Tag: Holiday Spirit

How to Keep the Holidays Special During a Pandemic

This year presents a new challenge as we get ready to celebrate the holidays. We have to take extra precautions to keep everyone safe, this may mean not visiting family, not traveling this year, not hosting holiday parties, etc. Even though the holidays will look very different this year, we can still make it very special!

There are several things that this pandemic can’t take away from us, we can still enjoy decorating, putting our tree up, cooking and baking, holiday crafts, watching holiday movies, talking with loved ones virtually. We can still keep a lot of our traditions alive amongst the chaos.

My hope for you is that you can enjoy the holidays this year and think of all of the things that you are grateful for. Lift your spirits by doing some of your all- time favorite holiday traditions!

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Tree Decorating

There are so many things that bring excitement to the holidays and tree decorating is at the top of my list. We traditionally put our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving every year, that way we have almost a month to enjoy it before Christmas is here! I have such fond memories of decorating the tree as a child, we would string lights and add tinsel and ornaments. There’s something so magical about being cozy on the couch under a blanket and watching the lights on the tree.

When do you put your Christmas tree up? Do you have a real or an artificial tree? I hope you all are well and are enjoying the festivities of the holiday season!

Snow Day Ideas

Winter is upon us and we are about to get into some of the coldest and snowiest months of the year. For many of us this means lots of shoveling and days off of work and school. When large blizzards hit that can mean days to a week inside, read on for some ideas of what to do on your snow days off, I’ve also included a mix of things for little ones as well!

  • Cook/bake holiday treats
  • Make holiday crafts
  • Make an igloo
  • Decorate for the holidays
  • Clean up and organize
  • Draw or journal
  • Build a snowman
  • Make some holiday drinks
  • Offer to help neighbors shovel
  • Catch up on favorite shows
  • Do some self-reflection
  • Self-care
  • Watch holiday movies
  • Relax and enjoy the downtime

Christmas Cookies

One of the most fun memories that I have is making Christmas cookies as a child! I still make them today, though different ones than the sugar cookies that we used to decorate. I remember mixing all of the ingredients together, rolling out the dough, then using the cookie cutters to cut out different designs like stars, snowmen, and Santa Claus. We would then take icing and sprinkles and decorate them however we would like. It was so fun and magical! We enjoyed eating them with milk and we would sit out a couple on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus. Even as I write this post, my mind is filled with happy thoughts and memories as they take me back. I love the magic of the holidays!

Extra Special Hot Cocoa

There is something so special about a nice warm drink to cozy up to during the cold winter months. It’s such a sense of comfort! There are many drinks to enjoy like a nice hot cup of coffee, or even an iced one, hot or cold tea, spiked drinks, egg nog, and a childhood favorite…hot cocoa!

There are many ways to make hot cocoa. Over the years I have seen some very special recipes that really make for a nice treat and I will share them with you! The first one that I really like that has a holiday twist is the peppermint hot cocoa. To do this, I make hot cocoa homemade and add a little whipped cream and a candy cane to give it that delicious peppermint flavor. Another delicious combo is making hot cocoa and adding caramel sauce, the chocolate and caramel is a delicious combination! A very festive idea is making regular hot cocoa and adding a cinnamon stick for some spicy flavor! We can’t forget the classic hot cocoa with marshmallows. Go sit down and relax with a hot cup of cocoa!