December Bucket List
Happy December! Winter is here which means it’s time to get warm and cozy in cute pajamas, sip hot chocolate, enjoy snowy scenery, plan your holiday season, bundle up for winter walks, and so much more! While there’s so much to do this month, I also know the colder seasons aren’t as enjoyable for some. The dark and cold days can make it hard to get out and find activities to do. I took time creating this bucket list with this in mind! I promise you that there are lots of ways to celebrate the welcome of winter both inside and outside the home. Each season brings something new which gives us new opportunities to honor it!
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December Bucket List
- Happy first day of December! If you bought a 24 day advent calendar, you can start opening day 1! Advent calendars also make a fun gift for someone! There’s many different themes out there so you can find something for everyone. You can also find 12 day advent calendars, which is what I went with this year (tea themed!).
- Decorate your home or front yard for the holidays or change out your fall decor for winter decor. To me, winter decor is warm white lights on copper wire, simplistic wreaths, star garlands, or the use of natural decorations like pine branches and pinecones. You can spray a wreath with fake snow or add a snow blanket to a tabletop. This year I’m really enjoying adding color again by hanging warm colorful lights and putting out pretty bottlebrush trees! There’s many decorating ideas and it can be overwhelming. Check out my winter/holiday decorating board on Pinterest for inspiration.
- Get your Christmas tree! Visit a tree farm or find the perfect faux tree! We get a real tree every year because the smell of pine each morning is so wonderful and nostalgic for me.
- Today is national cookie day! Try a new cookie recipe or treat yourself to a delicious cookie from a local bakery. Or, get a variety of cookies and bring them to work or for friends. I love making my gingerbread cookie recipe or my thin and chewy snickerdoodle recipe again during the winter season.
- Honor the winter season by celebrating all things citrus. Dehydrate citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, blood orange) in the oven or use a dehydrator. This blog post explains how to dry citrus in an oven! Use the dried citrus slices to make garland, as drink toppers, or for decorating desserts, dipped in chocolate, and more. I love the use of these natural decorations!
- Find some intriguing winter themed books! Even better, grab your book and cozy up with your favorite blanket or in a loungewear set. My top winter themed books are The Snow Child: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. If you’re looking for more feel good holiday books, I suggest Always, in December by Emily Stone or The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan.
- Try a winter sport or bundle up for a winter hike. It can be freezing but there’s lots of fun outdoor activities. If it’s cold enough, try ice skating outdoors or when it snows go sledding! You just have to prepare a little more and dress in lots of layers. Whenever I’m itching to go back outside, we bundle up on a sunny winter day and make the most of the fresh air! It might be a shorter hike, but I always feel refreshed after. There’s also lots of activity going on in the forest preserves even in winter. Depending on your area, you can spot deer, birds, rabbits, and more.
- Plan to go to a holiday event in your city or area. Pop up events, light shows, and holiday markets! There’s so much to do if you look around town. Invite friends or family and meet at a cafe to grab a warm beverage before going to the event!
- If you enjoy flowers year-round, pick up a poinsettia and learn how to take care of it properly so that it will last year after year! Or find a Christmas cactus! We have a Christmas cactus that blooms every November and another one that blooms every December. The blooms are beautiful and vary in colors. Here’s a great article about how to care for one! These plants also make a great hostess gift.
- Make a hot cocoa board! Invite friends over for a cozy movie evening. Plan ahead and buy marshmallow toppers, candy canes, sprinkles, chocolate, different hot cocoa mixes, and a cute serving board! Lay out everything on the board so that everyone can choose how to customize their drink. This is such a fun way to celebrate the coziest season.
- Find a holiday dress for your event. Whether you’re planning to go to a Christmas party or to a friends party, it can be so fun to find a new outfit. I like checking out The Loft for dresses. They have sales often and I enjoy the quality of the clothes.
- Plan a holiday shopping day. It can be easy to shop online but sometimes browsing in the store lets you see things you wouldn’t think of online. Plan a shopping day with a friend or family member to make it a fun outing. I like to make sure to plan time in-between to eat lunch so that we have more energy to keep shopping 😁
- Drive around and look at your neighborhood lights! We like to plan a night to drive through nearby neighborhoods that are known for their impressive light displays. I make us hot cocoa and keep it in this thermos. Play the holiday station on the radio and enjoy this tradition!
- The holidays can be exhausting so make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Plan a self care evening and relax in a hot bath with a bath bomb, candles, maybe a glass of wine and a good book! This cool bathtub tray from Etsy can be customized to fit your tub and you can choose the wood type. It fits a candle, wine glass, and has a stand for a book or iPad. This is such a great gift idea for someone or gift it for yourself 🙂
- Find a planner or wall calendar for the upcoming new year. Planners are so personal because everyone likes different themes and preferences for their calendar layout. This year I bought this weekly planner pad by Unicorn Eclipse. I buy tons of stationary from them because I love their cute and colorful artwork. The shop is run by two sisters and I love supporting small businesses! I buy planners every year, so here are a few other styles and brands I recommend. For beautiful floral monthly planners, Rifle Paper Co. has the best planners. If you like the witchy vibes, I love Llewellyn’s 2025 Witches’ Almanac & Datebook. It has folklore, zodiac dates, magical tips, and more!
