There’s just something about Christmas that hits different when you’ve got kids who fully believe in the magic. These days, Leni and Boone are all in and it’s made the holidays even more fun (and a little more chaotic, let’s be honest).

Over the past few years, we’ve started to build our own Christmas traditions, the kind I hope they’ll remember forever. They’re not fancy or over-the-top, but they’re ours… and they make this season feel extra special.

December Activities: Christmas Hype

Once December hits, it’s game on. I love planning little surprises and festive adventures throughout the month to keep the excitement going.

Ventures Beyond Home

• Christmas Tree Adventures: Visits to Jordan Lake Christmas Tree Farm and Philipps Farm add a touch of outdoor magic.
• Christmas Lights + Snacks: One night, we load up the car with snacks, cocoa, and a Christmas playlist and drive around looking at lights. Simple, easy, and one of our favorite nights of the season.

Outdoor Adventures

• Ice skating, tubing, skiing honestly anything that gets us outside and a little bit cold. The kids love it, and honestly, so do we.
• Community Spirit: We make it to the Holiday Express at Pullen Park or Fieldstream Farm whenever we can. It’s such a fun way to get that small-town Christmas feel.

Seasonal Surprises

• Lindt Advent Calendars are a must. (The Costco find that keeps everyone happy!)
• Kindness Chain: Every link represents something kind we did that day, big or small. It’s a good reminder of what this season’s really about.

Capturing Moments

• Christmas Cards: A yearly tradition of sending out Christmas cards that highlight the kids’ ages. I get a little teary eyed looking back at past years cards and seeing big they are getting. Time PLEASE slow down!

December 23: Preparing for the Magic

We usually kick off the real festivities on the 23rd with an afternoon church service. It’s a nice pause before things get wild. After that, the kids help me prep for our big Christmas Eve turkey dinner (“help” being a loose term, but it’s fun chaos).

Christmas Eve: A Night of Anticipation

Early Turkey Dinner

• We do our big turkey dinner early on Christmas Eve (3 PM), so we can have a fuuuull night of Christmas Eve fun and then relax on Christmas!

Evening Activities

• Opening a Special Gift: Leni and Boone each get to open one Christmas gift (because the anticipation is real)
• Watch a Christmas movie together with blankets, popcorn, and all the cozy vibes.
• Prepping for Santa: Before bedtime, it’s time to set out cookies and milk for Santa followed by us snuggling in bed reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
• Elf on the Shelf: Shiner, our mischievous elf, bids farewell with a note before heading back to the North Pole.

Christmas Day: Unwrapping Joy

Morning Festivities

• Without fail, the kids are up before sunrise… wide-eyed, whisper-yelling that Santa came! We let them open their stockings first thing (we learned that lesson early), but the main presents have to wait until everyone’s awake and the parents have at leassttt half a cup of coffee in them. No one needs to witness gift-opening chaos before caffeine.
• Santa usually leaves one big gift for each of them by the hearth and the rest are from family and friends. We open gifts one at a time so everyone can see what the others got. It slows things down and makes it feel a little more meaningful (and gives me time to refill my coffee).
• Breakfast is usually cinnamon bun casserole (it’s every bit as good as it sounds) and a big, hearty brunch before we all settle into our cozy Christmas Day routine which includes movies, leftovers, and just being together.

Every year looks a little different, but that’s kind of the fun of it. The kids are growing up fast, and I’m just trying to soak up every minute of the magic while it lasts.

Wishing y’all a Merry Christmas filled with love, laughter, and maybe a little bit chaos.

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