In our lovely Facebook group, we see many questions. This week we seen a question asked, and thought, “Hey! That’s a great question! Let’s keep track of all the wonderful answers and throw it in a post. That way, we can reference it with a bit more ease, year after year.” Of course with times changing, so do views and traditions, so please – keep adding to this wonderful list of suggestions in the comments!
What are some of your low or no-cost Christmas traditions? I’m looking to build some new memories with my children this holiday season.
Driving around and checking out the lights is a wonderful way to take in the night. Grab some hot chocolate, and some snacks, and make an evening out of it. There are some houses that raise money for charities, you can get out and walk around. It’s always nice to see what people can do when they work together. The red river exhibition park also has a lovely light display that you can drive through. Staying on the light subject, perhaps if you gather friends and family together, making a lovely light display for everyone to enjoy, can be just as fun, and give everyone fantastic holiday memories!
Skating on the river, at the Forks, or at your local outdoor rink is always a good time. I’m not to sure what indoor rink schedules look like, but that’s something to look at too! Having a lovely skating day/evening followed by hot chocolate create memories to last forever 🙂
Tobogganing is another fun outdoor activity to enjoy with the family and friends. There are many hills around the city, as well as toboggan slides that you can find around the city in the parks (Whittier Park, St.Vital Park etc) unplug and plug yourself into the real world and love it 🙂
The open house of the legislative building. Taking a tour and learning a bit about the provinces’ wonderful history looking at beautiful architecture and art.
Elf on the Shelf, is a fun little character that comes out around the Holiday Season, stays for a while to spy on the family (get into trouble) and then reports back to Santa Claus to inform him if you’ve been naughty or nice. If you Google or Pinterest Elf on the Shelf, you can get some pretty neat ideas! You can find him at Chapters/Indigo, Target, even online at Amazon.
Moving on a little more, people have their traditional meals! Some do a nice huge fondue meal, and others do a pot-luck get together! A gathering of family and friends, with great food always makes for a home filled with laughter and love!
Another great option is Christmas bake exchange! Who wants to bake many different cookies, when you can just bake a few, and then go to a cookie exchange, and come home with many varieties! This works well when you carefully invite and pair up with other good bakers.
More traditions that were mentioned were Christmas story advent count-down, a simple advent calendar, a little yearly ornament you put on your tree every Christmas eve, so you can make your Christmas wish. Sit together at the kitchen table, or your crafting area, and make some holiday cards as a family together. I love it when I receive homemade cards. While you are crafting, another fun one is popcorn garland, and even salt-dough ornaments to paint up!
Visiting a Church to see what they are doing that evening is always wonderful. The Sermons they have to offer differ from church to church, but in the end, it’s all meaningful.
The Santa Parade is always fun to do with the family, dress warm, get some hot chocolate, tea, coffee, chairs and you’re set.
In the morning, a scavenger hunt is a fun and exciting way to start the day.
Going shopping together for new toys for the toy drive, it’s lovely to help those who are less fortunate than yourself. Some people donate time, warm clothes, hygiene products etc to soup kitchens, spreading more love.
Gift exchanging doesn’t need to be expensive or a chore. If you have a large family, everyone can just draw one name, and purchase for that person, give yourself a budget, and if you want to get creative, do handmade (by you) only, or even thrift store gold theme! Again sticking to the theme, instead of drawing names, you can just throw the gifts all in the middle and open / steal. Make a game out of it. Remember, it’s not about the material items, it’s all about the time spent together.
Heading out and Cutting down your own tree can always be a fun adventure, even heading to a local greenhouse or store, purchasing one together is fun. We always have a tendency to play around outside twirling around the trees, and checking everything out. Charlie brown trees are a great way to save on money too.
This last thing I’m going to mention, is absolutely free, just requires a bit of time, but heading out and caroling, and singing around the home, together. The sound of music and song brings everyone together, and can brighten anyone’s day!
As you can see, there are many things people do to create memories during the holiday season, I look forward to hearing about more of your holiday traditions and low-cost/no-cost ideas!
Keep your eyes peeled on this Winnipeg Blog for more ideas, deals and giveaways.