As Ryan and I drove back to Ocala after a lovely Thanksgiving with my in-laws, we started talking about our holiday plans. December is here and this year is absolutely flying by!
Christmas is right around the corner and Ryan and I are determined to have a fun and festive holiday season! On our drive home, I told Ryan about Tina’s 24 Days of Togetherness idea where Tina and her husband do a new holiday-related activity together every day until Christmas. While we both absolutely love this idea, we won’t be together for 24 straight days this December due to some work travel on Ryan’s agenda, but we still wanted to make a to-do list of sorts so we can be sure to squeeze in everything we’re dying to do this December!
We started brainstorming our December holiday “must dos” and came up with the following list:
Lots of fun stuff!
And just in case baking cookies is on your holiday “must do” list, here are a few mouth watering recipes that are either a personal favorite of mine or a recipe I recently saw online that I hope to make:
- Mimi’s Sugar Cookies (<—A family favorite!)
- Chocolate Crinkle Cake Mix Cookies (<— So easy!)
Question of the Afternoon
- What activities are on your holiday “must do” list?
- What are your favorite cookies to make (or eat!) during the holiday season?
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We don’t tend to eat so many cookies here in Australia over Christmas we more have mince pies which are mini pies with dried fruit mince in them, so good.
I now want Nick and I to make our own holiday to do list as both yours and Tina’s sound great! There are local Christmas lights we would go see for sure.
I also loved Tina’s idea of 24 Days of Togetherness, but making a December bucket list like this is also an awesome idea! I would totally love to make some Christmas cookies with my little cousins this year if I have the chance (I won’t be at my own home this Christmas, so I’m not sure I could get the cooking space/ingredients). Christmas light strolls are also something my family loves to do!
Love the list! We always walk through the city lights!
Since I just moved to Iceland and my Christmas decorations didn’t make the cut for my 3 bag limit, I foresee many evenings filled with Christmas crafting! Next week I have to make a different cookie for every day of the week to bring into work, I love the melting snowman cookie, at least I have a cookie idea for one day:) Thanks for the great ideas, love yours and Ryan’s list, so thoughtful and fun!
I definitely want to add many of these items to my husband and I’s must do list this holiday season!
absolutely love this idea!! and love how not all of them required you to spend money and love how many of them were aimed at helping others in need!!!
I love your list of December must dos! My husband and I just got married and I would love to do something like this together 🙂
That’s such a great idea. I’m loving the melting snowman cookie. That’s adorable! I have lots of baking to do this month and I’m looking forward to my lady finger cookies, covered in powder sugar. Yummm
These are such great ideas for you and Ryan to do! This will be my first Christmas as a married lady and also my first christmas not waking up at my parents house so my husband and I are trying to think of some fun ways to celebrate! We will definitely be stealing some of yours! I especially love all the ideas that give back to someone in need.
Gotta make Russian Tea Cakes and I LOVE your list, Julie.
We decorated sugar cookies last night. Walking Dead rubbed off on my 13yr old. She made zombie gingerbread men. Oi!
Speaking of melting, I think those snowman cookies just melted me with their cuteness!
I love a good seasonal bucket list!
Ours looks pretty similar to yours — baking, holiday drinks, Christmas lights — all the standards 🙂
My kids and I had so much fun decorating a gingerbread house last year, it’s definitely on the list for this year too. Snickerdoodles are a must make, for me, during the holidays!
snickerdoodles are way too delicious! 🙂
I am so excited to watch hours and hours of 25 Days of Christmas. And to snuggle up with some fuzzy socks. I love this season and I love spending it with such special friends and family members. 🙂
These treats look soooo good!
I love this idea! Yesterday I had Ghiradelli hot cocoa, so I nailed day 1 ha ha! 😉 my favorite cookies to make at the holidays are the sugar cookie cut outs with homemade buttercream that are a family tradition! We also always make fudge, as well as a peanut butter pinwheel recipe from my grandma! Not exactly cookies, but still delicious treats! 🙂
Definitely decorate the house while watching a Christmas movie and sipping hot chocolate. I love the cozy atmosphere of the season! I don’t bake many holiday cookies, but I do like the red & green M&M cookies!
My mom and I used to always sponsor an Angel Tree, and shop for a couple kids 🙂 It makes the holidays feel so special!
Love your list! I want to do something like that with my kids.
I like the idea of sending a package to our troops. My husband is in the military and when he was deployed during Christmas last year, he said going through the packages that people would send was the best! Just FYI-they love Xmas lights to decorate their area, snacks, candy, sheets for their “beds” etc.
awesome ideas! thank you for sharing, lili!
My boyfriend served in Iraq for a year. He used to carve pumpkins out of cardboard boxes for Halloween. So, I agree anything to help them get through the holidays. Love the Christmas lights idea. : )
Watch a holiday movie? How about several? I’ve already watched “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” Next on my list: The Santa Clause, White Christmas, Elf, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, and many more! 🙂 I’m also all for making cookies – my fave are probably peanut butter cookies with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups in the middle. I hope to see some Christmas lights as well. All good things on that list!
I’m so going to make some of those cookies!!
