Having a December 1st Party is a great way to kickstart the Christmas season. Your family will look forward to this magical tradition every year!
What is The December 1st Party?
On the evening of December 1st, we gather our family around to open one giant (and very exciting) present. It contains several different pieces to make our entire holiday season festive and fun. Here are the items I like to include every year in this family gift:
What to include in the December 1st present:
- Advent calendar: These fun Christmas countdowns are perfect to build anticipation during the month of December. This year I’m gifting our family a Lego themed calendar, and I know my girls will love playing with each new piece as it is added to the winter scene.
- Holiday Pajamas: Everyone gets their own pajamas! They can be classic or holiday-themed, but they are always cozy. This is a special gift to wear throughout the Christmas season.
- Christmas Puzzle: One of my favorite holiday family activities is to gather around our table, turn on some Christmas music, and work on a puzzle together. We have so much fun talking, laughing, and just enjoying the ambiance.
- Christmas Read-Aloud Book: This year I am including The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson. This is a story about an old man who lives on the streets of Paris, enjoying his solitary life, until on Christmas Eve day, he finds three hungry children in his favorite spot. I love this heartwarming story about how Armand’s priorities change as he does whatever it takes to find these children a home.
- Toy Snow Balls: These fake snow balls are a great alternative if you’d like to have a snowball fight indoors. If you live somewhere that doesn’t get much snow, or you don’t like the cold associated with snow, these are a great alternative! The snow balls are soft, so you don’t have to worry about kids getting hurt. And they’re just the right size!
- Party Light: If you’ve been here a while, you know that I love to use this disco ball to create positive momentum through music and to add fun to my parenting. For the December 1st Party, use this disco ball to have a dance party (or a snowball fight) to your favorite Christmas playlist. One of my favorite features–the lights even change with the beat of the song!
- A Seasonal Treat: I love to include anything with peppermint, white chocolate, or gingerbread to add some tasty holiday flavors. Hershey’s Kisses are my go-to, since they are easy to share!
Embrace the spirit of the season with a December 1st party, and let the magic of Christmas fill your home all month long! Wishing you a joyful and enchanting holiday season!
If you want more ideas of how to make the Christmas season simple yet magical, you will also like these other great resources:
This is a fantastic idea! As Christians who are stopping the celebration of Christmas, I love the ideas you’ve suggested above on 12/1. Thank you!
Glad you like them! Feel free to make it your own.
Thank you for these resources! I already had my kids fill out the questions to find out what matters this Christmas! I was surprised by the answers and that my kids loved when we did “Ninja Christmas Giving” where we park a distance away and try to avoid Ring Doorbells to anonymously give to one of our neighbors. My kids might get ninja costumes instead of Pajamas because they are taking it to the next level! Thank you for your help in adding magic to the season!
I love this so much! The Christmas ninjas is a GREAT idea.
Ralphie, you make my life (and my kids lives) better every day! This is the first year we’ll be doing a December 1st party and I know my kids will be SO excited! I got a s’mores maker to add to the box as our special treat for the night! Thank you for this and for everything you do!!