‘Tis the season for festivities! What better way to celebrate than participating in fun-filled holiday activities and going to cheerful, holiday-themed places with friends and family? Absolutely nothing. The holiday season is hands-down my favorite time of the year but not because of the presents, in fact, it’s the holiday spirit and all of the fun events that are planned, that gets me excited. Holiday music is playing on the radio, the Hallmark movies are running on the television, and Christmas lights are being strung up everywhere. Life doesn’t get better than this, you’re out of your mind if you think otherwise. Now, you could argue that everything gets hectic and overwhelming, but you must take a break and focus on yourself. While holiday events are going on, there is no problem with you staying in the comfort of your own home and relaxing. There is always something for everyone. Now, get your friends and family together because here are 6 festive ways to celebrate the holiday season.
(Photo Credit from Peddler’s Village Facebook)
1. Christmas in Peddler’s Village
Peddler’s Village, located in Bucks County, will be holding its annual Christmas celebration starting on November 8th, 2019 until January 4th, 2020. Here, you will be able to see one million lights illuminating the village, a gingerbread house display, Santa, and over 60 specialty shops that are impeccable for any of your holiday shopping needs. From my own experience, this most definitely is not something you want to miss. The Christmas lights are stunning and make the already beautiful village, even more gorgeous. For years, my family and I would go to Peddler’s Village to look at all of the lights while sipping hot chocolate in the frigid weather. It’s a prime opportunity to meet up friends and/or family to stroll through the scenery together and to check out the phenomenal gingerbread houses that were entered into this year’s competition. Bundle up with your warmest gear and head on over today!
2. Decorate Gingerbread Houses
Maybe you visited Peddler’s Village gingerbread house display and found inspiration to create a structure of your own or maybe you were scrolling through Pinterest and one caught your eye – either way, you can never go wrong with decorating gingerbread houses. It’s a fun activity to engage with no matter your age. Some people bake their own gingerbread for this, applauds to you, but me, I usually buy a kit. I find it easier and more time-efficient because I don’t have the time to make my own dough, roll it, cut it, and bake it. You can find affordable gingerbread kits at Walmart, Target, Michaels, any grocery stores, or even on Amazon. These are great to build and decorate with friends, family, or even yourself. You can be as creative as you want with your designs and themes, so go wild. The best part is being able to look at your masterpiece once it’s done but also sneaking pieces of candy off of it each day.
3. Watch Holiday Movies
Holiday movies? Count me in. If you thought I was going to pass up the chance to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Story, Elf, or The Polar Express… you thought wrong. I will be cozied up on the couch under a fuzzy blanket and wearing my favorite pajamas, in a heartbeat. Watching Christmas movies with my family has always been one of my favorite things to do during the holidays because it’s something we can all enjoy the comfort of our own house. It’s laid back and we get a bunch of laughs out of it. However, it’s also a ton of fun to have a movie night with your best friends where you get to binge-watch all of your favorite Christmas films. Pop some popcorn, get all snuggled up, and spend the next few hours watching your favorite festive movies.
4. Cookie Exchange
Holiday parties are very popular and one of my favorite types would have to be cookie exchanges. I think this concept is creative and allows for a different type of gathering that we’re all used to. If you aren’t familiar with what a cookie exchange is, it’s when participants bake cookies and gather with each other to exchange them equally between everyone. To have a successful cookie exchange, participants have to follow 4 rules. First, everyone has to pick different cookie types and it’s important to make sure there are no duplicates. Second, you have to plan a cookie amount. Typically, a good amount of cookies to bake per person would be around 7 to 8 dozen. It may seem high, but there have to be enough cookies for guests to fill up their boxes. Third, provide the recipe you used to bake your cookies because people may love them so much, that they want to go home and recreate them. Last but not least, fourth, trade your cookies. This type of gathering is a lot of fun for those that have a passion to bake or for those that love sweets. You should plan a cookie exchange party this holiday season with your best friends… cookies and friends, it’s a win-win!
5. Secret Santa
For some, Christmas means presents. That’s all they care about and that’s all they want. I see the holidays as showing appreciation to my loved ones and enjoying the opportunity to purchase something meaningful or useful to them. I get way more excited when I’m giving someone a gift rather than receiving. If you’re like me and spend a lot of time carefully choosing gifts for those closest to you that’ll mean something to them, then a Secret Santa is perfect for you. This is where you get a group of people, friends, family, etc. together. Everyone’s name is put into a hat, mixed up, then everyone picks one name out of the hat. You don’t reveal whose name you picked, hence the “secret” part of Secret Santa. You have to scout out the perfect gift for the person you picked. When everyone gets together, you reveal who you had and give the corresponding person their gift. The mystery aspect is what makes this holiday activity interesting and fun, no one knows who you’re buying for, you don’t know who is shopping for you, the suspense keeps you on your toes.
6. Holiday Light Show at Shady Brook
Shady Brook Farm, located in Yardley, lights up a two-mile farmland trail with 3 million twinkling lights to create a Holiday Light Show. As stated on their website, “Encounter whimsical displays and familiar characters as you drive through in the comfort of your own car or enjoy the show on an open-air wagon ride (weather permitting)”. The whole trail takes about 20 minutes to drive through, but depending on traffic, you can go as fast or as slow as you would like. Heading to Shady Brook Farm for their holiday light show has been a staple in my childhood. My family would pile into one car, getting all nice and cozy, roll down the windows, and watch the vivid lights in awe. The displays are mesmerizing but really fun at the same time. It has provided me and my family with countless memories and it’s still something we look forward to doing each year. This year, the Holiday Light Show will be up and running from November 23rd to January 5th, so don’t wait, drive through the illuminating light world today.
Make this holiday season the best one yet. There are countless ways that you can celebrate the holiday season, but these are just a few of my all-time favorites. I promise you that none of these ideas will disappoint you, you’ll be making plans to revisit or to participate in these activities next year, immediately. The holiday season is a time to spend time with friends and family and make memories, but most of all, it’s a time to be merry. Do what sounds fun to you and what you know will make you happy, everyone deserves to have some fun and adore what they’re doing. Next time you think about how excited you are to get presents this Christmas, remember that gifts aren’t the most important aspect of this time of the year – it’s making memories with friends and family.