Christmas Bucket List

Christmas time is here!!!! Bring on the festive events and activities.

1. Make Christmas Cookies

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

3. Complete a Christmas book advent

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Create snow angels

6. Create paper snowflakes

7. Make an ornament

8. Buy a Christmas sweater

9. Sing Christmas carols

10. Build a gingerbread house (or train or whatever)

11. Help Arthur write a letter to Santa

12. Drive around and see the lights

13. Go visit Santa

14. Send out Christmas cards

15. Read 10 Christmas/winter stories

16. Leave out cookies for Santa

17. Visit the Feztival of Trees

18. Take a photo of all four boys together

19. Find a new holiday album

20. Visit the Fantasy of Lights

21. Go sledding

22. Create my December Daily base pages

23. Participate in two gift exchanges

24. See live reindeer

25. Find a Christmas door hanger

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Finish Line

Final tally 14/25 tasks completed. Sickness threw me early on in the month.

1. Make Christmas Cookies ✓

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

   1. The Polar Express

   2. Scrooged

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa ✓

5. Buy fun candy canes — Grabbed some weird fruit ones on clearance!

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels ✓

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

13. Sing Christmas carols ✓

14. Build a gingerbread house ✓

15. Drive around and see the lights ✓

16. Go visit Santa ✓

17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

18. Read 5 Christmas stories ✓

    1. Alaskan Holiday

    2. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

    3. A Town Called Christmas

    4. A Christmas Gift

    5. Mischief and Mistletoe

    6. The Night Before Christmas

    7. Winter Street

    8. Winter Stroll

    9. That Mistletoe Moment

19. Leave out cookies for Santa ✓

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together ✓

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #3

We’ve been knocking out some fun holiday items this past week.

1. Make Christmas Cookies ✓

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

   1. The Polar Express

   2. Scrooged

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels ✓

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

13. Sing Christmas carols

14. Build a gingerbread house ✓

15. Drive around and see the lights ✓ - The boys and I went to the Fantasy of Lights Friday night. They loved it.

16. Go visit Santa

17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

18. Read 5 Christmas stories ✓

    1. Alaskan Holiday

    2. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

    3. A Town Called Christmas

    4. A Christmas Gift

    5. Mischief and Mistletoe

19. Leave out cookies for Santa

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #2

We’ve been knocking out some fun holiday items this past week.

1. Make Christmas Cookies

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels ✓

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

13. Sing Christmas carols

14. Build a gingerbread house - We made a gingerbread train and it actually stayed up for a few minutes before the kids destroyed it. ✓

15. Drive around and see the lights

16. Go visit Santa

17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

18. Read 5 Christmas stories - In progress! So far, I’ve read 4 stories set in winter/Christmas.

19. Leave out cookies for Santa

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album ✓ — I grabbed the newest Pentatonix Christmas is Here! and am really digging it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #1

Fall is over (at least in my book) and we’re on to Christmas. Time for a new bucket list!

1. Make Christmas Cookies

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Donate to a toy drive ✓ — Q and I dropped off a box of art supplies to CSI’s Substitute Santa drive.

13. Sing Christmas carols

14. Build a gingerbread house

15. Drive around and see the lights

16. Go visit Santa

17. Send out Christmas cards - Almost done!

18. Read 5 Christmas stories - In progress! So far, I’ve read 2 stories set in winter/Christmas.

19. Leave out cookies for Santa

20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

21. See a Christmas performance

22. Buy a special ornament

23. Take a photo of all four boys together

24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

25. Find a new holiday album

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

Fall is over (at least in my book) and we’re on to Christmas. Time for a new bucket list!

1. Make Christmas Cookies

2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

3. Decorate our new house

4. Make hot cocoa

5. Buy fun candy canes

6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

7. Build a snowman

8. Create snow angels

9. Create a popcorn garland

10. Create paper snowflakes

11. Have a snowball fight

12. Sing Christmas carols

13. Build a gingerbread house

14. Drive around and see the lights

15. Go visit Santa

16. Send out Christmas cards

17. Read 5 Christmas stories

18. Leave out cookies for Santa

19. Go to Christmas at the zoo

20. See a Christmas performance

21. Buy a special ornament

22. Take a photo of all four boys together

23. Try a new holiday coffee drink

24. Find a new holiday album

25. Donate to CSI’s Subsitute Santa drive (I used to work there!)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Wrap-up

We finished out our Christmas season strong with lots of fun activities and lots of lazy days playing. 