All those recipes look fantastic! We usually make tons and tons of different cookies, but my favorites are always thin mint knockoffs. They’re some sort of chocolate cookie that you melt an Andes mint on top right as they come out of the oven and it tastes just like a thin mint, but with a chewy texture instead of crispy! I can’t think of the ingredients and it’s my aunt’s recipe so I can’t even give you a link! LOL
sounds delicious!!!!!
Found the recipe on my computer at home! Here you go!
¾ c. butter
2 tbls. water
12 oz. pkg chocolate chips
1 ½ c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Approx. 1lb. Andes mints
Heat butter, sugar and water over low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and stir until fully melted. Pour into large mixing bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add dry ingredients until just blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll teaspoonfuls for dough into balls and place 2” apart. Bake 12-13 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately place 1 mint on each hot cookie. Let soften, then swirl over cookie to frost. Cool completely. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
Oh my, I loved the batch of Mimi’s sugar cookies I made last year and will be doing a repeat this holiday season. So delicious!!!
My daughter and I always did the Gingerbread Houses show, Festival of the Trees, The Mannheim Steamroller concert, and The Nutcracker. There are other festivities but those are the four standards. Every year. She’s 26 and still wants to do them with me every year.
I love the variety in your holiday list! I love watching Christmas movies while decorating and wrapping presents. My husband and I also have a tradition of throwing on our cross country skis or snowshoes and heading out into the forest to cut down our Christmas tree. 🙂 We usually get a large tree and a Charlie Brown tree for the bedroom.
LOVE this! I need to see if Christian is up for doing something like this. Thanks Julie!
Awesome list! I am going to copy you for sure! My hands down favorite holiday cookies are peppermint bark sugar cookies. I get excited just thinking about them!
Those melting snowman cookies are adoooooorable!!
I want to go drive around & look at lights too (or walk once we get there). And def drinking some to cocoa this season!
I love going to my home town’s Christmas parade. It always makes me feel like Christmas is here!
Ummm….you guys are the cutest! I love knowing you Julie 🙂
I love your list, I think I need to make one with my husband! I love driving around and looking at Christmas lights. I also love going to Grand Illuminations, which is the Williamsburg holiday celebration with fireworks and all kinds of fun stuff!
I love this idea! I too wouldn’t be able to do something with my husband every night until Christmas, but maybe I can make a mini list like you did.
My must-have Christmas cookies are actually yours! The peppermint chocolate pudding cookies are my go-to cookies to make when I put up the tree 🙂 love them! That and PB blossoms!
Such a cute idea! With a new baby, it’s hard to plan many activities these days. But I’d love to try and do a few holiday things together as a family!
LOVE this idea! We made our own list 🙂
Love that you guys have a December bucket-list. That is a must as there are SO many fun holiday activities. I’m also going to try to do something nice for someone everyday as it approaches Christmas. (Hold the door, or donate money to a charity/or cause that I don’t normally, give a generous tip, etc.) Although we should do this all the time, it is nice to help others out during the holiday season.
Going to Grove Park Inn to see the national gingerbread house competition, and visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.
My boyfriend’s mom and sister make the most AMAZING rum balls. You just have to be careful when you eat them (and to not give them to small children) because a few will make you feel tipsy. Yes, there’s that much rum in them. So delicious though, I must get that recipe….
Those melting snowmen are adorable! I definitely want to make them this holiday season! Love your list, especially all of the work for the needy and for our troops!
xoxo,
Brie
leancleanandbrie.blogspot.com
omg those cookies look unbelievable
There are a bunch of Christmas festivals and parades in my area. I’m hoping to make it to at least one. I’m most looking forward to the night parade with horse drawn carriages all lit up!
I need some tree decorating, some holiday sweaters, and some hot cocoa with family to make it complete!
Those Melting Snowmen are adorable. ha! I never make any cute food. In fact, I don’t really bake at all – HOWEVER, a fellow blogger made a GIGI-SPECIFIC cookie recipe! I cannot eat a lot of things so it’s VERY HARD to find a recipe that actually works for me, but this one DOES and I am so pumped to make it! I am even going to film it for my show! 😀 This is the # 1 thing on my December LIST!
The melted snowman cookies look so cute!! I must make these 🙂
Oh I love this! What a fun list!!! 🙂 My sister and I are getting together on Saturday night to bake some Christmas cookies and I have had my eye on those melting snowmen…so adorable!
were doing the 24 days of togetherness, its so fun!
My to do list includes baking cookies, cakes and trying new holidays recipes, as well as atending a couple of family events and enjoy the outdoor lights of other homes 😀 There are a couple more and I’m looking forward to all of them!
These cookies look delicious! My family just had our first annual Mother/Daughter cookie bake this past Saturday. Would have been great to try some of these recipes, especially the snowman melt and the candy cane drops.
We’re doing 24 days of things similar to this as well! I love your idea to send a care package to our troops though. I might have to squeeze that in as well!
What a great idea! My fiance and I will definitely go for a walk to see the Christmas lights in our small town. Also- have to see the Santa Claus parade, go hot tubbing and jump in the snow in our bathing suits, try eggnog (I’ve never had it in my life!), and we will definitely make some yummy cookies. My absolute favourite are buckeyes and Hello Dollies (NO coconut though!!)