Now we are fully getting into December, I am thinking a lot about how I want to make the most of the next few weeks in the build up to Christmas. Especially as this Christmas is like no other. This is our first Christmas as a family of four and our first Christmas living abroad. Kinda a big deal, right? So, I thought I would put together a little list of the activities I want to do with Ava and Asaba this December.
Visit more Christmas markets
When you’re in Rome, right? Germany is renowned for its spectacular Christmas markets and I am desperate to explore more of them. We have already made good use of the market here in Bochum but I really want to see what the neighbouring towns and cities have to offer too. Especially as we are not far from some big players in the festive game like Dortmund, Cologne, and Dusseldorf (which are all within an hours drive!). On top of that, my absolute dream would be to visit the picturesque town of Monschau which I see pictures of absolutely everywhere. It looks so beautiful with all the timber fronted houses – like something out of a fairytale book! I can’t even imagine how incredible it would be with the addition of copious amounts of fairy lights and Christmas trees dotted around the place.
Create a new family tradition
One thing I want to do this year is start creating some family traditions. As a kid, I loved the tradition of setting up the Christmas tree at the start of December. We would put on Christmas music (on MTV – lol I’m showing my age now!) and the whole family would spend the evening building and decorating the tree together. It was such a lovely tradition and never failed to get me in the festive spirit. So, I want us to create some of our own family traditions. I am thinking putting on matching festive PJs, having a mint hot choc, and watching a Christmas film on Christmas Eve. Or doing a tour of the neighbour to see all of the decorations people have put up.
Capture every moment
You guys can probably already guess that no moment goes undocumented with me around (I mean, my camera roll is currently at an anxiety-inducing 5000 pictures – in the space of a year, no less!) but I really want to make sure that I get a lot of pictures on my camera rather than just on my phone – especially ones of Ava and Asaba together. I want to capture the real, unfiltered moments and not just have all of the staged ones I take for Instagram (I mean, they are cute pic though – you should really follow me *wink*). And I want to get more pictures of me with the children as I always seem to be the one behind the camera capturing everyone else.
Buy matching pyjamas
I mean, is there anything cuter than matching pyjamas? This will definitely be the year that I get everyone into matching outfits. Even Isaac.
Introduce Ava to all the classic Christmas films
The other day, I was watching YouTube videos with Ava and a flashback from my childhood appeared on the screen in front of us – the Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer film! I loved this film as a kid. It was a Christmas classic. And, of course, I had to subject Ava to it. Ok, she may not have appreciated it as much as I did – mostly because the characters weren’t a highly irritating family of pigs – but it was so nice to share something I loved as a kid with her. Now I know why my parents made us watch The Goonies, Jumanji, and The Neverending Story on repeat year-round. So, I want to show her more of the classics. Elf is top of the list.
Breathe and enjoy it
Bit of a different one to end on but my final bucket list goal is to just take it easy and enjoy myself. This is our first Christmas as a family of four and, naturally, the urge to try to cram as much as possible into the festive season is huge but I need to not put too much pressure on myself to have a perfect Christmas. I need to keep in mind that we don’t have to fill every minute of every day with activities – it is ok just to chill out and crack open the Quality Streets. I don’t think Ava will hate me for it, to be fair.
What does your Christmas bucket list look like?
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