Thrifty Christmas Bucket List

Well, Thanksgiving is behind us and we are well on our way to the Christmas season. I absolutely love the Christmas season. I love the hustle and bustle, shopping, advent lessons, baking, and simply being with family. To help make our Christmas season as memorable as possible we have a bucket list of traditions we try to do each year. All of which are extremely budget-friendly and easy to implement with a large crew in tow.

I strive to live each day as if it were my last, making memories and cherishing the time I get to spend with my family. While I'm certainly not the perfect mother; making the Christmas season extra special for my children is one of my favorite things to do. We've steadily added to our Christmas Bucket list every year, but nothing is set in stone. None of our bucket list adventures has to be done, they're simply a guide to help us celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.

We've accumulated 25 extra special Christmas traditions we enjoy doing each year. My children look forward to our family holiday traditions, and will typically ask long before December arrives if we are going to do 'X-Y-Z' for Christmas this year? With our large family I've purposed to make our Christmas activities budget friendly and easy to do with littles ones. The holiday season is for all ages in our home.

Thrifty Christmas Bucket List

1. Christmas storybooks
2. Study of Christmas around the world (assorted resources from Teachers Pay Teachers)
3. Attend a Christmas parade
4. Christmas minute-to-win-it games
5. Make homemade ornaments
6. Christmas Directed drawings (assorted ones found on Pinterest)
7. Homemade candy
8. Elf on the Shelf
9. Decorate gingerbread houses
10. Do a family advent study
11. Countdown to Christmas
12. Decorate ice cream cone Christmas trees
13. Toys for Tots or other Christmas ministry
14. Visit Bass Pro Shop
15. Watch the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and eat 'Grinch food'
16. Polar express movie night with hot cocoa and cookies
17. Minivan Polar Express
18. Make Christmas cut-out sugar cookies and decorate
19. Make homemade bread for neighbor gifts
20. Visit a local Santa
21. Drive thru or walk thru Christmas light display
22. Set a date to decorate the house for Christmas
23. Purchase or make a special ornament for each child and give on a special day for children to hang on tree
24. Make homemade gifts for daddy or other family/friends
25. Read the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve while children are drinking hot cocoa

Making memories with children doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Each day is a gift and should never be wasted. The Christmas season is a wonderful time to begin establishing treasured traditions with your children. I encourage you to enjoy the magic of Christmas with your children this year through some of these fun activities on our family's Thrifty Christmas Bucket List.

With Love & Hope,
Jennifer