12 Days of Christmas

We are about halfway through our countdown until Christmas! About a month ago I found an idea of family advent activity calendar from an Instagram account called Simplifying Play. But that had me thinking of things that Chris and I could do as a couple without kids to make the countdown more romantic.

So here are 12 fun Christmas activities you can do for dates, or family activities alike:

Right now our Downtown Market is hosting a fun and festive event called Christkindl Markt. You can grab cocoa, and browse the little shops along a twinkle-lit path filled with cute knick-knacks and gift ideas: handmade soaps, art, jewelry and more!

There's also the World of Winter and Fred Meijer Gardens always has their Christmas Trees around the world display. Look and see what fun events your town is hosting this Holiday Season.

We love our Loki and one of the activities from Simplifying Play's advent calendar is to donate to your local pet rescue. We went online to West Michigan's Humane Society, to see what items were on their wishlist. Then we drove down to donate to the center. They do such great work keeping animals safe until they can be united with a well deserving family, that we felt such joy helping them out this year!

You could make a list of other local, non-profit, businesses that are helping the community and find out how they could use your help this season as well.

Cute coffee shops are everywhere, and they are a fun and unique date idea. Chris and I met at a coffee shop in December, so it's always a day date that we plan out our month. But this could be fun to do as a way to escape the busy Christmas hustle. Parents especially are so busy this time of year, it might be good to drop the kids off at grandma's or call the sitter over for an afternoon so the two of you can sit in the calm of a cozy coffee shop and breathe.

Snowman pancakes are a fun festive start to any weekend morning! Typically when we do a pancake breakfast, we never think to try any fun shapes. I'm adding this one to do as an annual tradition. It's so simple and it really makes you get into the Christmas mood. Add chocolate chips for the buttons or blueberries for the eyes and sprinkles for the nose (or you could even add a sliver of real carrot).

Start a puzzle together. I always try to at least do one Christmas themed picture puzzle every year but I never seem to finish them. I asked Chris if we could do this one together and he truly blazed right though it! It was fun to listen to music or pop on a Christmas movie while working on it together. I'm thinking we could probably squeeze in one more before Christmas Day.

The warmth of a fire on a chilly winter night, cuddled together under a blanket. I am much more of a "if it's cold, I'm inside" kind of girl so I wasn't sure how I'd handle a Christmas fire outside.... but I really liked it!

We did it on a night where there was no snow on the ground, out on our back patio. It was really nice to just be sitting in the quiet of the winter evening, no phones, just us together near the yuletide blaze. Again such a simple but romantic activity.

You could drink cocoa or roast marshmellows to add to the fun too.

Making a fort is not just for children. Chris and I have found ourselves fort building many times. It doesn't have to be a complicated structure, use whatever you have handy and then throw on a Christmas movie and add some battery operated twinkle lights for added ambiance. It's cozy and makes you feel young again.

Family Game Night can be with just the family you have under your roof, but Chris and I decided to get my sisters involved and invited them over to join the fun. We had snacks, drinks and shared so many belly laughs, my side still hurts.

Invite friends over or neighbors and have a good time together. It's a great way to escape that fast-paced holiday feeling.

Christmas Tree lightings are not just something you'll find in a Hallmark Christmas movie. You can search your local or even semi-local areas to find what kind of lighting ceremonies they will be putting on. It's so magical to be together with a community of people, ringing in the Holiday Season and then watching as the town literally lights up.

Ditch scrolling endlessly on your phones. We've been making a habit to read next to one another this year and it's been one of the most relaxing and calming experiences. There's no busy noise from a phone or television screen, just the two of you snuggled on the couch reading your current books. Adding in the twinkle lights from our tree made it feel even more magical.

Support those small and locally owned businesses this gift-giving season! There are so many fun and niche little shops and markets that have fun and meaningful gifts for everyone you need to shop for this Christmas. Candles, soaps, notebooks and books, mugs, jewelry, socks and clothing.

Christmas Eve gifts are a common tradition, whether you know exactly what is in that box every year (for me growing up, it was always the Christmas PJ's we wore) or if your family just picks one small gift to exchange the night before, maybe it's a bigger experience gift that the whole family get's to join in on. For us, it sets the tone of excitement for the following morning, and we love a good family tradition.

Make it simple, make it fun and make it merry! Hope you enjoy the rest of the days leading up to Christmas and remember to spread joy and be the light this season!