7 Lists for Your 12 Days of Christmas and Beyond

So you want to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas this year, but what do you DO that whole time? Here's my lists of 12 cookies/sweets, Christmas movies and songs, beverages for the grown ups, outings, my winter reading list, and my top 12 one-pot or crockpot dishes from the past year.

12 Cookies/Sweet Treats

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Gingerbread
Chocolate Crinkles
Mock Peanut Brittle
Rice Crispy Treats
Christmas Fudge
German Chocolate Cheesecake
Mug Cakes
Kings Cake Coffee Cake

12 Christmas Movies

Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer - the 1964 one
White Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life
Charlie Brown Christmas
Frosty the Snowman - 1969 version. Go nostalgic or go home.
The Santa Clause
The Polar Express
Meet Me in St. Louis - It has a classic Christmas song in it sung by Judy Garland! It counts!
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
Miracle on 34th Street
Holiday Inn
A Christmas Story - This is my husband's favorite Christmas movie. It's far from mine, but I love my husband so it gets to live on my list.

12 Adult Beverages

Something important to know about me, if you want to bond over Vodka, fruity drinks, or anything alcoholic that does not taste alcoholic....it ain't happening. Sorry.
All of the recommendations to follow involve Bourbon, Whiskey, Ale, Coffee, and other hallmarks of a, slightly hipster, old Irish man.

Christmas Old Fashioned - or just a regular Old Fashioned, but it's fun to be festive.
Irish Coffee
Hot Buttered Bourbon
Mulled Wine - I'll probably make this recipe, plus the article includes lots of other warm drinks (not necessarily alcoholic) to make in your slow cooker.
Maple Manhattan
Revolver - my twist on this is to use regular bitters and slightly burn the orange peel before putting it in the drink. Gives it a nice, smokey, orange flavor.
Hot Toddy
Negroni
Bourbon Sidecar
Salted Caramel Eggnog 
Kahlua Hot Chocolate
Christmas Ale- my ideal plan would be to get a growler of Christmas ale, or stout, from a local brewery, but I'll likely end up buying a pack of Anchor Steam's Christmas Ale. It's consistently delicious!

12 Out and About Adventures

Winter hike
Art Museum
Winter or Christmas Festival
History Museum
Historical Home
Drive to look at Christmas lights
Try a new resturant
Ice Fishing
New Library or Bookstore
Zoo or Aquarium
Snowshoeing
Sports Game or Theater show

12 Christmas Songs

Music is a big part of our day. (If you're singing, you're not fighting! Generally!) Here are some of the Christmas songs and carols I'll be doing with the kids during the 12 days of Christmas. Some are musically simple and some are a little more challenging.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Yes, I know it's an Advent song, but it's pretty and the kids have spent the past month learning it in English and Latin, so it's an achievable option!)
Jingle Bells
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Silent Night
O Christmas Tree
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Hark the Harold
Away in a Manger
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Here We Come A-wassailing
12 Days of Christmas
The First Noel

12 Books on My Winter Reading List

I'm an eclectic reader, but you can generally bet I'll have a good amount of non-fiction, an autobiography, and a smattering of fiction on my list. It's a mix of heavy and light, heady and quick.

Super Girls and Halos by Maria Morera Johnson
Keeping Christmas: Yuletide Traditions in Norway and the New Land by Kathleen Stokker
Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II by George Wigel
Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters by Erica Komisar
On Pilgrimage by Dorthy Day
Strangers and Sojourners by Michael D. O'Brian
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism by Robert Barron
Getting Past Perfect: How to Find Grace and Joy in the Messiness of Motherhood by Kate Wicker
Haystack Full of Needles: A Catholic Home Educator's Guide to Socialization by Alice Gunther
The Book of Margery Kempe by Margery Kempe

12 Warming Dishes

I collected my top 12 one pot/pan/skillet or crockpot dishes that I tested out this year. No cold recommendations here!

One Pot Creamy Parmesan Garlic Risotto with Lemon Pepper Chicken
One-Pan Maple-Dijon Chicken with Winter Veggies
Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli Soup
Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Skillet Shepard's Pie
One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Marsala
One Skillet Thai Chicken Thighs + Noodles
Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
Crock Pot Chicken Pho
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Slow Cooker "Rotisserie" Chicken - (This is what I use before I make chicken stock. It's delicious! And cheap! Instructions for that in this post.)



It should be noted that I am only planning on completing the first 3 lists during the 12 Days of Christmas. The rest are take-as-you-will ideas for the 12 Days. This is supposed to be fun, not stressful!

For details on how we make 12 days of celebration possible, see this post

: