December 21, 2017
10 Fun Things to Do with Kids this Holiday Season
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. This post is sponsored by Huggies. All opinions are mine alone. #HuggiesHelps #DiaperNeed #Hugs4huggies #sweepstakes #CollectiveBias
The holiday season is in full swing and we are doing all of the fun holiday things! I love it. This particular holiday season is particularly special because Adalyn is 3 and is so excited for Christmas so it has been very exciting for all of us to soak up the magic of the season and do as many special Christmas things as possible.
Here are our top 10 things to do with kids this holiday season:
1. Visit Santa Claus
Of course, visiting Santa had to make the top of the list! Get kids super excited to visit Santa by talking about how cool it will be to meet him, have them think of what they want from Santa so that they can tell him and show them pictures of Santa so that they will not be scared of the big guy in the red suit with a big beard when they see him!
2. Decorate your home
This year was so fun decorating our house with Adalyn. She helped put a couple of ornaments on the tree (while breaking a couple of things in the process...) and was excited to listen to Christmas music and dance around the house.
3. Do an Advent calendar
We actually have three Advent calendars around our home all courtesy of my mom! We have one that has a tiny book for each day, one that has a star that goes in a pocket that you move each day and one that has stuffed, soft pieces that you put in a nativity each day. This is an awesome way to get kids ready for Christmas because they can see how many days till Christmas and see how it is getting close and closer.
4. Have breakfast with Santa
This was our third year doing a Breakfast with Santa and it is a tradition that we look forward to each year. The one that we go to has someone that makes balloon animals, you get to sit on Santa's lap, music and more. It is a great event to get in the holiday spirit. Search your area to see where there are breakfasts with Santa going on in your area.
5. Read Christmas books
A couple of years ago, I went to a book sale and bought a ton of Christmas books for next to nothing. Around Christmastime, I pull out all of these books and we read at least one per day to get into the spirit of Christmas.
6. Make hand print ornaments
I am not a crafty person so if I can do this, you can too! I followed a tutorial online for making salt dough and turned it into hand print ornaments for grandparents from the kids. I am in love. It is a great way for family to look back on these tiny hand prints each year as the kid's hands get bigger. We did this for Adalyn's first Christmas so I had to do it for Oliver's first Christmas as well. I am a total sap and these homemade ornaments mean more to me than any store bought ones.
7. Teach the reason for the season
As Adalyn is now old enough to understand, we make sure to teach her the reason for the season: the birth of Jesus. We read books about this, light our Advent wreath and sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" each night at dinner, talk about why we really celebrate Christmas and more. It is important to Troy and I to raise our children knowing that Christmas is not about the presents but is about Jesus.
8. Look at Christmas lights
It is a family tradition to get a mug of hot chocolate and drive around our neighborhood looking at the beautiful Christmas lights. It seems like this year. people are really going all out! I can't wait to see them all. Troy does an awesome job of decorating the outside of our house including a couple of dachshund decorations, of course.
9. Teach them to give back
We are always in learning mode with young kids and are constantly trying to teach them how to be good people. One way to teach caring during the holidays is to show them how to give back and help others in need. Did you know 1 in 3 U.S. families are in diaper need, or struggle to provide enough diapers to keep their baby or toddler clean, dry and healthy ? One way that we do that is by purchasing Huggies diapers from Meijer with the No Baby Unhugged program. For every pack of Huggies purchased from Meijer through December 23rd, Huggies will donate a day's worth of diapers and Meijer will donate $1 to the National Diaper Bank Network. What a great cause!
This is the very easiest way to give back because with a baby, we
are already buying diapers all the time. I like any of the Huggies diapers for
my kids and these are the Huggies Snug and Dry diapers. These have 4
layers to absorb moisture quickly and offer up to 12 hours of protection.! We
also like the Huggies Little Movers diapers. These are perfect for active
babies who are on the move and have Double Grip Strips to hold the diaper in
place during play.
Even if you do not have kids in diapers, you could buy some and donate them and it would be especially helpful because you would be donating the diapers and Huggies and Meijer would be giving as well! Through the No Baby Unhugged program, Huggies has donated more than 200 million diapers and wipes to those in diaper need (when someone struggles with providing enough diapers to keep their child clean, dry and healthy).
Enter this awesome sweepstakes using #Hugs4Huggies and #Sweepstakes to win a year's worth of diapers! Giveaway ends 12/23. 4 winners a week: 2 winners receive a year’s worth of diapers (in the form of $1,000 gift cards) and 2 winners (chosen by grand prize winners) will receive $500 gift cards. Total 8 grand prize winners of $1000 gift cards and 8 secondary prize winners of $500 gift card. Enter through Instagram or Twitter.
10. Dress the kids up for Christmas and take photos
Okay, maybe this one is more for the parents than the kids but my kids do like getting their pictures taken. I can't stop having little photo shoots in front of the Christmas tree- especially because it is Oliver's first Christmas and my first Christmas having two kids. Pro tip for finding great deals on holiday clothing: shop the end of holiday clearance sales. You will be able to find Christmas pajamas, dresses and shirts for the next year at up to 90% off!! This is my favorite way to shop to save money and to get the kids super cute clothes.Merry Christmas! I hope that you and your family are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are!
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