- Plan a holiday or winter movie marathon. I wrote a blog post with 31 movie ideas, some are about the holidays and some have winter themes! I also included ways to make the movie night feel extra cozy and festive 🙂
- Plan a gingerbread house decorating competition! Plan a night, find the gingerbread house kits, buy some extra candy, and a prize for the winner!
- Try press on nails or holiday nails. Press on nails are DIY and low commitment, which is perfect when you just want something a little extra. Wear them for holiday parties or to get into a festive mood. I love these cute peppermint swirl press ons and these red and green plaid press ons.
- Go to a ballet, play, or orchestra. The first one that comes to mind is the Nutcracker ballet. I went with my family when I was younger and always wanted to continue on the tradition of seeing a ballet. It’s so much fun to get dressed up and watch the beautiful performances, the amazing outfits, and the captivating story. Attending a performance is such a special experience and a great tradition to start.
- Get yourself a matching pajama set. I used to wear an old T-shirt to sleep, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it does feel more exciting to go to bed in nice pajamas. When you sleep in a warm but breathable fabric, in a style that you enjoy, it really adds a special something to the bedtime routine. This year I splurged and bought myself a pair of Cozy Earth pajamas. I’d heard so many good things about them and I have to admit there is a huge difference in fabric and how it drapes so nicely.
- The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year. Even though winter is just starting, it’s also a day to mark the return of the sun (it’s hard to imagine but we slowly gain sunlight back 😄). The solstice has been celebrated for centuries throughout many different cultures. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the book, Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice by Llewellyn. You can celebrate the slow but sure return of shorter days however you’d like! Make a simmer pot, your favorite cup of tea, or lit a fireplace or bonfire.
- Bake sugar cookies and decorate them with royal icing! This time of year is big for sugar cookies. It’s many family favorites, and it’s also my year round favorite. Back when I sold custom decorated cookies, I knew I had to create my own recipe and it’s one of my favorites to this day. Check out my soft cut-out sugar cookie recipe that includes a royal icing recipe with lots of tips and information on how to make the best sugar cookies.
- Listen to soothing holiday jazz music or other peaceful background music while working or wrapping last minute gifts. Check out my winter wonderland cafe playlist on Spotify!
- Today is Christmas eve! I celebrate with my loved ones by eating a delicious dinner, enjoying hot cocoa, and sitting around after to talk and laugh while listening to holiday music on the radio.
- Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful day however you celebrate. My loved ones and I exchange gifts, eat a filling brunch, and spend the day at home hanging out in our pajamas. It’s so nice to take it easy after all of the events leading up to the holiday.
- The days between Christmas and New Years can be such a blur! Sometimes I forget what day it is 😄 Enjoy today by taking it easy and enjoying any gifts that you received. If you received a journal or book, write or read! Were you gifted a cookbook? Try out a new recipe! Or maybe you got a game, electronic, or other! Test it out! I remember when we were kids and so excited to use our gifts. It’s okay to keep that wonder going!
- Go through any gifts you’ve received and write thank you notes! It’s easy to send a thank you text, but so wonderful to receive a thank you card. Every time someone hands me a thank you card, it makes my heart full to know they took time to write out a thoughtful message on lovely stationary.
- Go to the grocery store and get some yummy appetizers for New Years Eve! I love shopping at Trader Joe’s for this occasion because they have interesting snack ideas and tons of delicious foods to choose from! For New Years Eve, my family has always put out finger food. After the long holiday season, we choose to take it easy by making cooking less hectic. We make sweet and sour meatballs, put together a charcuterie board, pigs in a blanket, cut veggie sticks and dip, and more!
- Plan a phone call or video call to loved ones that might live far away. Everyone is busy and it can be hard to sit down for an hour to catch up with our family and friends who we don’t get to see often. It’s so special to be able to chat with someone during the holiday season. It can be helpful for some to plan a time to call and reconnect!
- Clean the house or your bedroom to welcome in the new year. Cleaning might not sound like fun, but it’s a tradition to “clean out the old” and bring in the new! I like to head into the new year with excitement for whats to come, which means less clutter and a fresh start!
- It’s New Years Eve! I wish everyone a safe and fun day, however you choose to celebrate. Let’s look forward into the future with wonder and excitement for whats to come. This year, my resolution is to continue working hard on my vision for Midwest & Wonder. I thank each of you for your support, it means everything! I also have the resolution to learn how to make latte art 🤭 Welcome 2025!
