December is my favorite blogging month because I get to talk about Christmas however much I want! Just like children, we adults need to have plenty of fun during the holidays; and what better way to do that than to plan fun activities? When we are children, we are at the mercy of our caretakers. “Mom, please take us to see Santa!” “Dad, please go sledding with us!” “Grandma, please can I go out and play with my friends?!” But, as adults, if we do not plan fun, then work, responsibilities, or sheer laziness will take over and the Christmas season will pass in a flash!
Shopping, cooking, wrapping, decorating, and social events (read: expectations) keep us on our toes this time of year. Sometimes we have to stop and yell, “No! You are not taking my entire holiday. I will enjoy this time of year!”
This Friday Christmas fun recommendation is baking… and lots of it! You can bake as a relaxing weekend activity for you. You can make it a social event and bake with friends, children, or your sweetie. Each year I think, “I should make a Christmas treat for my neighbors!” but, each year, the season gets away from me and alas, no baked goods are given or exchanged. Maybe this year I can break my bad habit of good intentions!
Need some Christmas baking ideas? Here you go!
- Bake Cookies – Cookies are a Christmas classic! You can enter a Christmas cookie challenge, bake for your family, or brighten up your neighbors’ seasons!
- Make Gingerbread Houses – Every year, I say I am going to do this! Eric, do not let me out of it this year! Eric even bought me a kit – and I need to build it! If you are feeling particularly zealous, build a gingerbread village! When I was little, I remember making a house with graham crackers, icing, and candy. No wonder I remember it so fondly – consuming such ingredients is a child’s dream come true! Get some children together and make some adorable, edible homes. ~smile~
- Bake Christmas Tree Ornaments – We do not have to eat everything we bake. We can create and bake Christmas Tree Ornaments – and they are easy! After they harden, you can paint the ornaments, wrap them, and use them as gifts! Making homemade Christmas ornaments is another great activity to share if you have children in your life!
- Create Christmas-Shaped Treats – Christmas tree brownies, strawberry Santas, and ornament-shaped Rice Krispy treats are all tasty ideas! I just saw a picture of a chimney cupcake with Santa’s feet sticking out of it – super cute! If you create something extra adorable, you are required by law to post it on Facebook or Pinterest – preferably both. ~smile~
- Pull Out Grandma’s Old Recipes – When the holidays come around, we want to taste them! So many of our Christmas memories are food memories! What treat did Grandma, Aunt Louise, or Cousin Bob make for every holiday? Find those recipes and recreate the magic. It will be a trip back in time and a tribute to your loved ones.
What are your ideas? What tasty or aesthetically pleasing goodies will you prepare? In addition to completing my first annual gingerbread house, I need to find my cookie cutters and bake some edible treats for the neighbors and some inedible treats to hang on our Christmas tree!
Merry Christmas and happy baking!
Do you have a special treat you make at Christmastime?
Robin Hackler says
I made cookie ornaments with lots of cinnamon before, and they smell fantastic! We always have a few family recipies that we make. We do monkey bread, sausage balls, and apple cake. It’s always fun.