Our Holiday Bucket List for Japan

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To get ready for Christmas, I’ve decided to do 12 blog posts every day leading up to Christmas. Here they are! Check back each day for a new post or go HERE to see what’s been posted already.

If you’ve been around here for a while you know I love a list. I make lists of everything. To dos. Wish lists. Milestones for the kids. And yes, even bucket lists. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with bucket lists (because I think sometimes people focus on crossing things off of it instead of enjoying it—but that’s for a different time), I do think that having a list for the holidays is necessary. The holidays, especially when you have little ones, can go by so quickly. We’re all so busy we don’t always stop enjoy the little things. And, with those kids I just mentioned, I want to make sure I’m creating memories and traditions that they’ll remember forever.

And so this year I’ve decided to put together a little bucket list of things I want to do for the holidays so I can make sure the kids and I are (at least attempting) to hit all of the things that make the holidays feel so special.

This list may not be all-inclusive. I’m sure other, craftier moms will have more things on their lists, but for us, living in Japan at the moment, I wanted to hit some typical and tradition holiday items as well as must-dos for Japan.

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Here is our list!

Mail a letter to Santa
Make an ornament
Go skiing.
Send handmade cards to family
Make a Christmas playlist (one that doesn’t make me want to puke)
Donate toys/ items we don’t use
Decorate the tree– Here I would love to write pick out our own REAL tree and bring it home. But… we live in Tokyo. In an apartment. Ain’t happening.
Watch Holiday movies
Build a snowman/make snow angels… so far we haven’t seen any snow.
Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Make Christmas Garland with Cheerios
Wrap presents with the kids– so, as of writing in 2019, I have a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old. It’s questionable how much they really understand about buying things, wrapping them, and then giving them to someone else to open. Andrew, the 2-year-old, does get excited to give people gifts, but I’m hoping that this Christmas he can get on board with wrapping and “hiding” the presents to then surprise someone with. But that might be wishful thinking.
Build a gingerbread house- or an Oreo house.
Hang stockings
Make Cookies
Eat a Candy Cane
Take a family Christmas photo
Leave Cookies for Santa
Go on a snowy hike in Nagano
Decorate the house
Wear Matching PJs
Give each other a book on Christmas Eve
Make Christmas Dinner
Spend Christmas in our PJs
Find Holiday Lights in Tokyo
Track Christmas on our Advent Calendar
Try Ice Skating
Visit an Onsen
See Winter Illuminations
Go to a Christmas Market in Tokyo
Chichibu Night Festival
Christmas at Disney.
Make Hot Pot Dishes

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