Completed 20/28  71.4%

1. Go see Santa! -- We got to meet with Santa on the Christmas train last weekend.
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park -- Arthur, Q, and I went. Q fell asleep before we even got to the lights. At least Arthur enjoyed it. And it's way bigger this year.
3. Watch Christmas Movies -- We didn't see all of them, but a good chunk.
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas ✓
   3. A Charlie Brown Christmas ✓
   4. The Polar Express ✓
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ✓
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn ✓
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
   20. A Princess for Christmas ✓
   21. Christmas Inheritance ✓
   22. Home Alone ✓
   23. Frosty the Snowman ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies -- We iced and decorated mom's sugar cookies.
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft -- Arthur and I have been making the various crafts we bought at Michael's last month.
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books  -- We surpassed 25 books, I just returned some to the library before listing them here. Silly me.
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
    16. The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett
    17. I've Seen Santa! by David Bedford
    18. Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho by Doreen Cronin
    19. The Chicken Who Saved Christmas by Daniel Howath
    20. Santa Rex by Molly Idle
    21. It's Christmas by Tracey Corderoy
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange 
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa 
21. Find a new Christmas album 
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums -- All three albums are done!
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #3

We're now Indiana for the holidays and have completed even more Christmas related tasks.

Completed 11/28

1. Go see Santa! -- We got to meet with Santa on the Christmas train last weekend.
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. A Charlie Brown Christmas ✓
   4. The Polar Express ✓
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
   20. A Princess for Christmas ✓
   21. Christmas Inheritance ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies -- Arthur and I made more of my Ginger Molasses cookies. We're going to iced and decorate mom's sugar cookies after the twins arrive.
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft -- Arthur and I have been making the various crafts we bought at Michael's last month.
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange 
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two) -- I finished Christmas Magic and am reading A Christmas to Remember anthology.
20. Participate in Secret Santa 
21. Find a new Christmas album 
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #2

We're now Indiana for the holidays and have completed even more Christmas related tasks.

Completed 7/28

1. Go see Santa!
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. Charlie Brown Christmas
   4. The Polar Express
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards -- All have been sent out!
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house -- Instead of a gingerbread house, we made a gingerbread tree! 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange -- I made my Ginger Molasses Cookies and in return we got Cardamon Shortbread, Iced Sugar Cookies, and Stem Ginger Cookies. Oh so good!
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa -- Arthur and Quentin had their Secret Snowflake exchange through the parent group. And I sent off my book-related Secret Santa gift. Hopefully mine will be waiting in Indiana when I get there.
21. Find a new Christmas album -- Done! I found two actually: Leslie Odom Jr.'s Simply Christmas and Lindsey Stirling's Warmer in the Winter. Both have been on repeat.
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Our Christmas Tree disaster... 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #1

December is in full swing! Let's see how we've done so far this month.

Completed 6/28

1. Go see Santa!
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. Charlie Brown Christmas
   4. The Polar Express
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards -- Over 50 already sent out. Just need to finish the last 30 or so.
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6.  
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange -- I made my Ginger Molasses Cookies and in return we got Cardamon Shortbread, Iced Sugar Cookies, and Stem Ginger Cookies. Oh so good!
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa -- Arthur and Quentin had their Secret Snowflake exchange through the parent group. And I sent off my book-related Secret Santa gift. Hopefully mine will be waiting in Indiana when I get there.
21. Find a new Christmas album -- Done! I found two actually: Leslie Odom Jr.'s Simply Christmas and Lindsey Stirling's Warmer in the Winter. Both have been on repeat.
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

1. Go see Santa!
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. Charlie Brown Christmas
   4. The Polar Express
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
4. Make Christmas Cookies
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa
21. Find a new Christmas album
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile: