A Joy Filled Home

By Nicole VanGelder

Christmas Movie Favorites

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Movies add a lot of Christmas cheer around our home. Some we gather everyone together to watch (sometimes with a special treat), others we simply play in the background as we cook, etc. Either way, they feel like familiar friends we see around Christmas & the Holidays just don’t  seem complete without them. Here’s our list (with our favorites in bold):

For younger kids:

Once  Upon a Christmas (Mickey Mouse)

Twice Upon a Christmas (Mickey Mouse)

The Toy That Saved Christmas

The Star of Christmas

Merry Larry & the True Light of Christmas

Saint Nicholas – A Story of Joyful Giving

Family Movies:

Charlie Brown Christmas

The Grinch (full length animated)

Klaus

Arthur Christmas

The Muppets Christmas Carol

The Santa Clause

Elf

Classics:

Shop around the Corner

Christmas in Connecticut

White Christmas

Miracle on 31st Street

A Christmas Story

The Original Grinch

Rudolph

Frosty the Snowman

Other:

Phineas & Ferb Christmas

Noel

The Santa Clause 2 & 3

The Prep & Landing Movies

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

*Polar Express: We watch this every year as a family. We have tickets for everyone to “get on the train”, we serve hot chocolate when they have it, and it’s a lot of fun. However, we also skip one or two parts that are a bit scary & not necessary for the overall plot.

The time after Christmas & before school starts again is also a great time to watch The Sound of Music. Plus, the Anne of Green Gables movies are a must for some of our family on or around New Year’s Eve while we do a puzzle, have fun snacks, etc.

12 Days of Christmas Family Fun – Secret Santa

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One of our family traditions during Christmas is that our kids do a “Secret Santa” with each other. We put each child’s name in a hat & they take turns drawing names.

The rules:

  1. They can’t tell anyone who they have, except mom & dad. (We keep a master list in case anyone forgets, too.)
  2. There is a minimum amount they must spend. Mom & Dad contribute to this, too. (The amount depends on age, as the younger kids don’t have jobs or the same ability to make money.) We don’t set a maximum amount, however. 
  3. You can also buy gifts for other siblings, if you want. Some years a child or two will buy a small gift for everyone, some kids make things. It depends on the year. There is no pressure to do this, but we also don’t limit their generosity either! Some kids LOVE giving gifts & it is important to them to do so. Other times a child will want to give a gift related to a special moment or connection they have with a sibling, even though that sibling is not their “Secret Santa”. We are okay with this. Our concern is that all in our home are treated very well, so we are not concerned with being “fair”.
  4. Even our youngest children participate (though mom & dad do most of the work when they are quite young).

We also create a list together of gift ideas with a reasonable price range & then we find a day (or two) to shop together! This is always so much fun!! While we go together as a large group, we split up when necessary to make secret purchases, etc. It seems like it would be difficult to do this & keep our secrets, but everyone does a good job of not paying too much attention to what others are doing & instead concentrating on their own mission of finding a gift for their assigned person.

I love this tradition because we have a lot of fun doing it, but also because it draws our kids’ hearts towards each other as they excitedly plan good surprises for one another. It also leaves them with treasured gifts & memories. 

Thanksgiving Family Fun

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It can be hard to manage all the details of Thanksgiving day. Either you are traveling and dealing with all that goes with that, or you are preparing a meal yourself. (I’ve done both, sometimes in the same year! And they both present their own challenges!) So, trying to create special family moments can feel like too much. The good news, though, is that there are a lot of easy ways to add some extra flair—and family fun—to your Thanksgiving.

Following you’ll find some of our favorite family traditions. (We don’t always do them on Thanksgiving Day. Some we do “Thanksgiving Eve” or the week leading up to it.) 

charlie brownCHARLIE BROWN’S THANKSGIVING:

Every year we watch “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving”. Despite a shocking lack of parental involvement, the familiar faces of Charlie & his friends add a special element to our Thanksgiving. We have a “feast” with the Peanuts of the same food that Snoopy and Woodstock prepare for them—popcorn, jellybeans, toast and pretzels. 

THANKFULNESS TREE:

Shared in another post, you can find it here.

CANDY TURKEYS:

This varies a little year by year, but a few of our favorites have been:

four turkeysOREO TURKEYS:

These are the simplest candy turkeys and turn out so cute!

Supplies Needed: Oreo Cookes, Candy Eyes (available at most grocery stores), Candy Corn, Butterscotch or Peanut Butter Chips, melted chocolate or frosting

Directions: Place candy corn inside of the top of the Oreo cookie to be the turkey feathers. Then “glue” on the eyes and a butterscotch/peanut butter chip with melted chocolate or frosting. If you’d like, you can use the melted chocolate to “glue” the Oreo on top of another cookie to make the turkey stand up.  

 

OREO & PB CUP TURKEYS:Oreo & PB Cup Turkey

Similar to the above turkeys, these are slightly more complex, but even younger kids enjoy making them!

Supplies Needed: Oreo Cookies, Mini Peanut Butter Cups, Candy Corn, Candy Eyes, red frosting, melted chocolate or frosting

Directions: Insert candy corn into a Oreo cookie to be the turkey’s tail feathers. “Glue” the peanut butter cup to the front of the cookie with the melted chocolate or frosting. Then, cut candy corn and mold with your hands to create the beak (you can also use orange gummy candy like Dots for this, do the same thing, cut it to the right size and mold it to the shape you want). “Glue” the beak and eyes to the the front of the cookie above the peanut butter cup. Then “glue” the whole thing on to the top of a cookie that is lying flat to make it stand up.

RICE CEREAL TREAT TURKEYS: 

eliana's turkeyThese take a little more help for younger kids, but are worth the effort! 

Supplies Needed: Rice Cereal Treats Ingredients, melted chocolate coating (make your own with chocolate and shortening or find it ready to melt at the grocery store), candy eyes, red & orange fondant or frosting, cake pop sticks

Directions: Using the fondant, cut out orange triangles for beaks and small red “”wattles” to hang down from the beak. Then follow the directions on a box of rice cereal or marshmallows to make rice cereal treats. Then, form small squares or “turkey” shapes and insert a cake pop stick. (One of our more artistic daughter’s once crafted legs instead, as you can see in the picture. She used toothpicks, orange fondant and melted chocolate.) Make chocolate candy coating and dip the rice cereal treats in the coating until it is covered evenly. Last, add the candy eyes, nose & wattle. If you do this before it is dry, it should automatically stick. Otherwise, use a little more melted chocolate to “glue” them into place. Let dry on wax paper.

CINNAMON ROLL TURKEYS:

I know it is a little bit of overkill on a day already packed with food. But, we start each Thanksgiving with a cinnamon roll turkey. And, I cinnamon turkeyhave to admit, I look forward to it as much as the kids do each year! Plus, we add hard boiled eggs & its an easy & fun, connective breakfast on a busy day. 

Supplies Needed: Large canned refrigerator cinnamon rolls, bacon, small straight stick pretzels, candy corn, candy eyes, red frosting

Directions: Bake the cinnamon rolls as directed, first taking time to tuck in one end to create a flat face/neck. Then frost. Add cooked bacon in between the outer two layers on one side to the be tail feathers (see picture). Then add candy eyes, a candy corn nose, and a small drop of red frosting to be the “wattle”. As a final touch, add pretzel “feet”. 

I hope these add some special family fun to your special day!
Happiest of Thanksgivings from our family to yours!