Christmas is my favourite holiday for many reasons, but mostly because it’s full of magical moments, traditions and spending time with family and friends.
Ever since I was little I’ve always loved and looked forward to Christmas traditions; decorating the tree with my sister, gathering with extended family for a big meal, opening stockings Christmas morning and getting a new ornament each year. I’m so grateful that my parents made this time of year so special for us and instilled in us the importance of traditions and being around your loved ones. Now that we have our own family I love that we can continue these traditions plus add some of our own. This season has been so much fun this time around, our daughter is two and full of curiosity and wonder. She loves to sing Christmas songs, is infatuated with the Christmas tree and I can’t wait to watch her open presents and her stocking this year!
Setting up and decorating the Christmas tree with my little girl will always be something that I look forward to. Gifting a special ornament to her and my husband is something I do each year. It’s so fun to unwrap the ornaments as we decorate and reflect back on the memories each one sparks and special milestones we don’t want to forget. It was one of the things that I loved receiving as a child and I love that it’s something that our daughter will be able to take with her when she moves out on her own. It’s so wonderful to see our tree filled with memories old and new! Anna’s has such a huge selection of ornaments and I have had so much fun adding some of their Christmas inventory to our Christmas tree this year.
Every season I like to do a bucket list, it’s such a fun way to embrace the holidays with your family and friends. My Winter bucket list is up and there’s only a handful of things left to check off! I love that these lists can be filled with a mixture of things that can be done at home, and outings that can get you and your family out for the day! Ours is full of your typical Winter activities, but it’s also filled with Christmas traditions and things that really get us in the spirit of the holidays!
Our Winter Bucket List
- Build a snowman
- Make an orange garland
- Decorate the house
- Photo with Santa
- Mail Christmas cards
- Start and Advent calendar
- Look at Christmas lights
- Listen to Christmas music
- Watch Christmas movies
- Decorate gingerbread house
- Leave cookies for Santa
- Decorate the Christmas tree
- Host annual Christmas party
Starting an advent calendar is another thing that we did growing up. We always got a chocolate calendar, and my mom also put together a sweet little one for my sister and me that was thoughtfully gathered with treats and trinkets that she knew we’d love. It wasn’t anything elaborate but it was always something we looked forward to. This year we got a chocolate advent for my husband and me to share and a Kinder Egg one for our girl. Next year I plan on starting a small advent calendar since she’ll be older and even more aware of all things Christmas. I love that each day doesn’t have to be filled with a gift, you can also plan a fun activity to do together, like making a Christmas craft.
Food is always a big part of the holidays, whether it’s a full turkey dinner, Christmas brunch or a spread of baked goods. Every Christmas Eve my mom would make these cheese and sausage balls that we munched on, and every Christmas morning she made an overnight Christmas casserole that we had after we opened up our stockings. We have yet to adopt these same food traditions, but in recent years we’ve hosted family on Christmas Eve and served homemade burgers, and we head to my in-law’s for a wonderful Christmas Day Brunch and turkey dinner. Spending time with friends is also important to us so we always host an annual ugly Christmas sweater party, everyone brings food and we just spend the day visiting and decorating gingerbread houses! The holidays are such a busy time of year, but I love that we always plan and set aside a day to spend with friends that we don’t get to see often enough.
One of my favourite parts of Christmas is filling stockings and opening stockings always has been and always will be. Gathering little things that are both unique, silly, useful and special is so much fun! I think the reason why my love for stockings is so strong is because my mom was the ultimate stocking stuffer. She collected things all year and found some of the coolest things no matter what age we were. I love that Anna’s is more than just a garden centre, you can find so many useful and unique items for your home as well as gifts for all your family and friends. I’ve rounded up some stocking stuffer ideas from Anna’s for both Her and Him.
Him
- Olivina Black Oak Shave Gel
- Olivina Deluxe Razor
- Olivina Shave Prep & Beard Oil
- Olivina Badger hairbrush
- Best Damn Beard Balm
- Duke Cannon Supply Co. Cannon Balm
- Under Carriage Deodorant Cream
- Picard’s Chip Nuts
Her
- Mudpie monogram necklace
- Scout Curated Wears sets (goes from a necklace to a bracelet)
- Bits & Bobbles Jewelry Case
- Skeem Design Palo Santo Essential Oil Roll-On
- rareEssence Vent-Clip Car Diffuser
- Farmhouse Fresh Whoopie Cream Shea Butter Hand Cream
- Picard’s Swiss-Style Chocolate Covered Almonds
- Frayed Fiber Coaster Set
- The Last Straw Stainless Steel Drinking Straws (set of 3 with cleaning brush)
- Under Carriage Deodorant Cream
- Santa Mug
- Water Drops (Stevia sweetened water enhancer)
There are so many wonderful traditions that you can incorporate into your Christmas season, old ones from your childhood that hold a special place in your heart and new ones that can be added into the mix. One tradition I’d love to add to our list is a big Christmas cookie baking day. Hopefully next year we can start this tradition, but for now, if you need us we’ll be watching all our favourite Christmas movies on repeat with just the twinkling Christmas lights on!
What are some of your favourite Christmas traditions?
