There is something to be said about bucket lists, these must-have experiences to feel like we have lived a fulfilled life. Sometimes the items on these lists push us to adrenaline-inducing limits and boundaries to face a fear or literally stand at the ends of the earth, while others fill us with such joy, happiness, and warmth. But what about those must-do events around a special time of year or holiday? For instance, if you have followed us from the inception of this blog, you’ll know that autumn is a special season for us — yet we tend to try different things every year to broaden our idea of the common adventures like apple picking or viewing fall foliage.

Christmas is a bit different for us — for us, it’s all about traditions celebrated with family and friends. We always bake cookies, decorate a tree, sing Christmas carols. We’re basically living in a Hallmark movie for the entire month of December. As such, we’re fully embracing the spirit of the season and listing our seven bucket list items to get us in the holiday spirit.

Seven Items on our Christmas Bucket List

1. Cut Down of Very Own Christmas Tree: It’s become a tradition for us the day after Thanksgiving to head to a local tree farm and find the perfect Balsam Fir to adorn our beloved ornaments. We have always been a ‘real tree’ couple, and now that we live in the cutest apartment where we have enough room, we have promised ourselves to get a real one every year. The smell and the branches, nothing can really compare to the real thing.
   
2. Look at the Christmas Trees in Boston Common and the Public Garden: Whether you’re a fan of colorful lights or twinkling white bulbs, these parks have it all. The Common has one of the three main Christmas trees in Boston who’s lighting is televised locally. This Spruce represents an almost 90-year friendship between Boston and Nova Scotia and has multicolored stands adorning its branches. The rest of the trees in the Common glow one solid color, amplifying the beauty of its focal tree. The Public Garden, located right across Charles Street, is also a spectacle in white lights. We head here for some of the most sophisticated, classic interpretation of Christmas in Boston.
   
3. Watch a Christmas Movie Cuddled on the Couch: How do you choose just one, you may ask? Well, we don’t. It doesn’t feel like Christmas if we don’t sing along with Bing in White Christmas, laugh at Will Ferrell in that Elf costume, or cry at It’s a Wonderful Life. And, these movies don’t feel right if you aren’t wrapped up in a blanket, being held by a loved one.
   
4. Sip Spiked Hot Chocolate while Eating Christmas Cookies: We’re the biggest fans of hot chocolate with added flavors like marshmallows, cayenne, or peppermint. But what really makes us swoon is a little Bailey’s with a plate of Christmas cookies. Try it if you haven’t, you won’t be disappointed.
   
5. Stroll Down Commonwealth Avenue Mall: Taking inspiration from Parisian boulevards, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall’s 32 acres are lined with dozens of Elm trees. In the winter, these trees are lit with thousands of white lights. We always try to head here after a December date night, a lovely Newbury Street shopping excursion, or just to admire the lights in all their glory.
   
6. Dance to Christmas Carols: As you may know, we love music — Christmas carols are no different. Whether it’s a playlist of classics from Spotify or a Frank Sinatra record, you can usually find one of us grooving around the apartment humming along to our favorites.
   
7. Attend a Christmas Eve Service: Our faith is extremely important to us, so it definitely doesn’t feel right if we aren’t singing with a congregation in a church holding candles on Christmas Eve. It’s one of the most moving ways to remind us the reason for our season, and helps us to realign our perspective during the most wonderful time of the year.
   

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season? We’re always open to new traditions, share some of your favorites below, we’d love to try some!