Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!
The holidays are going to be very different this year for many of us — but there are lots of wonderful and safe ways to have fun and connect with family and friends. Just because you’re sticking close to home doesn’t mean your family can’t enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s focus on the good stuff! Here are 10 ways to have a ball this holiday season.
Have a Cozy Hot Chocolate Party
Cuddling up on the sofa in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate — loaded with marshmallows, of course — is peak Christmas coziness. Don’t have a fireplace? Bundle up and head outside for a bonfire (assuming it’s OK in your area—check the fire ordinances!), or pile pillows and blankets in front of the Christmas tree, telling stories as you sip that sweet chocolate treat.
Get Your Zoom On
As with so many other holidays this year, Zoom (or another video conference platform) is a great way to connect with loved ones near and far. Set up a video chat so grandparents can watch kids open presents on Christmas morning. Zoom your holiday dinner. Host a virtual sing-along party. And we love the idea of a Zoom call just for kids, so cousins can catch up on everything that’s been going on, tell stories and jokes, and just be the little goofballs they normally are when they get together IRL.
Host a Teleparty Movie Night
Another fun way for the kids (or grownups) to connect is with a virtual movie night. With Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party), groups can watch a movie or TV show on Netflix, Disney+, HBO or Hulu, with everyone’s video playing in synch. This Chrome extension (you have to watch on a desktop or laptop) also features a group chat for real-time commentary. It’s super-easy to set up and a great way to connect.
Play Board Games
If ever there was a year for board games to be on the gift list, this is it. Set up a game on the coffee table or dining table, have snacks at the ready (especially if you’re playing a notoriously long game!), and settle in for an afternoon or evening of laughter, upset and triumph.
Get Outside!
Embrace the winter wonderland and spend some time outside as a family. Go for a walk at night to check out the neighbourhood light displays. Have a snowman building contest. Go sledding. Hit an outdoor skating rink or a local lake if it’s been cold enough to make skating safe. You could even build a skating rink in your backyard if you have the space.
6. Have an Epic Lazy Morning in Bed
If you have younger kids, surprise them with a super-chill and fun morning piled in your bed. Start with breakfast in bed — the kids will love it. Then read books, watch cartoons, sing songs, let them play games on your phone, do some kid-friendly meditations — whatever works for your family. And when it’s time to get up, get moving with a pyjama dance party. (Psst—need a new bed? We have lots of great beds and headboards.)
Have a Crafternoon
If your kids are into crafting, this is the season where it truly shines. Haul out the craft supplies for an afternoon of freestyle crafting. Make garlands out of anything from paper rings to pom-poms to felt cut into seasonal shapes (think candy canes, mittens, stars, trees and so on). Use salt dough or other materials to DIY ornaments for the tree. Make loads of paper snowflakes together — and then surprise the kids by hanging them from the ceiling after they go to bed, so they wake up to a winter wonderland.
Read Together
Snuggle up with the kids on the sofa or in an oversized chair and dive into a great story. (Our 59” swivel chair is perfect for this.) If your kids are young, introduce them to special storybooks — vintage tales you love and delightfully silly reads that’ll have them giggling from beginning to end. If they’re a bit older, start a new chapter book you can read together. And don’t forget a cozy blanket and festive cookies to snack on.
Bake Cookies
Set aside an afternoon for baking and let the kids get right in there with you. Yes, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have some monstrous-looking Christmas trees and snowmen with gloopy icing, but that’s part of the charm! It’s the good stuff holiday memories are made of, so embrace the chaos (and give yourself lots of time for cleanup).
Have Pyjama Day at Home
If it’s just going to be you and the kids at home for the holidays, why not make Christmas Day or Hanukkah extra-cozy and stay in your pyjamas all day? If you normally get new PJs for the kids for Christmas, see if you can find a matching set for the whole family — and don’t forget to take pictures and Zoom the grandparents.
Even if we can’t be with everyone we love, there are so many creative ways to celebrate the season, have fun and build special traditions.
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
