Is there anything better than bundling up and doing holiday activities?! I love winter and all that it has to offer, especially Christmas. We are BIG Christmas lovers around here from November 1 onwards! This year I started my Christmas decorating the moment Halloween ended and by November 1, it was Christmas at my house. I love it! Pierce seems to have inherited my love of Christmas which is so validating for me. It’s also so fun to have a little buddy to share my excitement of the holiday season! 

It’s going to be so special to see Bence start to understand our Christmas traditions and how we get into the holiday spirit. He’s grown so much since last year! Being able to see the holidays through his eyes for the first time brings it alive even more. If I could be even more excited just thinking about that element alone, then I am! And with the Christmas season comes so many fun activities at home and around town to get that festive feeling flowing. I’m glad to see lots of events making their return this year as we emerge from pandemic precautions. 

Here are some bucket list items I’m hoping to do this season. (in no particular order) 

Make a snow angel with both my boys. Not sure who loves this more, me or the boys. How cute will little Bence be in his little snowsuits playing in the snow!? 

Wear matching pjs. I’m a sucker for some matching jammies! One of my favourite traditions on Christmas eve is to have the boys open up a gift with their matching pjs inside to wear when they wake up on Christmas morning… I’m so excited thinking about it! Obviously Gary and I get in the spirit too! 

Go tobogganing. We have a sled for Pierce we bought last year. The cutest red one but didn’t get a chance to use it so we are definitely going to get out in it this year. There are some great sledding hills on the local mountains or hopefully we get enough snow to test out the hills around home!  

Send holiday cards to friends and family. It’s such a good feeling to choose the right layout for our Christmas photo to send to everyone we love. We’re working with Basic Invite this year who have the most adorable holiday card designs.   

Knit a blanket. I started knitting several blankets in lockdown and want to get at least one finished! This one requires a hot cup of tea, some soft music and my kids tucked in bed asleep. I’m optimistic I’ll make this happen! 

Get bundled up and take a walk in the snow with my little ones. Same walk, different weather and a whole new adventure for the little ones. I’m so hopeful we’ll get a good snowfall this year!  

Holiday movie marathon. Need I say more?! A little Hallmark for me and some Mickey and Christmas classics for the boys. I’m such a sucker for those holiday love stories, pass the tissues (and the popcorn!)  

Support local. There is so much local talent in my area when it comes to gifting options. One of my favourite things to do is to shop local and support our local small businesses especially during the holidays. I do this through the many local markets as well as browsing Instagram and seeing what catches my eye from some of the local artisans!   

Decorate a gingerbread house. A delicious staple on my holiday to-do list! Pierce gets more excited each year to add different candies on top and he gets better at decorating. Last year he actually got the icing and some of the candy on the house lol!

Make a batch of mulled wine. Cheers to adult beverages! My absolute favourite activity is getting cozy at home with my mom and sister, putting on a Hallmark classic and sipping some hot mulled wine. My favourite recipe is this one from Fraîche Living. Name a better way to spend a winter evening, I”ll wait! 

Holiday baking. Shortbread cookies, pie, cheesecake, I love it all! Baking and spending time in the kitchen with my boys is getting more fun each year. Getting them involved in their helper tower and licking the bowl is what they live for haha. I also love their little faces waiting outside the oven for warm treats and the smell of the house. 

Ice skating and enjoying peppermint hot chocolate There are lots of local rinks around and I love to take the boys ice skating, this year will be Bence’s first try! If we can, I’d love to get downtown to the outdoor rink as well. And skating isn’t over until I’ve had a peppermint hot chocolate! I can almost taste it already! 

Host Christmas Eve or go to Gary’s Aunts for Christmas Eve Party time!I’m so excited for our family to get together in person again. Gary and I LOVE entertaining and can’t wait to all be together surrounded by good food, wine and family!  

Celebrate Pierce’s 4th Birthday. How is my first born 4!?!?! Seriously, he’s such a little boy but as cliche as it is he will always be my baby. He made me a mom and I’m so so grateful he chose me. I can’t wait to show you guys what we have in store for his party! 

Whistler Getaway/Pierce’s birthday continues. A trip to Whistler is a holiday tradition for us. There are so many holiday activities for kids happening around Pierce’s birthday. He had such a ball last year he asked to go back again this year! 

Trip to Victoria I love spending time on the island, especially around the holidays. The lights at Butchart Gardens, ice skating, walking along the harbour, gingerbread houses, the bug museum, aquarium with the kids. We love Victoria and can’t wait for our trip just after Christmas until New Years. I’m looking forward to watching some fireworks after a nice dinner, checking out the lights at Butchart Gardens and ringing in the new year! 

Visit Snowshoe Summit Log Cabin Pierce asks weekly when we can go to the cabin again. He absolutely loved Snowshoe Summit Log Cabin on Hemlock mountain. It is the quintessential winter snowy cabin getaway and we are planning to go back in January. Cozy up by the fire, watch movies, go tubing, walks in the snow, hot chocolate… all the makings of a wintery wonderland. 

Mariah Carey Is it Christmas without ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ on repeat? I love to blast Christmas music, have a glass of wine or some hot chocolate, invite my mom and sister over with the boys and decorate for the holidays. I started November 1 and did it mostly within a day which is unreal and tweaked the next 2 days. It was definitely less stressful, more relaxing and fun this year. Now I keep the mariah playlist going and I enjoy being surrounded by holiday decor! 

I hope these ideas get you started on your own winter bucket list! What are you looking forward to this holiday season? Is there anything you’ve missed during the pandemic that’s back this year? I’d love any suggestions to add to my own list and share with other members of this community! Let’s get this holiday season rolling!

Images by Northern Wind Photography