Festive Christmas Ideas!

Growing up my mom made Christmas really neat. We had traditions and then some new things each year. My husband and I now do some of the traditions but have added our own as well. I look forward to this season every year. We have made the holiday season really fun and special. Here are a few of our favorite things! 

Make Candies: There are so many of our favorite treats to make at Christmas time. My mom makes homemade tootsie rolls, Bavarian mints and Christmas crack. We made homemade turtles one year and we sometimes do homemade suckers too. It's just a good way to spend time together with people and to have a sweet treat that comes from it!  

Go See a Christmas Concert: My parents got me tickets for David Archuleta's Christmas concert for my Birthday. My husband wasn’t too excited to go but he ended up singing the songs on our drive home so I think he liked it! They did a mix of his Christmas music along with some of his hit songs. It was such a neat concert. I hear such good things about the holiday concerts here in Utah, any of them would be so fun!  

Capitol Theatre Nutcracker: One year for my grandmas Christmas present my mom took all of us girls to the Nutcracker at the Capitol Theatre in Downtown Salt Lake. It was such a fun memory. We dressed up all fancy and went to Olive Garden down the street from there and then walked over to the show. The Ballet was beautiful and overall a great experience. I've been a few times to Capitol Theatre and anywhere you sit is great seating and they do a great job at their performances.  

Make a Countdown: Growing up we would make a candy countdown to Christmas every year. For one of our date nights last Christmas season my husband and I made a candy countdown. I had forgotten how much fun it is! We added a note to each others countdown for everyday which made it super special. I would recommend doing that! I do the 12 days of Christmas countdown for my husband each year too! (See my 12 Dates of Christmas blog idea!) 

Christmas Story Street: There is a neighborhood in Taylorsville, Utah that decorate the whole street for Christmas. The main feature is each house has an oversized story book with the words of the Christmas story on them. My family would go on a drive through the neighborhood growing up. There is always a line of cars but it does move along quickly. Such a fun street to visit. Any Christmas lights would be fun to drive by too!

Christmas Lights at Temple Square: This one is a bittersweet activity! It is gorgeous on the temple grounds with so many lights but it does get chilly. I have fallen in love with the hot chocolate at The Nauvoo Cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We just do a quick loop around the grounds but it is always so worth going. Also, if you park at City Creek make sure to see the candy ornaments that hang in the windows at Macy's.  

Black Friday: My parents went black Friday shopping every year, once I got into high school, they started letting me go with them! We would shop and then grab breakfast super early in the morning.  Now a days my husband and I have picked up on the tradition. We go to Fashion Place mall every Black Friday morning and shop for each other and our Christmas list for people. We get a picture in front of the Christmas tree every time. Make sure to get up Thanksgiving morning and go grab a paper to see the ads so you are prepared to shop! We go grab a hot chocolate and a paper which is one of my favorites things we do! 

Gingerbread Cookies: I decided to try out a gingerbread cookie recipe last Christmas and it ended up making so much dough, I was able to take it to my parents for a Christmas eve activity. The little ones loved it and it kept them busy for a bit. The cookies were so cute and it really was a good recipe. Here's a link to the recipe I used: https://thisishowwebingham.com/gingerbread-cookies/

Decorating the House: We love getting the Christmas tree out. My goal is to buy a new decoration every year so eventually we will have a winter wonderland in our home. We have only been married for a few years so we have a long way to go. My favorite thing my mom did was make us ornaments every year so now I create a printed picture ornament for my husband and I!  

See's Candies: One of my favorite traditions my husband and I started doing is going to See's Candies every December for a handpicked box of chocolates. It just feels like Christmas when we step inside the store and it really is so yummy. They give you a free sample which has allowed us to try ones we normally wouldn't try. I love their caramels and the cream filled ones. Greg gets there pecan buds and the truffles. 

Gingerbread House: We have done a few gingerbread houses over the years. Now a days they have so many awesome kits to choose from which makes it so much more fun. A family on my mission had a tradition where they had a homemade gingerbread house competition. We all sat around the table decorating and talking about Christmas. It really was so much fun! It's a great activity to keep the littles busy and a great way to spend time with them.

Holiday Treat Run: I love treats and holiday treats are even more fun! We really enjoy Starbucks hot or cold drinks. I usually go for the toasted white chocolate frappuccino or the peppermint hot chocolate. Trader Joe's has some super cute holiday treats like gingerbread sandwich cookies, peppermint chocolate stars, peppermint Joe Joe's and so many more treats! Chick-Fil-A has my favorite peppermint milkshake ever! It is crunchy and just the right amount of peppermint. Bakeries have festive treats and I'm sure there are tons of other places to grab treats too!

Luminary Lights: At Valley View Memorial Park cemetery in West Valley, they do a holiday luminary event every year. They have little white paper sacks with candles in them throughout the whole cemetery. You drive through it at night and it is just the neatest feeling. They use to have a Winder Dairy country store right next to it where we would go get scones but they have closed now. You could totally make your own scones at home though!  

Holiday Crafts: This year my mom, sister and I made garlands and some ornaments for a girls night out. It was fun and the crafts were super easy. They turned out adorable. For the garland you just take felt and cut them into circles, any size will do and then sew them together with a straight line, we put jute on the ends to help them hang but you don't have to add that. The ornaments are plastic round ornaments with paper from a book cut into strips, you roll the paper into a tight curl around a pencil and put into the ornament, finish it off by hot gluing a bow in the front. 

What are your favorite Festive Christmas ideas?