it's so easy to lose track of the things most important to you and your family over the holidays.

My 25 Days of Christmas isn't really 25 days at all, more just a list of things I want to do in December that will contribute to the overall cheer of the holidays because they are a) fun for the whole family or b) give us a chance to slow down and appreciate the season. Because I work, some of them can be done simultaneously (such as drink wine, write cards, and listen to Messiah) or can be fitted in to our regular routine (reading books, watching a movie)

So what's on my list?

• Drink wine and make plans
• Read A Christmas Carol (every year, without fail)
• Read Christmas stories by the fire before bedtime
• Have a Christmas Movie Night with the kids
• Christmas Cookie Baking (gingerbread men)
• Listen to Messiah
• Write and address Christmas cards
• Letters to Santa
• Write a Christmas Story with the kids (this year: a pioneer version)
• Plan a Christmas Day concert (I supervise, the kids plan)
• Christmas Tree farm and sleigh ride
• Tree Decorating fondue and snack night
• Old Fashioned Carol Sing
• Christmas Parade
• Visit Alight at Night at Upper Canada Village
• Take the kids shopping for Dad (yes, this is fun. The trick is knowing what to buy ahead of time, feeding them before we go, not combining it with any other shopping, and going for hot chocolate afterwards) 
• Pot Luck Christmas get-together with friends
• Decking of the Halls (medieval tradition) followed by a solstice feast
• Moonlit snowshoe or walk across the fields. Christmas hats optional.
• Annual hair cut. (Kidding, but not by much)