A Thompson Christmas: Sip Hot Cocoa with Family

It’s been awhile since we made it to the Galt House for a holiday celebration. Luckily, I stumbled upon their movie night at The Conservatory and we were able to sip hot cocoa and watch Elf. The Conservatory area overlooks downtown and is lit up with Christmas lights and decor. So you get the twinkle of outside with the warmth of inside. 

The kids enjoyed large cozy chairs with festive blankets from home and Christmas stuffies. They sipped ok complimentary delicious hot cocoa and munched on little bags of popcorn. 

Ryan and I sat at the bar table tops watching from above. We enjoyed delicious salads with a side of S’mores Old Fashioned. In my old age I’ve become a sucker for festive cocktails. 

A fun night to kick off 5 days until Christmas!

 

A Thompson Christmas: Wrap Holiday Presents

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is wrapping gifts for friends and family. Anticipating the joy that will come with the unwrapping of gifts makes for holiday magic. This year I was able to wrap in the daytime and the nighttime. I chose my childhood spot...the beautiful view of our Christmas tree lit up and Santa smiling from the window. Its almost time!

 

A Thompson Christmas: Decorate a Gingerbread House

We kicked off Christmas break with a fun afternoon of Gingerbread House making. This can often be a very stressful activity in our house because they don't always hold together...but this year we had a 50% success rate which was a win! The kid picked which North Pole Village shop they wanted to make. We had the Sweet Shop, the Bank, the Toy Shop and Santa's House. Everyone enjoyed decorating and eating these little treats ;)

 

A Thompson Christmas: Bake Treats for Neighbors

 We had a fun afternoon baking bread for our neighbors. We’ve been doing this for years but decided to add some extra Christmas cheer in 2024. We had an early dismissal mid-week so decided to “Elf” a few of our neighbors. We included a little Christmas family game with our famous poppyseed bread and of course a holiday card. The kids loved sneaking up to their front doors and leaving goodies for them to find. ‘Tis the season where giving us receiving!

A Thompson Christmas: Sing Christmas Carols

 The sweetest Christmas Carols are always from the voices of little angels...Salem Lucille sang and danced her heart out at her school Christmas Musical. Candy Cane Lane was as sweet as can be~ part sass and part sweet. She has practiced so hard for months and absolutely shined bright. It was also bittersweet for big sis Adelaide to help with the stage crew. For 8 years we have loved this holiday tradition, and we will cherish this last one forever!