Christmas bucket list - Our favourite Christmas activities

• Christmas Activity #1: Winter Wonderland

Ice skating and sledding are the perfect traditional Christmas activities to get you out of the house and active in the cold! Seeing the streets, roofs and cars frosted in sparkling white snow has to be one of the great joys of winter, so if you’re lucky enough to be blessed with a frosty layer of snow, we say grab your thickest jumper & get outdoors! Ice-skating and sledding are perfect winter activities that will lead to hours of fun!

If we’re being a little optimistic weatherwise and you’re without snow or natural ice, hit your nearest ice rink for an afternoon of fun on the ice! What could be better than twirling around on the ice before warming yourself up with a delicious hot chocolate or mulled wine treat. Most towns will erect a small winter wonderland complete with an ice rink to really enhance that special Christmas feeling, and who says they’re just for kids. Besides, if you can’t unleash your inner child at Christmas when can you?! So, we say wrap up warm in your favourite on-trend hat and scarf and hit the ice with your friends, precious memories guaranteed!
 

• Christmas Activity #2: Holiday Movie Marathon 

Okay, so this may not be the most exciting or the most unique Christmas activity, but it’s definitely one of our favourites. This truly is an oldie but a goodie, and that’s how we’d describe our favourite Christmas movies too! For us, Christmas truly isn’t complete without watching all the movies. Every year we look forward to the moment we can just burrow ourselves into the couch in our favourite cosy (Christmas) sweater, a fluffy blanket to keep us cosy, a hot drink and all of our favourite movie snacks - the perfect cosy way to spend a cold day! While you can’t go wrong with classics like Home Alone & the Harry Potter movies (not technically Christmassy, but still synonymous with the festive season), we also have a soft spot for those perfectly cheesy Christmas romcoms. Who doesn’t obsess about meeting Jude Law in a cosy English pub, or having a secret admirer tell us how he feels on life-sized cards while claiming to be ‘Christmas Carolers’. Just thinking about this cosy Christmas activity has the festive spirit growing within us, so if you can feel that magical Christmas feeling brewing, get planning and invite all your girls over for the cosiest start to the season! Oh, and don’t forget the (spiked) hot chocolate with marshmallows for that ultimate winter season beverage!

• Christmas Activity #4: Light up winter nights with a light festival

In the lead up to Christmas the days may get shorter & the nights longer, but that’s not stopping us from getting cosy! In fact, with darker days come more opportunities to get cosy and create the most wondrous Christmas light displays! Kew Gardens in London hosts its annual Glow Wild light festival the highlight for many (just look at how quickly tickets sell out) with a trail of lights lighting (ahem) up the dark night skies with a kaleidoscope of colour and festive spirit. If your local town isn’t hosting an official light festival, not to worry, the Christmas fun needn’t be dampened. Instead, go on a walking tour of your local neighbourhood and explore all the festive Christmas lights your neighbours and community have put up to share in the joy of the season. It goes without saying that you’ll need your warmest winter dress, coat and knitwear for this Christmas activity - but the outfit is half the fun! Fill a flask with your favourite warming drink, grab a camera and enjoy your make-shift festival of lights!
 

• Christmas Activity #5: Christmas crafting

Don’t fancy leaving the warmth of your home (especially cosy now that it’s been decorated for Xmas)? Well, this Christmas activity can be done entirely from the comfort of your living room! Christmas crafting is the perfect way to get your creative juices flowing as you create fun new Christmas crafts. Why not make your own Christmas baubles, Christmas cards or Christmas place settings? Or give your crafting an adult-edge by setting-up a sip and paint party where you sip your fave grown-up beverage and paint Christmas themed art works. Whack on your favourite Christmas playlists, full of all the classics….Last Christmas, Fa la la la la, Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day…. And craft the day away! This doesn’t have to be an expensive Christmas activity either, just head for your nearest DIY store, craft store or charity shop and get whatever you need to make your Christmas crafting dreams come true. Sometimes there’s nothing better than discovering a new skill and making things that can be used for years to come! This is guaranteed to become a cherished Christmas tradition for all generations!

• Christmas Activity #7: Christmas baking

One of the most universally loved characteristics of the festive season is the scents and smells that permeate our homes and our lives at Christmas. Cinnamon, cloves, orange, and star anise truly are sugar and spice & everything nice, so bathe in the scents of Christmas by hosting a deliciously warming Christmas baking activity. We’re thinking of Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses and so many other wonderful Christmas bakes and treats to make from scratch. You’ll soon see that home baked Christmas treats taste even better than store bought, and the satisfaction of being able to serve a plate of homemade Christmas cookies for your guests makes it all the more exciting. Gingerbread houses are one of our personal favourite Christmas activities, as they go beyond baking! The beauty of a Christmas gingerbread house is the decorating that comes after carefully constructing your gingerbread house structure (that’s the tricky part, but you can do it!). This Christmas activity basically combines baking with Christmas crafting and the finished result is also the cutest extra bit of Xmas decor for your home. Of course, an at home activity calls for cosy comfort, and you can’t go wrong with a hoodie, trackies and thick socks to keep your feet warm as you dance around the kitchen! 
 

• Christmas Activity #8: Christmas shopping

Finally, the most obvious, but also the most fun, Christmas activity to get involved with has to be Christmas shopping! Whether you’re going shopping under the pretence of buying your loved ones their Christmas gifts, or being honest about it and really heading for the shops to pick up this season’s hottest party dresses for your own party season engagements, Christmas shopping deserves a special place in your schedule. And quite frankly, one day is not going to cut it. To really find everything on your loved one’s wish list and to leave time to fully enjoy the magic of the season in town you’ll need to stretch your shopping across a couple of days, of course. And shopping breaks for hot chocolate and marshmallows are mandatory! Christmas shopping, though busy, has to be one of our favourite holiday traditions. Carefully selecting gifts that you know the special people in your life are going to love is one of the great joys of Christmas, and wrapping them up beautifully in special gift wrapping to put them under the tree is sure to put you in the Christmas vibe all season long!