All Aboard! Polar Express Train Ride
One of our favorite holiday activities as a family is riding THE POLAR EXPRESS! Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, it’s so much fun to relive the magic of the classic story as we are whisked away on the magical one-hour trip to meet Santa.
Of course we have to outfit our entire family, and extended family in matching pajamas just as the children in the classic children’s book with the same name, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg, are in their jammies. We all got our golden tickets and danced our way on board.
Once on board, entertainers presented the story through character and song, complete with Hot, Hot, Hot Chocolate and a delicious cookie served by the dancing chefs.
A huge highlights is Santa! Oh yes, the big man takes time with each child and gives them a keepsake sleigh bell as a reinforcement to BELIEVE! So many wonderful memories made on this magical trip it’s not to be missed.
With 40 locations across the country, find The Polar Express Train Ride experience closest to your home: https://www.raileventsinc.com/polar-express-train-ride/locations/
DIY Ornaments & Crafts
One of our favorite holiday traditions is to craft together as a family. From making Christmas ornaments for our tree or to gift to others, It is a fun way to spend time together. As working moms, we are always looking for ways to simplify our lives. Kid Made Modern is a great way to have fun with crafting but not have to worry about a list of supplies that you have to get. Each kit comes with everything that you need to make for that craft. One of our kids favorites was the Shrink Art Jewelry Kit. We decided to do the kit with our cousins. The kids had so much fun coloring the different pieces. But the best part was when we put them in the oven to shrink. The kids couldn’t get over how their art got so small, so fast! We then took the different pieces and made them into a keychain, bracelet and even an ornament.
From pom pom wreaths to making your own gift wrap, they also have kits for older kids and adults. We enjoyed using the DIY Ornament Kit to make some festive ornaments for our tree this year. I love putting the name and year that we made it and looking back on the creations over the years. Another fun gift idea are the DIY individual ornament kits. These are great for stocking stuffers, especially if you have the kids make them so you can wake up a bit! We used them for our classroom party for each individual student to do and bring home from the party.
Santa Tracker: Play, Watch & Learn
Santa’s Village is the perfect place for families to celebrate the season. You’ll find all your favorite characters together with fun, educational and interactive activities for every age.
From holiday coding to traditions, languages, movies and games, explore https://santatracker.google.com/ as each day new activities unfold… and it’s all completely FREE.
On December 24th Santa’s Village transforms into a tracking experience where you can follow Santa and his reindeer as they deliver presents to kids around the world.
Track Santa on the Big Day! On December 24th Santa’s Village transforms into a tracking experience where you can follow Santa and his reindeer as they deliver presents to kids around the world. Psst! Did you know, Santa’s journey lasts 25 hours?! He makes his first stop just after 10 PM local time in far eastern Russia, when it’s 5 AM in New York and 11 AM in Paris.
Art Activities & Interactive Books
In the midst of the holiday craziness, one of the ways that our family slows down is by reading some of our favorite holiday books. My kids love cuddling up at the end of the day and reading. We love Usborne Books as they have so many amazing titles for the holiday season. Some of our favorites include The Nutcracker, Santa Sound book and Winter Wonderland Sound Book, which have different sounds and noises with each page. The kids love pressing the buttons as we read along. I love how The Nutcracker book is introducing them to Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet and music. We also love giving books as gifts. These are especially great options for a child that might have a lot of toys. Twinkly, Twinkly Christmas Tree and Twinkly, Twinkly Nativity are great books and have different things that light up on each page.
Another thing that we love from Usborne are their activity books. Whether we are trying to occupy the kids while they wait for the food at a restaurant or fly on the plane, Usborne has a great range of options of activity books for all ages. The Wipe Clean Christmas Activities and Christmas Magic Painting are a favorite for when we need something to “work on.” Sometimes big brother has homework or mommy has a meeting and this is great to occupy them. The Fingerprint Activities Christmas is a fun way to capture your kids’ fingerprints and how much they grow over the years with fun different prints.
Soak in the Season: Festive Bath Balms
Make bath time festive and fun and get those little ones excited for Santa’s arrival with Musee bath balms! Our little ones are filled with giggles and delight as they soak. From Santa and a Reindeer to Elf and a Snowman, the Musee Bath Balms are big hit in our household!
These make a great stocking stuffers and they smell so good, plus leave our skin feeling soft. And give the sweetest gift of self-care this season with Musee’s exclusive Merry & Bright Gift Set including a bath soak, therapy bath balm, candle and matches too! This set comes in a luxurious box with a ribbon tied and ready to go.
Not only are their bath balms handmade in the USA with ethically sourced, natural ingredients, their bath balms are cruelty-free, paraben-free and sulfate-free and safe for all skin types. We also love that they are committed to restoring lives by providing work for vulnerable people in their community. They hire primarily women in recovery, people with disabilities and people who have lived in chronic poverty.
