Favorite Holiday Season Must-Do's

'Tis the season for tacky holiday sweaters, twinkling lights and chilly weather. Now that our sweet baby James is here, the holidays are about to get more exciting, especially in the coming years, which got me thinking about all of my favorite things to do around this time of year.   Below, I've shared a few of my ideas to get in the holiday spirit. Please feel free to leave a comment to with traditions or fun things you do to celebrate!

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- Take family photos and send out Christmas cards to loved ones
- Pick out and decorate a Christmas tree
- Create a playlist of your favorite holiday tunes
- Invest in some new quirky or festive holiday decorations

- Watch Elf, The Polar Express, and Home Alone (just a few of my favorites)
- Hang stockings (I adore needlepoint stockings and the ones I get for our family are by Sferra which I purchased from here)

- Go ice-skating
- Have a girls night out and go see a ballet (a favorite of mine is The Nutcracker)
- Drive around and look at Christmas lights and decorations...particularly in Christmas Town USA (it doesn't hurt if you bring along and sip on some homemade hot chocolate)
- Bake and decorate cookies

- Go to a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Visit a local Christmas Village (this one in Uptown Charlotte is my favorite)
- Go to Christmas at The Library and see the live nativity scene (another fun local event in Charlotte!)
- Do a random act of kindness (here are 35 different ideas)
- Spend a day in your favorite PJ's
- Find a fun way to display holiday cards
- Serve a meal at a local homeless shelter
- Write a letter to Santa
- Read the nativity story
- Donate a toy to a local toy drive
- Go to a Christmas Eve service
- Celebrate each day of December with an Advent calendar
-  Open one small gift on Christmas Eve