With the world in limbo for making long-term plans these days, I thought I would create a bucket list of Family Favourite activities that we hope to do this year. If not, we will have lots of ideas and be able to plan for next year, right!?!
We are going to do a combination of at-home and hopefully outdoor activities. There is no snow at this point, so I am not including Sledding, Sleigh Rides or Skiing…but they would be added if we had a good amount of snow.
- Shop Local Markets or Pop Up Sales
(check out my post on some reasons why you would want to support local businesses) - Sponsor a Family or Child for Christmas
This year we sponsored a little girl through What Kids Need Moncton. It was so fun shopping for a girl!! In previous years we have made bulk item donations to organizations like Youth Quest and Food Depot. - Have a Movie Night (or two or ten!)
- Getting outside to explore our local parks and trails
- Christmas Lights Tour
We love packing up some snacks and driving through the neighbourhoods around our city to view the beautiful light displays. Don’t forget we have created a handy map of Greater Moncton Lights for your convenience, here. - Holiday Baking – We love baking and this year is no exception. I try to keep the baking to something the kids can help with. Recipes for some of our favourites can be found below.
- Making Homemade Gifts – This year I focused on making for more homemade gifts. There are a few shared below.
- Crafting With The Kids-Taking some time to sit down and make things together. We can make ornaments, do science experiments, draw or just wing it with our craft box. The goal is to be creative and have fine away from electronics.
- Decorating The Tree – I love spending time as a family hanging ornaments on the tree. Unwrapping those little memories in each ornament every year. Sharing stories and reflecting.
- Skating Outdoors – We love skating on outdoor rinks, ponds, and wherever we can get some fresh air and skating in.
We have checked out many of these Outdoor Skating Venues In Greater Moncton already. We will be trying out more this year, weather permitting.
We love skating on outdoor rinks, ponds, and wherever we can get some fresh air and skating in.
We have checked out many of these Outdoor Skating Venues In Greater Moncton already. We will be trying out more this year, weather permitting.
For some inspiration on the items above, we have some recipes and resources below for your Family Bucketlist planning!
Holiday Baking
Each year we bake some sugar cookies to decorate as a family. This year I will be asking my 8 year old to help make and prep a few more goodies, like these Holiday Crinkle Cookies, Candy Cane Cookies and these three flavours of Log Cookies.
Making Homemade Gifts
I love baking, sewing, crafting and anything creative. This year we are going to make some of our tried and tested DIY gifts.
Layered cookie mixes, soup mixes and even hot chocolate mixes look great when packaged in Mason jars. You can find some recipes for Mason Jar Gifts here.
Gifts for pampering like Bath Bombs and Foot Soaks are also easy to make for those on your list who are in need of a little self-care.
Crafting With The Kids
We still enjoy crafting and creating with things from around the house. You can make ornaments, be creative with Salt Dough or Cinnamon Applesauce ornaments.
We love easy and quick crafts like these toilet paper trees or the pom pom pinecone trees we made one year. Both easy enough for younger children, but fun for all ages.
Decorating The Tree
Each year it is a tradition that I set up the tree, with lights, and then we all decorate together. We have a combination of handmade and purchased ornaments on our big tree.
We also have a smaller tree we decorated to remind us of the NB Beaches we had visited during the year. You can see that tree here.
Skating Outdoors
Outdoor Skating Venues In Greater Moncton
When making your plans for Winter family activities, you may also want to check out the Winter Weather Roadtrip Checklist we have prepared for your road tripping this season. If you enjoy taking photos and also have your phone on you most of the time, we also have some tips on how to protect your electronics in cold weather.
Do you take your dog with you on all your adventures? Here are tips for winter travel with your dog.