Today my focus was 100% on Christmas. I’ve been feeling so Bah Humbug lately. That is just not allowed this time of year. So today we worked hard to turn it around!
My big kids are eagerly counting down the days to Christmas on their advent calendars. We are halfway through our 12-days of Christmas. We were so wrapped up in today that I actually let them open 2 of their books instead of just 1. Oops! That wasn’t intended, but we went with it. I guess that just means I will have to let them open an actual Christmas present the night before Christmas. We won’t tell them that until it’s time though.
My plan for today was to figure out how to get back in the holiday spirit with the least possible investment. Call it lazy if you want. That’s pretty much what it was. It worked though. So we will take it.
I’m going to share my tips. It helps if you have four year old home from school still recovering from surgery! She’s going stir crazy. It’s good motivation to find things to keep her busy. So here they are…
How To Get In The Christmas Spirit
- Finish your out of town shopping! Mail the packages. This morning our second stop (after school drop off) was the post office. It is such a huge relief to have our packages in the mail, on their way! With the lines as long as they are that trip alone is a huge buzz kill. My advice, go online to pay and print your label. Save yourself tons of time and hassle. It was pretty awesome skipping the line to drop off boxes. VIP right here. Haha.
- Crank the Christmas music. Thank you Pandora for letting me stream some tunes. There is no way to be in a bad mood listening to classics like Mele Kalikimaka and I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Throw in some Trans Siberian Orchestra and it’s a Christmas party.
- Bake some Cookies – We went all out with some reindeer cookies! Now remember, I said lazy investment. Pillsbury makes some awesome pre-sliced, reindeer cookies! 8 minutes and you’re in sugar cookie heaven. Gave us a great after school snack.
- Gingerbread Houses – Pre-assembled, store bought ginger bread houses. No shame in that. The kids had a blast. Their houses looked a little empty at the end, but that is only because they figured if they didn’t use the candy for decorating then they could eat it. Well played.
- When all else fails, just put a baby in a Santa hat! Can’t go wrong there. Or yourself if you don’t have a baby. It always brings a little Christmas cheer.
The final part of the plan was to watch a movie tonight. It got too late for the kids by the time we got through the chaos of dinner and getting ready for tomorrow. I’m thinking maybe tonight will be a Mom movie night. Maybe an old school favorite…Robin Hood: Men in Tights! If Mel Brooks can’t lift your spirits…you’re screwed!
What do you do to get in the Christmas spirit?