Christmas Experiences To Share With Your Daughter This Year
The Christmas season always makes us nostalgic for holidays past. It also makes us want to spend more time with the people we love most. For moms across the South, this means planning some quality time with their daughters. Mothers and daughters share a special bond, and to celebrate that bond, we've put together a list of ideas for activities and experiences to inspire your time together this holiday season. It's no surprise that plenty of these ideas involve time spent bonding, laughing, and learning from each other in the kitchen. Whether you want to whip up a classic recipe together, take a day trip, or decorate the house for the holidays, we have a few ideas to inspire you. Moms, call up your daughters today, and start making plans. Spending time together this year, including the inevitable outcomes of making new memories and sharing family stories, will ensure that you both make the most of the Christmas season. Here, 17 Christmas activities moms and daughters should do together and check off their holiday list.
Make a Nostalgic Recipe
Break out the recipe box and make a recipe with your daughter. Bonus points if it's one that your mother shared with you. Try one of our favorite Christmas pies or make one of the beautiful white cakes that has graced the cover of Southern Living.
Take a Winter Day Trip
It doesn't have to be far. Plan a trip with your daughter, just the two of you, to a nearby town for lunch, shopping, or a movie. A day trip during the holiday season is a perfect activity—and a great time to finish up the Christmas shopping.
Make a Snowman
If your Southern home is graced with a sprinkling of snow, get out and make a snowman together, however small it might be. Bundling up and spending some time outside in the brisk winter air is good for the soul. And both of you will feel like a kid again.
Look at Holiday Lights
When the sun goes down, the Christmas lights go up. Jump in the car with your daughter and drive around your town looking for your neighbors' best holiday lights displays.
Look Through Family Albums
Break out the photo albums and flip through them with your daughter. You never know what funny family stories will arise out of an afternoon of reminiscing and sharing memories. You may be delighted to hear new stories too.
Learn a New Skill
Whether you're baking a cake, doing a craft, or starting a cross-stitched sampler, you likely have a skill you'd like to learn. Get together this season and try something new. Or plan some time to teach your daughter the thing she's always saying she wants to learn from you—cheese-straw-making, anyone?
Trim the Tree
The house has to be decorated for the holidays, and it's so much more fun when you do it together. Unwrap the ornaments, hang the garlands, and trim the tree together with a background soundtrack of nostalgic Christmas tunes.
Volunteer Together
Giving back is a beautiful way to spend an afternoon of the holiday season. Find a volunteering opportunity in your community and dedicate your time and talents alongside your daughter. It will bring you closer while allowing you to invest in your community and support those in need.
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Bake Cookies
There is no better season for baking cookies than Christmas. Try some of our favorite cookie recipes this year, or break out your cookbooks and find your most-loved classic recipes for an afternoon spent creating delicious smells and sweet treats alongside your daughter.
Build a Gingerbread House
These gingerbread homes aren't just for kids. Gingerbread houses can be simple models built from a kit or elaborate structures that you designed yourself.
Whip Up Eggnog
If you've never made homemade eggnog before, why not make it together? The perfect sip for settling down to watch Christmas movies or to wash down the Christmas cookies you baked, eggnog is a must-have for the holidays. Stir up a classic recipe or spice it up to make it your own.
Call Faraway Loved Ones
A phone call to a loved family member or friend is a great way to add cheer to the holidays. Try a video call to make them feel near. Set up a date, grab some snacks, and catch up on the latest family news together.
Make Christmas Gifts
Spend an afternoon making handmade Christmas gifts to give to friends and neighbors. From candles to ornaments to sweet treats, a few homemade batches will provide plenty of variety for everyone on both of your lists. Then you and your daughter can work assembly line style to pack the gifts for delivery. Not only will you cross something off your to-do list, but also doing it with your daughter makes it fun.
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Wrap Presents
Take something that feels like a chore and turn it into holiday fun. Have a small gift wrapping party for just the two of you. One of you can wrap while the other ties on bows and tags. With special treats to eat and holiday music playing in the background, you'll make quick work of wrapping.
Have Holiday Brunch or Tea
The holidays are busy. Set aside time for a small get-together where you and your daughter can relax and enjoy one another's company without the stress of a big family dinner. Plan a small holiday brunch or tea, either at home or a local spot. Here, it's the company that matters.
Go Holiday Shopping
Cross off your holiday gift lists together. Holiday shopping can be enjoyable when you take time to window shop, enjoy the displays, and treat yourselves to something special, like warm and creamy hot chocolate. Visit craft shows or travel to a nearby town known for its holiday displays. Take notes in case you see your daughter eyeing something that's not on her wish list.
Catch a Show
Whether it's the theater, the ballet, or a local school musical, find a holiday production to see together. Wear your favorite holiday attire, and grab refreshments at intermission.
