Christmas is approaching and magic and love is in the air. Everyone is excited and want to ensure that this special holiday is enjoyed and appreciated by the whole family, but planning an itinerary is easier said than done. Different countries celebrate this holiday differently but in Kenya, we celebrate it like we have never had another holiday. Populace living in the city go to upcountry, Christmas tree is always decorated in the beginning of the month, children and adults are always shopping either for cloths, food and drinks, restaurants are always busy with food orders and walk in clients, hotels and home destinations are all booked for vacation all this in appreciation of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Festive season is an informal name for the period leading up to and including the holidays of Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Besides “sherehe” as we term it in Kenya is not the only activity you can do during the festive season although juggling between work, balancing budget and family interest is not easy and here at Winnies Pure Health we are willing to give you a list of top picks for Christmas activities and fun holiday card ideas the whole family can enjoy.

• Bake special, unique Christmas cookies

Baking cookies is a Christmas classic for reason. Cookies can be manipulated to different designs including ginger man that kids in the family would love to indulge in the preparation. Make it interesting by making different shapes that the kids relate to.

• Decorate a ginger bread

Christmas trees and Santa clause may be the most recognized symbol of quintessential Christmas, but there’s another holiday tradition that resonates deeply for anyone celebrating the merriest season. It is the gingerbread house. You can either buy the gingerbread kit or make it from scratch. Whichever you will choose the kids are sure to love decorating the model with all their favorite sweets.

• Plan for an either an outdoor or indoor family photoshoot

Need a reason for the whole family to dress up for the season? Plan a fun family photo shoot for an activity you’ll look back and smile about it. Look for Christmas hats and color to make it more fun for the kids to enjoy. Also, you can carry some treats to make the kids not get bored. You can make it more fun by adding a few props with the merry colors.

• Write letters to Santa

Kids really enjoy this activity, it has been a time-honored tradition, encourage kids to write by making templates they can use to write to Santa. This can also help you as a parent get to know how your kids think and feel.

• Attend a church service

Many churches offer a special service on Christmas eve, making it a great activity for a religious family. It is also a good opportunity to dress up in Christmas attire and teach the young the children the really meaning of Christmas.

• Plan to visit or invite family to join you over for Christmas

Sharing this beautiful and eventful season is the best thing you can do to your friends and family. Make meals are cookies that your visitors will enjoy also plan for games like ugly sweater party that your visitors will enjoy participating besides just food.

• Make decorations out of old Christmas cards

Are your holiday cards pilling and filling up space? If so this is a good activity to do to help you declutter your shelf, also it’s a life time habit you are encouraging your kids to learn to recycle and reuse.

• Volunteer and contribute to the community

Looking to give back to the community during holidays? Take your family to a local shelter or other volunteer organization. This is a good opportunity to teach your little one about the spirit of giving back to the society.

• Plan to go for a hike or camping

If you are looking for a way to cut off a Christmas meal, a family walk or hike is a great idea. It also helps the kids to get involved with nature and enjoy the local Christmas decorations and lights along the way.

The festive season is technically almost always a complete “write off” on healthy eating! The Christmas holiday, or even the month leading to it, are an inevitable showcase of abundant dinners and copious drinking “sherehe”. However, with all the parties and eating we should remember that it is just a season and we should consider doing things on budget to prevent over expenditure and later repercussions. Happy holidays!