I know it might be a tad bit early to be discussing Christmas when I prefer to celebrate one Holiday at a time but its never to early to start preparing so you have everything you need.

I wanted to remind you and your friends and family to join us as we create our Christmas Activity Wish List because Christmas doesn’t have to begin with a shopping list. In fact, here at Greatful Moments, I think one of the best ways to begin our Christmas season is with a Christmas Activity Wish List.

Instead of asking, “What do I want for Christmas?” let’s ask a different question: “What do I want to do this Christmas?” Which is part of our Interactive Christmas Gift Guide we will be sharing now through Christmas.

If you children want to bake Christmas cookies with Grandma or you want to visit the library and find a Christmas book. Or you want to make your own Christmas decoration, and watch a favorite Christmas movie, or you want to take a family drive to look at Christmas lights, or visit someone who might be lonely, or start a brand-new family tradition. Or maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do at Christmas but just never have. Now is the time to write it down.

Grab a piece of paper, a notebook, or the printable we’re creating for this activity. Write down all the Christmas activities you’d like to do this year. Don’t worry about whether they’re expensive or free. Don’t worry about whether you’ll actually get to do every one. This is your Christmas Activity Wish List, so let your imagination go.

You might want to: Read a Christmas book. Write your own Christmas story. Make Christmas cookies. Turn a favorite family recipe into a Christmas recipe. Make a Christmas decoration from things you already have.

Have a Christmas movie night. Visit the library. Take a Christmas field trip. Visit someone who could use some company. Write Christmas letters. Find a Christmas pen pal. Make something for someone else.

Go for a Christmas walk and look at Christmas lights when they go up later in the season. Have a family game night. Learn about a Christmas tradition from another family member. Or maybe you have an idea that nobody else has thought of yet. Put it on the list!

Here is something I want to point our this Christmas Wish List Activity isn’t just for children. Mom can make a Christmas Activity Wish List. Dad can make one. Grandparents can make one. Teens can make one. Friends can make one. Neighbors too.

If you’re homeschooling, this can even become part of your school day. Your children can practice writing, spelling, reading, planning, and creative thinking while making a list of experiences they’d like to have during the Christmas season.

And younger children can draw pictures of the things they want to do or tell you their ideas while you write them down. This isn’t a checklist that has to be completed before Christmas morning. It’s a wish list.

Some activities may happen. Some may not. Some may cost money, while others won’t cost a penny. That’s okay. The purpose is to start thinking about the memories we want to make.

As we move through our Christmas Interactive Gift Guide, we’ll be sharing activities you can add to your list. Some may become family traditions. Some may turn into little adventures. Some may be as simple as sitting together with a cup of hot chocolate and reading a book. And some may become Christmas memories you’ll talk about for years.

Once you’ve made your list, look it over. Pick one activity you’d really like to do. You don’t have to do it today. You don’t even have to decide exactly when you’ll do it. Just choose one. And as we continue our Christmas adventure, we’ll see how many of those Christmas wishes we can turn into memories.

Remember, our Christmas Interactive Gift Guide isn’t about seeing how much we can buy. It’s about seeing how much we can do, create, share, discover, and remember. So grab your paper and start writing. What do you want to do this Christmas?

That’s your first Christmas Activity Wish List. And if you’re participating in our Christmas Ticket activities, completing designated activities will give you opportunities to earn Christmas Tickets for your Treat Jar.

Do the activity. Earn a ticket. Fill the jar. Make a memory. Join us today and lets earn a ticket but remember if you read for at least 10 minutes which is part of our 30 Minute Reading Challenge you can earn a second ticket.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates