December ADVENTures - in Movies!

Ho Ho Ho!  Christmas will be here before you know it and so instead of being a Grinch, embrace the season and all its fun by making tons of memories with your kiddos!  

How do you plan a fun adventure under all this holiday stress?  Simple... do what I do... plan for it!  Oh, and I should note that it really needs to be planned THIS WEEK!  This will help your stress level stay LOW and your spirits SOARING!

Get yourself a blank December calendar... like can be found here.  Plug in all the dates that you already have commitments for... such as if you have an annual family dinner every Friday before Christmas, by all means plug that in first so that you can plan a lighter and easier activity for that day.  Also, if you have children in sports -- I believe this is basketball season -- get those games plugged in as well.  


Find your local activities and jot down those dates.  Things you're looking for are... tree lightings, Christmas caroling, shows, live shows, movie releases, etc.  Here in North Texas, we have a city (Grapevine) that has declared itself "the" Christmas Capitol of Texas and they have lots of activities there.  You also want to note any parades, or truly special events you don't want to miss. There are always things to do.  Trust me!  Now, knowing what you have to work around... it's easier to plan your days out for the weeks ahead.  

Each day you will PLAN  to view a movie, complete an activity together, read a book, focus on a letter of the alphabet (for those with little ones like me), and address part of the 12 days of Christmas as it parallels to the Bible.  The important thing here is to PLAN.  You can always deviate from the plan but at least HAVE a plan. 

How in the world will I find all that nonsense?  No worries, I've got it all here for you! 

So, first things first -- MOVIES!

Obviously, you'll need a list of movies to watch.  I have a Christmas movie collection that is awesome because... well, I love Christmas movies!  However, if you don't, have no fear!  Set your DVR to record them and you're ready to go!  Don't have a DVR?  Borrow the movies from the library, your friends, family or, hey -- go start your own collection now!  And, if all else fails, visit this site and download the schedule for ABC's Family 25 Days of Christmas that they showcase the classics every year!  

So, what movies do we watch?  When should we schedule them?  That's entirely up to you.  I have a tradition in my home, however, that we watch certain shows on certain days.  But, I'm ridiculously anal like that.  For instance, Christmas Eve -- every year we watch The Polar Express and we READ Twas the Night Before Christmas.  

And, since we're talking about movies today -- here is the list of movies to add to your rotation and/or collection!  Our Christmas movies that have made the cut:














but there are ALWAYS others you may want to add to your list.... such as...

 Jack Frost which we don't watch because it's sad about the boy's dad being dead...
 I don't really like this one... it just wasn't happy enough to make my cut.
  We own this one but it kind of freaked out the boys and scared Drew a little so until he's a little older, it's not making the cut.

 This one looks adorable but I've never seen it!  I think that may change this year!

 Personally, I do watch this one -- usually by myself -- because it's just AWESOME!

... and OBVIOUSLY this isn't intended for children so it's definitely not on the list.  

Tomorrow, we will address our favorite Christmas books.  I think the magic of Christmas is completely kept alive in the words we read that fill our hearts.... and minds before bedtime.

Getting in the spirit!  Yes, I am!