With travel curtailed and parties cancelled, this is a perfect year to pivot and do all the things you haven’t had time to do in past Decembers. Here are some ideas to make the most of this holiday season!
1. Driveway Holiday Happy Hour
Now that the weather is nice again, invite your neighbors to join you for a socially-distanced happy hour on the driveway. Bring your inflatable Santa or Frosty the Snowman along to make it feel festive.
2. Fireside Fridays
December offers some of the best cool nights of the year. Light your outside firepit and grab some hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting. Turn on the Christmas music and enjoy a cozy night outside. Also combinable with the driveway happy hour!
3. Old Fashioned Cookie Baking
When we grew up, we all used to bake and share Christmas cookies. From pizelles to spritz cookies and divinity to peanut brittle, special sweets — made only once a year — are what made the holidays feel extra special. This is a great year to pull out those old recipes and make some nostalgic treats to drop off for friends and loved ones.
4. Sort and Upgrade Your Holiday Décor
Take the time to finally sort those old ornaments and update your holiday décor (while eating the Christmas cookies you just baked!). This might be the year to send your grown kids some of their favorite ornaments, upgrade that artificial tree that only has half the lights working, or try some DIY Christmas décor projects.
5. Have A Creative Holiday Date Night
Missing your holiday party date night? Get creative and try a taco crawl. Check out reviews and make a list of the best taco shops in the Valley. Drive around town and sample tacos at each one. Rate them and report back to friends on where to find the best tacos in the Valley. This idea can work for donuts, French fries, burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, or anything else you love to eat. This is also a fun night out for kids.
6. Wrap It Up in Style
Forget gift bags and check out Pinterest for some unique and creative ways to wrap gifts. Make your own gift tags, coordinate your paper and ribbon, and add fun accessories to your packages to make them extra special.
7. Celebrate Christmases Past
Dig through your old photo albums, scan pictures and make a Christmas album on Shutterfly to send to family and friends who can’t be together over the holidays. A thoughtful gift!
8. Write Christmas Cards
Instead of just posting on Facebook, take the time to actually write cards to family and friends. Maybe even send a copy of a photo from a past Christmas you spent together. Everyone could use a little surprise snail mail this year.
9. Help Those in Need
Connect with local charities and donate to help others. Feeling ambitious? Expand your efforts and organize a neighborhood food or toy drive.
10. Be Merry!
2020 has been such a challenging year for everyone. Do your part and share Christmas cheer! Find a way to do a small act of kindness each day: drop off a treat to a friend or neighbor, pay for the person’s drink behind you in the Starbucks line, leave a basket of treats at the front door for delivery drivers, compliment someone, wear a Santa hat all month, take in your neighbor’s trash can, or thank the cashier at your local grocery store. Bring joy to others and you will gain twice as much in return!
Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!
John and Natascha Karadsheh are co-owners of KOR Properties, a boutique real estate brokerage serving the Valley of the Sun, and the creators and founding sponsors of Mesa Food Truck Fridays.
John has been a Multi-Million Dollar producing agent for over 17 years and is an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and is the Chairman on the Arizona Regional MLS Rules & Policies Committee.
Natascha is an Associate Broker of KOR Properties, a Multi-Million Dollar Producer, Past-Chair of the City of Mesa Economic Development Advisory Board and the founder of the Falcon Business Alliance.
You can reach John at (602) 615-0843 and Natascha at (602) 909-4995, or visit their website: KORProperties.com.