We recently hosted a Christmas party for four other families and I wanted some super simple games to play as a family which would work for a variety of age groups. I looked on Pinterest and found three keepers (aka I didn't need to buy supplies, it was eco-friendly, and great for all ages).
When you find something that all of your kids can agree on without fail, you grab on to it! For us there is a unanimous appreciation for snacking on freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, playing school, having chicken pot pie for dinner and watching YTV. This TV channel is the most watched in our home and they have stepped it up a notch for the month of December.
November can be quite dreary and throw in a busy season of basketball after school hours and we are in the need for some calm and cozy connecting after dinner. Our house may not be decorated for the season yet but it has been the perfect opportunity to start watching kid-friendly Christmas movies on Netflix! Looking forward to the magic of Christmas is always fun and a great change of pace.
Glow is a Christmas event geared towards people of all ages in Langley, BC. With four light gardens, a 210-foot musical tunnel, food trucks, and Christmas market, it will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit. It has the beauty of outdoor lights in the cozy comfort of an indoor environment–a greenhouse!
We recently had a family meeting to discuss the upcoming Christmas season and how we can approach it intentionally. First of all, the kids loved the official term "family meeting" and took it seriously by sitting nicely and raising their hands to contribute. We also finished it off with a cheer which I would recommend – don't need to be too serious! The topic at hand was the reason for Christmas, how much we should be spending on gifts and what sort of items would be considered appropriate for the list. And yes, they know that Santa isn't real although Nya believes that he fills the stockings.
One of our family's traditional Christmas activities is to look at lights. We love wandering our neighbourhood and picking our favourite decorated homes and returning home for some hot chocolate. Over the years we have gone to various venues to see their Christmas lights and this year we were finally able to experience Capilano Suspension Bridge's Canyon Lights in North Vancouver.
Last night we experienced the opening night of Enchant Christmas–the world's largest light maze. It is located in Vancouver, by the Cambie Street Bridge, and open until New Years Eve as I've written about here. Included on the grounds is the 55,000 square foot maze, Christmas market, food trucks, and a giant fire pit.
If you are going to Enchant Christmas, these are the things that I would recommend to you:
Our Family Advent Activities Day 12: Go biking (again). They LOVE it. Day 13: It was supposed to be Games Night but I was sooooo sick and tired still so I changed it to `Open A Present'. I had found a Star Wars Lego pack at Costco for $16 (regular $32) and it kept Kai busy for 3 hours straight when he got home from school!! He has been playing with it every single day. Awesome. Big thanks to my friend Estelle for dropping of a meal that night, it was sooooo good and so appreciated!!
Day 14: Smoothie Night. Then Gary and I went to his staff party and had a babysitter! We were just gone 2 hours (as Gary and I were so tired) but Nya was SCREAMING when we got back. Not sure if she didn't recognize our niece or if she was just over tired but I felt bad for her:( So funny to go to the staff party where your child also attends school. I heard some great stories about my Kai Bear. Brilliant and funny:)
Day 15: Go to Grandma and Grandpa's House. I had two sessions and then stayed home with Nya while she napped. We are now at the stage where it's not worth it for her to miss her naps...
Day 16: Go bowling for Jackie's Annual Bowling Party!! In the morning, we had Kai and Koen's Christmas concert at church. They both did so well. Koen was loud and animated. Kai sang and did all the actions and his tummy is behaving! Seriously, soooooo thankful that he hasn't had an episode since Friday!!
I don't ever include video but you sort of have to watch Koen. He really wanted to make sure that we heard him:) Kai did the exact same thing when he was four years old.
{Kai with the tie in the middle}
Koen's Videos: There are two songs. Each one is hilarious:) Seriously. His teachers told him to sing loudly and he followed instructions!
Off to the bowling party! We've been doing this annually for about 5 years. Usually it's on Jackie's birthday (the 23rd) but with so many kids and the busy-ness of Christmas, we moved it up. You would think that with the 9 adults and 10 kids (5 being babies) it would be a bit wild but it wasn't bad at all. The kids had their own lane with the bumpers up and we were good to go.
{Below, Nya and Little Jack...buddies! We call them Jack and Greta as those are my parents names and Nya's middle name is Greta:)}
Team Dekens 2012
Then, everyone came back to our place for dinner and dessert and it was pretty laid back as the kids could just play in the basement. Missing was Doug (with a sick Sami at home) and dad and Joanne who were coming back from holidays.
I have been on antibiotics since Thursday and feeling much better. The kids are all healthy (well, Koen has a cough but he pretty much does for 4 months straight during the winter) and I'm ready to get my body back in shape. I have 2 months left before my 10km race so I need to get my butt in gear!
Love, Louise
PS Yesterday Kai said, `Who came up with this whole `Ladies First' thing anyway?':)
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