Winter Bucket List, 2020

Hi friends! How are you keeping? I know it’s a little early, but I’m mentally preparing myself for all things Christmas and the holidays. This is my absolute favourite time of year, and I don’t want to overlook anything. Seeing as our Summer Bucket List went so well, I thought we could do a festive holiday version! My first ever Winter Bucket List! How fun!

Normally, my holiday bucket list would most certainly have included my favourite December activity: a trip abroad to a European Christmas market. My trips to some of the Christmas markets are recounted here, here and here, but sadly going abroad just isn’t feasible this year. Instead, I’m determined to make the most of the little magical things that make this season so good.

winter bucket list, 2020

❆ listen to christmas carols while decorating the house

This is an absolute must. Every year, right before we drag the boxes of decorations and the tree downstairs, we go on YouTube & search for a Christmas playlist. We always look for one filled with classics, and it’s always so wonderful! Oh, and yes: we have a fake tree, and no, I’m not sorry about it.

❆ watch christmas films

Another total must! My favourite ever Christmas film is It’s a Wonderful Life, but I also have a very sweet spot for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Now that I’m unemployed, I hope to fit a lot more into my schedule. To name a few: The Santa Claus 1-3 / The Holiday / Elf / Home Alone / The Grinch / Miracle on 34th Street… but I’m open to anything that happens to be showing on Christmas24 also.

❆ make holiday cookie boxes

I’ve wanted to make a cookie box for so long that it would be blasphemous not to include it on my Winter Bucket List. I have literally been planning my cookie boxes for months now, and I’m so happy the time for gifting them is nearly upon us. I’ll be sharing a whole post about all things cookie boxes in a few short weeks – I can hardly wait!

❆ up my homemade gifting game

Homemade gifts are not only more thoughtful, but they’re more cost-efficient! If you’re looking for some homemade gift ideas, check out the Gifting 101 section of the blog. Upping my homemade gifting game also means adding extra sparkle to my wrapping. It’s all about being more thoughtful!

❆ mull all the wine

Would it even be Christmastime without mulled wine? I think not. Added bonus: mulling wine makes the house smell ahhh-mazing.

❆ read a christmas carol

I’ve been meaning to read this for the longest time! I actually found a great secondhand copy of A Christmas Carol a few years back, so I’ve really no excuse.

❆ holiday baking!

Holiday baking is my favourite kind of baking. They don’t have to be bakes laden with cinnamon or nutmeg, just bakes that make you feel festive and comforted. Baking up a Kladdkaka has become a Christmas tradition in our house, and just thinking about it puts me in the Christmas spirit. Other highly recommended holiday bakes: Cinnamon & Cardamom Knots and Pear Spice Cake!

❆ have a big ole cup of hot chocolate

Boyfriend doesn’t like to brag about it – but he makes a mean hot chocolate. I’m talking melted chocolate stirred into steaming milk until lusciously smooth, and then topped with a dollop of lightly whipped cream. Dare we buy matching Christmas mugs to make the hot chocolate experience complete? Watch this space.

❆ make a wreath

Yes, you read that correctly. Our front door is both ugly to look at and not facing the street, so we’ve never bothered with a wreath before. I have hopes and dreams of making my own out of tree cutoffs so we get that Christmas smell, but we’ll see how I do. This one is beautiful, but perhaps my skills aren’t quite there yet. This video on YouTube is very helpful, and makes me believe that I actually might be able to make a holiday wreath. Pray for me!

❆ soak up the little things

This will probably be the first and last Christmas where I find myself unemployed with oodles of time on my hands – and I’m going to make the most of it. This is a rare treat, I know, and I’m definitely not taking it for granted. I’ll be soaking up every single second – gift wrapping, Christmas music, twinkling lights, spending time with loved ones, everything. I love the holidays!

There we have it: my first ever Winter Bucket List! Do we have any of the same bucket list items, or do you have any ideas that I’m missing out on? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear!

Have a good one, friends!

Hugs,

Vicki xo.