View the Lights of the Fab 40s
If you live in Sacramento, odds are you have been to the Fabulous 40s (a neighborhood in East Sacramento famous for it’s beautiful houses) to view the lights. Whether you prefer walking the neighborhood or driving street to street, it’s always a fun Christmas activity. The wondrously lit decorations make for good memories, especially when paired with a cup of hot cocoa and a group of friends.
Sacred Heart Home Tour
The Sacred Heart Home Tour is a beloved tradition in Sacramento and always proves to be fun for everyone, especially the lover of Christmas decorations and beautiful homes. This event also takes place in the Fab 40s and raises money for the Sacred Heart Parish School. We’ve decorated two homes for the tour (which you can read about here and here) and the sense of community at the event is always heart-warming.
Watching Movies
Is anything better than gathering the family together, building a fire, and watching classic Christmas movies? Some of our favorites include Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Santa Claus, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation, and of course, Elf! But what makes this tradition so special is that every family has their own list of holiday movies that they watch together every year.
Baking Cookies
Baking and decorating Christmas cookies is a fun holiday season activity for everyone! The trick is making many MANY batches of cookies including sugar cookies (to cut into shapes and decorate), gingerbread cookies, snow balls, and probably something with chocolate or cinnamon. Your whole family will be visiting soon, so you need lots and lots of cookies anyways, right?
Decorating the House
Stringing up the garland, putting the home-made ornaments on the tree, laying out the nativity scene, and placing a wreath on the front door always brings the holiday spirit home. This tradition is made better by Christmas music playing, a fire in the fireplace, and a cup of eggnog or mulled wine in hand as the family gathers and gets the job done!
Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree
Whether you go to a parking lot to pick your tree or cut one down on your own, having the perfect Christmas tree is a favorite Christmas activity! It’s always fun having the family together, preferably with warm beverages, wandering around, looking for the perfect tree, because of course there is a tree destined for your family! The hunt for that tree is bound to make for some good memories.
Seeing the Nutcracker
The Sacramento Ballet puts on a beautiful production of the Nutcracker every year! Getting the family or a group of friends together to watch the beauty of this classic story unfold is always a highlight of the season. Even when we watch it every year, it never gets old!
To us, it seems like the common thread through all of these activities are that they are made better by having loved ones (and often a warm drink!) around, which is of course what makes the season so special! Every family will have their own holiday traditions, so please share with us what your favorite tradition is!
XOXO,
