Chris and I have been doing our best to live "the simple life" for many years now. We love to shop Goodwill and thrift stores. We both have tons of used clothes!! We head straight for the clearance sections at Target! While we see many things we like and know would look great at our place or on ourselves, we can easily walk away from making the frivolous purchase (for the most part). We aren't driven by material things. We love to use coupons. We are avid users of our local libraries for books, music & DVDs. We reduce, reuse & recycle.
We also like to enjoy activities, especially those that celebrate holidays, on the cheap. We want to make memories, but they don't have to cost a paycheck!
So here are some free or cheap ways to share holiday spirit:
~Bake cookies
I am sure many of you have some family recipes to pass along. My Grandma Long made Christmas cut-outs. Some of my aunts continued to make them and now my cousin, Tam, bakes them with her two daughters. It is an annual tradition for the three of them! I am sure her girls will look back fondly on these times and, hopefully, share the recipe with their own children!!
~Watch DVDs
Put on your PJs and snuggle under blankets while sipping hot chocolate and spend a couple hours (or more if you do a whole marathon - go for it!!) watching your fave Christmas movies. I recommend Elf, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Scrooge, White Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
~Decorate
Trim the tree, hang your stockings and go about making the whole house festive. You could share the stories behind some of the ornaments. I have some very special ceramic ornaments that my mother painted and she was so very talented! They hang on our tree every year and I can't help but smile when I see them (I have shared half of them with my brother and I hope that he is using them). And don't forget to play music and dance! Our Christmas mornings when I was younger ALWAYS included the Elvis Christmas album because my dad was a big Elvis fan. I can't listen to (any) Elvis without thinking of my dad and those early Christmases!!
~Read Christmas Books
Just like with watching movies, cuddle up in your PJs with a cup of hot cocoa and read together.
~Volunteer
Gather the kids and spend an afternoon volunteering at your local food pantry, animal rescue, homeless shelter or soup kitchen. This is such an intrinsically rewarding experience and it teaches us all the valuable lesson of being charitable and appreciating what we have in our lives.
~Ice Skating, Sledding, Walking the Neighborhood or the Woods
Be active! If we have to live where there is snow, then we should take advantage of the outdoor activities a little snow provides. I love walking around the neighborhood to see everyone's decorations. Grab that hot chocolate or coffee in a to-go cup, bundle up and head out into the winter wonderland! And while you are out there, build a snowman or make a snow angel! (I'm not just talking to the kids here! Just a couple years ago, I dropped myself right into the snow and made a snow angel for the first time in decades! It was hilarious!) A walk in the woods after a light dusting of snow would be so peaceful and you would see so many things differently than in any other season.
~Attend Community Events
Last weekend, we attended a holiday street lighting in a neighboring city and tonite we will be attending our city's Christmas tree lighting. We are treating ourselves to a hot cup of coffee and a donut! We also plan to attend a couple festival of lights parades!!
~Make Ornaments
For a handful of years, my family (on my dad's side) would make ornaments for our gifts. Some were very elaborate and others less involved, but they all were special because we knew the gifter had taken time out of her schedule to handicraft. One of my aunts made painstakingly small cross stitch ornaments one year. I made ice cream cones with glass ball ornaments glued to real sugar cones! There were also years that I made wreaths instead. I remember my mom making wreaths out of a metal hangar, clear plastic baggies and a big red bow!!! They would probably be considered retro these days and she could make a fortune! As a family, you could sit at the table and construct something together or each make your own creation. I even made Chris a "special" ornament one year: it's a sled made from popsicle sticks with a small piece of holly, that I made from felt and a red bead. I see it hung on our tree right this moment!!
This list, of course, isn't all-inclusive and I sincerely welcome suggestions in the comments! Part of the fun is in the hunt!
In the infamous words of Buddy, the Elf
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
Don't be shy, sing along, loud & proud!
Let's set the spirit meter ablaze!
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