Make the most of your holiday season with our list of the best Family Holiday Activities for kids and adults.

Our favorite time of the year has finally arrived! The holiday season is here – it’s the time to celebrate with family and friends. It is also the time to eat delicious food, drink good wine and enjoy fantastic desserts.

Add some holiday fun to your bucket list this holiday season. Chef Eric gathered up the best Holiday Family Activities to keep everyone entertained during the celebration. These activities will surely help you to leave the negative behind and create some great new memories!

1. Bake Holiday Cookies:
   
   Who doesn’t LOVE cookies? – Cookies make the world a better place!
   
   Baking can be such a fun activity to do with loved ones. This is not only a great Holiday Family Activity but also a lot healthier than buying them at the store. Baking and decorating cookies is a fun way to cherish the holidays. Kids love this kind of hands-on activity!
   
   
2. Host a Holiday Movie Night:
   
   A holiday movie marathon should definitely be on top of your list this year. Why? It is a FREE and fun activity for the whole family to enjoy. Hot cocoa, popcorn, and some holiday cookies are perfect to compliment this Holiday Family Activity.
   
   These classic holiday films will get you in the holiday spirit right away.
   
   The Santa CLause
   Home Alone
   Elf
   The Grinch
   The Holiday
   This Christmas
   A Christmas Story
   The Family Stone
   The Perfect Holiday
   
   
3. Donate Toys:
   
   This season is about giving – put a smile on someone’s face! Let’s open our hearts to the people who need it the most. How? – Donating your kids’ used toys in good condition or buying new ones. Where? – Charities, Your Local Church, The Salvation Army and Goodwill. This solidarity act brings joy, happiness, and hope to children in need. This Holiday Family Activity is also a great way to give thanks!
   
   
4. Holiday Greeting: Make videos or personalized cards to send unique messages to your loved ones. Let’s dedicate 5 minutes to record or write a greeting to our family or friends that cannot make it to the celebration. Let’s make them feel special regardless of the restrictions and the distance!
   
   
5. Family Recipes:
   
   The kitchen is one of the spaces in our house that unites us! Take advantage of this space and spice up your creativity. This is the time to cook with your loved ones. Make special holiday recipes and bake some goodies! Cooking is a great Holiday Family Activity and makes an unforgettable experience. Check out Chef Eric’s favorite holiday recipe at the end of this blog.
   
   
6. Guessing Flavors:
   
   You can prepare different desserts and put them on the table. Participants must have their eyes closed or use a blindfold to avoid cheating. Each guest must guess the flavors or ingredients that each dessert contains, the one with the most hits wins!
   
   
7. Wine Tasting:
   
   Wine Tasting from home? Why not?
   
   It may draw your friends’ or family’s attention to learn the differences between wines. Buy the necessary wines in advance and achieve a wine tasting at home!
   
   Join a virtual free wine event and learn the basics of Wine Tasting. Sites such as Wine.com are home to ongoing calendars of free wine tasting events.
   
   
8. Surprise Gift:
   
   The host of the celebration can hide a special gift in the house. This gift can be symbolic and directed to any age or gender. The host must give clues or a map with signs to reach the surprise gift, the participant who finds it wins. More than the gift itself, it is the fun that the whole family can enjoy with this game.

 

These ideas are a must in your Holiday Celebration! As promised, here is Chef Eric’s favorite holiday recipe: Mom’s Gingerbread Cookies and a little note from Chech Eric:

These cookies are a holiday favorite of mine – the kitchen smells so good while they are baking – and eating them hot out of the oven with a glass of cold milk, mmmm.

They always bring back great memories of Mom, home, and the holidays. I hope you and your family enjoy them!

Are you looking for a creative Christmas Gift this season? Consider our brand new Video Cooking Series: Chef Eric’s Online Cooking Classes.

NEW VIDEO CLASSES

Serve something amazing this holiday season. Visit Chef Eric’s YouTube channel for more delicious holiday recipes.

Happy Holidays

 

Mom’s Gingerbread Cookies                           Yield:  60 Cookies

 

          Butter, softened                                           4 ounces

          Eggs                                                             2 each

          Sugar, granulated                                       12 ounces

          Molasses                                                      1/2 cup

          Vinegar                                                         1 Tablespoon

          Flour, bread                                                 14 ounces

          Baking soda                                                 1 Tablespoon

          Ginger, ground                                            2 teaspoons

          Cinnamon, ground                                      1/2 teaspoon

          Cloves, ground                                            1/2 teaspoon

          Cardamom, ground                                     1/2 teaspoon

          Sugar, granulated

 

Method:

 

1.    Beat the butter and measured sugar until well combined.  Incorporate the eggs, molasses, and vinegar.

2.    Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.  Add to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.  Refrigerate.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3.    Divide the dough into two equal pieces (18 oz each).  Roll each piece into a rope and cut each rope into 30 pieces.

4.    Form the pieces into round balls, and roll the balls in granulated sugar to cover.  Place the cookies on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.

5.    Bake at 375 degrees until light brown on top but still soft in the center, approximately 10 minutes.

 

 

NOTE:  These cookies freeze well.  Bake the formed cookies directly from the freezer without thawing.