Our Multiethnic Family's Christmas Bucket List
Since I was a little girl, Christmas has been my favorite holiday. The freshly fallen snow, cinnamon ornaments on the tree, Christmas music to drown out the Christmas Story movie, and snowmen all bring me to a very happy place. It reminds me of growing up and spending holidays with my family in Washington. I don't know what it is, but it just makes everything better.Now that my kids are getting older, they're beginning to get the Christmas fever like momma! They can't wait until we pull all the decorations out of storage and get our tree. They run around trying to find their favorite ornaments before their brothers so they can be the ones to put them up on the tree.My husband and I sit back and let them go wild. It doesn't matter that all of the ornaments are on one side of the tree and clustered together on the bottom. The look on their faces when they step back and admire their work makes our lopsided tree look like a magical piece of art.
And...
If we're going, to be honest with each other, I put up the breakable ornaments as soon as they go to bed.My husband used to be a Grinch during the holidays. He ner4 understood why his wife became an eggnog drunk crazy person during December. He just sat back and watched.Not anymore!!!Something happened to him after we had kids. Our Christmas craze somehow rubbed off on him. Now, he's the one begging us to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving! I happily oblige and carefully convince him we need more decorations each year.
Every year around Christmas, our house looks like an elf puked Christmas cheer all over, and it couldn't make me happier.
The more our family has gotten into the holiday spirit, the more we try to cram in. We make a bit list of all the things we want to do and see how many we can check off our list.
Here is our Christmas Bucket List this year!
Watch Christmas Movies.
I don't think anything beats a good Christmas movie with a glass of hot cocoa. My boys and I live for it!This year we want to watch the classics like Santa Clause, The Polar Express, The Christmas Story, Snow Day, and so many more! We search through all the new holiday movies on Netflix and watch them all!Then we get distracted and start watching Bollywood family movies. I know they aren't usually Christmas themed, but come on... They're amazing! My oldest son is now old enough to watch them and read the English subtitles. Needless to say, I'm about to have a Bollywood movie marathon with him!
AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT.
Our Elf On The Shelf lives wherever I can discretely throw him. The end. My boys still think he's the best thing in the world. I secretly hope my kids lose interest in the eld so I can toss him, but I'm pretty sure they'll keep it going until they're old enough to dangle him from precarious spots on their own.IN FACT...
This should be the new family tradition! Hide the Elf from the parents.
Who's with me?!
Convince my husband to put up Christmas lights.
As many of you know, hanging up Christmas lights is a huge task. My husband will buy us a tree, help us decorate inside, and even watch a few Christmas movies, but Christmas lights...He put them up two years ago, and it took him all weekend. Then during the move to North Carolina, we left all 3 BOXES of lights in Chicago. Since then the simple mention of Christmas lights brings an odd twitch to his eye.This year I plan on convincing, bribing, tricking, or even threatening to get said lights up on the house.Wish me luck.
Get a Christmas tree... CHECK
Pull the Christmas decorations out of storage and let the kids help set them up... Three broken ornaments and a wrestling match over the candy cane decorations... CHECK
Make jello salad.
Ok, this is probably the one Christmas tradition that is mine and mine alone. Growing up my family would make a yummy jello salad every year. It is amazing!When I was pregnant with Luke a few years ago, I made four jello salads in a two-week span. Don't judge. I'd blame the baby, but I probably would have done it anyway.The bad thing is my husband and ALL THREE OF MY BOYS hate it! They beg me not to make it and I just scoff. Like they could keep me from jello salad!
Go and look at Christmas lights with the kids.
My husband and I like to look up a fun neighborhood nearby and then we take the kids, with hot cocoa in hand, to check them out. We' have found neighborhoods that do fun Disney themes, have lights to "dance" around to music, and then the super-rich elaborately decorated houses.So fun!
Put together the kid's Christmas Eve box.
This is hands down, my favorite tradition every year. My grandma started this with my mom and aunts years ago. Every Christmas eve, we would open up a box with Christmas jammies! It was the only gift we could open before Christmas and then we'd all get into them and watch Christmas movies.Over the years, my hubby and I have tweaked it a bit. Now we add in slippers, a Christmas movie, and holiday-themed treats to go with the movie. I even put one together for Joel and I!
Start the Elf On The Shelf Shenanigan
The only thing I dread during the holidays is the f*&^*&^ Elf On The Shelf. My boys NEVER let us forget him. I always forget until I get the kids up for school and end up crazily running around trying to find a new spot for him to hide.Every year, I see the Pinterest parents putting together elaborate scenes with their eld, and I just laugh.
Somehow find a killer non-dairy, white hot chocolate cocoa recipe.
Hot cocoa is one of the biggest Christmas staples, but it brings up a bit of a problem in our house. My oldest and I are allergic to chocolate and recently discovered we can't have dairy.I refuse to give up hot cocoa, so I'm on the hunt for a non-dairy, white hot cocoa!If you know of one, please let me know!
Whip up a fusion feast fit for our multiethnic family!
Food is a big part of the holidays. Everyone is always thinking up what to make, pulling out family recipes, and eating way more than you thought possible.Our little family does the same thing, but with a twist. We make a BIG dinner on Christmas Eve! We make roast chicken, veggies, mashed potatoes... Oh yeah! We also make up Indian food to go with it! We make mine and my husband's childhood favorites! This year, we're even going to try our hand at biryani!