It is only one month away from the most joyous time of the year! All of us at Playmore are extremely excited, and we have already begun Christmas decorating to spread holiday spirit around the store!

I believe that one of the most essential parts of the holiday season is to form memories with your loved ones. I still look back and smile at activities I have done with my family on past Christmases, such as my brother and I aggressively competing on who can put a puzzle together first. Creating memories with your loved ones creates laughter and an unbreakable bond.

I have complied a list of various holiday traditions from families everywhere for you and your family to test out, so that you can participate in exciting activities and form memories with your family members! Feel free to leave your family holiday traditions in the comment section of this post! I am always eager for new ideas for my own family.

Drive Around and Look at Christmas Lights

In Strathroy and surrounding areas such as London and Mt. Brydges, there are tons of families that decorate their homes to the max with Christmas decorations! These homes put on light shows that are super exciting to see.

This is a tradition that my own family follows. We always make a pit stop at a Tim Hortons first, pick up some hot chocolate, and then spend the evening listening to holiday tunes as we drive around and observe the Christmas spirit everywhere!

Secret Santa

Buying gifts for one another in the form of Secret Santa is tons of fun. As a kid, guaranteeing that I was guessing the correct person who had bought me my gift was essential. I would become a full on detective and observe my family member’s facial expressions.

Try Making Your Own Hot Chocolate

A warm cup of hot chocolate is such a delight on a cold, snowy day.

Instead of using pre-packaged hot chocolate, try making your own!

You can find tons of recipes for this online, many of which include combining cocoa powder and chocolate chips for the ultimate chocolate taste!

This a simple activity that you and your family members can do together while chatting.

Here is a recipe website I have found!

https://celebratingsweets.com/homemade-hot-chocolate/

Head to the Rink!

Personally, I am the worst skater imaginable. However, it is still an activity I enjoy thoroughly.

Take all of your loved ones to an ice rink! These events are so much fun. Whilst Christmas music plays in the background, the experienced skaters take off and speed around the rink, all while skating circles around the unexperienced skaters, who are holding hands with others, trying desperately not to fall. Now in normal circumstances, being afraid to fall over might be an unenjoyable event, but when you are skating at Christmas time, it is hilarious!

You can visit hockey arenas or outdoor ice rinks. For an outdoor rink, I highly recommend visiting Storybook Gardens in London. Come winter, the ice rink is beautifully decorated in Christmas items.

Make a Gingerbread House

In my home, the creation of the gingerbread house normally becomes a competition. However, it is all in good fun, and it is an activity I love.

You can make your own gingerbread house to build, or you can buy a kit at the store! There are plenty of them available around Christmas time.

“The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear”

You can’t go through the holidays without listening to Christmas classic tunes and singing along! There is never a rule on “too much” Christmas music during the winter season. So, play some Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, and Bing Crosby as you celebrate with your family!

Some of my all time favourite Christmas songs are…

  • Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon
  • Silent Night by Stevie Nicks
  • Last Christmas by Wham!
  • The First Noel by Frank Sinatra
  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland
  • Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney
  • Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles
  • Tchaikovsky’s songs from The Nutcracker

You could even take it one step further and go caroling with your family! You could join a Christmas caroling group or go out by yourselves and spread Christmas joy! I know that when I hear Christmas carolers on a snowy evening, I am just filled with serotonin.

Watch Christmas Movies

For my family, two Christmas movies we watch every year without fail are Polar Express and Jack Frost.

Some other great recommendations I have are Christmas With the Kranks, Home Alone (a classic choice), A Charlie Brown Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, Fred Claus, Jingle All the Way, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Frosty the Snowman, and to popular debate, Die Hard.

Play a Board Game!

At Playmore, we have an extremely large selection for games that you and your family will enjoy during the holidays. We have family games, adult games, and even Christmas board games for you to browse through. Check out or website or ask an employee in store to see these board games by category!

Some of our brand new Christmas games we have just recently added to our inventory are…

  • This That & Everything: Merry X-Mas Edition. Looking for a face paced, easy to learn, crowd pleasing game? In this rapid-fire game, players race to describe a wide variety of holiday-inspired items for their teammates to guess. Recommended for ages twelve and up, hosts four or more players, and takes twenty minutes to play.
  • Christmas Activity Game. With seven categories of play, this variety pack is full of creative wordplay games and activities. Who will be the first to recognize the drawing of a gingerbread house? Is that “The Little Drummer Boy” that someone is humming? Who can name Santa’s reindeer? Easy to play and full of laughter. Recommended for ages seven and up. A perfect family game.
  • Merry Dissmas. ‘Tis the season to tell the brutal truth with this hilarious party game. Test your knowledge and patience as you go through trivia about your friends and family! This game comes from the creators of What Do You Meme? It is recommended for ages twelve and up and hosts three or more players.

Expect lots of Christmas spirit from Playmore this holiday season!

I hope that your Christmas is full of fun and excitement!

Let’s PLAYMORE together!