The Frugal Retiree's Christmas Countdown List

Gallery photo of the Denver Christmas market!

On Monday, as I was driving to my volunteer gig, it was 70 degrees outside-warmer than the area I came from in Texas. And while I was driving, sucking on my morning caffeine, what should be playing on the radio but "Frosty the Snowman"  and songs about riding in sleighs and hot chocolate and such (apparently my favorite classic rock station is now Christmas music until the 25th).  I like Christmas as much if not more than the next gal, but the contrasts, were................contrasting.

Meanwhile, just like many of you, for  the past few years I have enjoyed a slightly pared down Christmas.  Even so, every year when the holidays are over, I find my self wishing I had done such and such-even if it is something as simple as checking out the neighborhood lights. Also, I am trying to make sure I enjoy the every day, the journey to Christmas, if you will. Instead of doing nothing but planning for and preparing for that day almost a month down the road.

And so, I've made this list, of mainly small things I'd like to do (one each day) beginning in December.  Most of the things on my little bucket list are neither time consuming nor effort-ful, and many are free and cheap. A couple of  them have even been scheduled. And so, this is my Christmas every day countdown list. Because  little extra Christmas joy every day is a good thing, as Martha would say.

And yes, there are actually 27 things on this list. On the one hand, it's two days before December, so it should work.  On the other hand two days at least will be on the open road, so I may only get 25 or 24. Either way, it's all okay!

Barbara's Christmas Countdown List (in no particular order):

1.  Jump in the car and go see the lights near and far (we have some seriously creative lights near us, including one house that actually looks like a real gingerbread house)

2. Go to a Christmas concert of some kind (my church has a Christmas concert with members of the symphony in December and I've been meaning to go to that for a couple of years)

3. Get myself a chocolate advent calendar and use it every day. Don't judge me, a little daily chocolate is a good thing,

4. Make a Christmas play list or two-one mainly religious, one not so much (for the cheapskates in the bunch, if you have Amazon prime, you have free access to Prime Music. This is my go to rather than I-Tunes or another location).

5.   Make Roasted Marshmallow shots and fill them with chocolate liqueur. Or Bailey's. Or Kahlua.  Again, don't judge me.  

6.  Go to Hudson Gardens or the Botanic Gardens and check out their light display.

7. Write a letter and card to a soldier overseas.

8  Choose a child from our Salvation army Angel Tree.

9.  See if I can find a fun Ugly Sweater at one of the many thrift stores or consignment stores near by. A wearable, presentable ugly sweater, that is.

10.  Have a Christmas movie night and make popcorn with red and green m and ms!

11. Read at least one Christmas novel.

12. Have an Appetizers for dinner night with stuff frozen apps like mini quiches and stuff from the takeout counter. When my kids were young we alternated this one year and homemade lasagna the next year for pre-Christmas eve church dinners and we have not done so in awhile.

13. Make at least one homemade Christmas card.

14. Make a fun Christmas Ornament for our tree one afternoon.

15. Have a Game Night and make real hot chocolate from scratch and or hot spiced wine. I tend to murder most of the world when it comes to scrabble, so we'll have to find another option. Any suggestions? (And no I'm not smarter than everyone else as such, it has to do more with visualization).

16. Have a Christmas themed brunch for family or else a red and green dinner for the three of us. This could end up being two separate meals.

17. Get real Christmas photos taken, both here with my sister and in Texas. I cannot tell you the last time we had "real" professional" photos done.

18. Have a true Christmas dinner (beef, lobster tail, the whole schmear) with my sister before we head south. She has almost always lived alone, pretty happily, but we do leave her a few days before Christmas. So an early Christmas meal and a frighteningly full Christmas stockings are our two concessions to the fact that she spends the eve and the morning alone before traveling to relatives.

19. Make a gingerbread house, even if it's only a large graham cracker gingerbread house (which it may well be).

20.  Make  an advent wreath.  This one is already planned for and scheduled because my church is having a wreath making workshop this Sunday. Yea.

21.  Go to the German Christmas Market downtown. This is my chance for nostalgia, real German food, Gluhwein, German ornaments and the like.

22. Take a bunch of my cookies and candy to a local assisted living center. If I were a prolific knitter, I'd take more than cookies, but cookies will have to do.

23. Make this really easy pretzel candy recipe that my sister-in-law (who also loves salted caramel and pumpkin anything) shared with me on Facebook.

24.  Make either candy cane/peppermint flavored milkshakes or ice cream. Enough said.

25.  Go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve at my own church. My daughter lives much further away from this church than I did when I was in Dallas, so I've been exploring churches closer to her. But I'm a traditionalist when it comes to churches and holidays. I want the incense, the greenery, the priest singing and all that good stuff. So I'll drive the 45 minutes plus this year.

26.  Go to a glass blowing studio and blow glass ornaments.  Thing is, we usually do experience gifts (my sister and sister-in-law and I). Could we blow ornaments after the holidays?  I have to think about this one.

27.  When I am making Christmas cookies, take the time to write up at least one recipe on pretty Christmas paper and give to each of my kids. Cause Christmas is about memories, after all.