Christmas Light Shows Add Hygge

Christmas is almost here and, as a busy mom, you will be feeling exhausted at the end of your day. It’s easy to use your exhaustion as an excuse to stay home. How about adding some hygge to the season? Break up the normal routine and take the family to see a Christmas light show. Simplify Christmas and plan a night out. Christmas light shows add hygge to your Christmas season.

I’ve been working long hours lately and have developed a comfortable evening routine of self-care. I delve into a “fun” book and whisk away to another world (#1 stress-busting hack). This was perfectly comfortable for me but I had noticed that I was a bit disconnected from the family.

They weren’t complaining about my long hours, but my guilt was adding up. A hygge night was needed where we plan a change in a routine so we can spend some time reconnecting. What better way to do that than to do something seasonal?

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We could have planned for some evening ice skating but after being on my feet all day, it was last on my list of choices. When the kids were little we would plan an outing to a local Christmas light show.

I preferred the small ones sponsored by a Lions Club or ones that gave the proceeds to a local charity. Don’t get me wrong, the large light displays are amazing, but if I can give back to a charity that’s my first choice.

We would make some hot chocolate and bundle up for what could be a cold night. The kids loved it. Flashing colorful lights, hot chocolate and simple memories with the family.

This year, we had scheduled one night to go see a Christmas light show but work either demanded more of me or I was too exhausted to go. We kept rescheduling trying to make it work until finally, I said, “Enough, let’s do this!”.

My feet hurt again, so walking around for another hour or more in the cold wasn’t something I was looking forward to. My introvert was also screaming at me for solidarity after being around people all day. What should I do?

I looked into our options and discovered that there was a Christmas light show outside of town that we could drive through. It was hosted by the local race track and the proceeds went to charity. Perfect!

We gathered in the car and took the short drive out of the city. This in itself was restoring my energy. Getting out of the city and being able to see stars in the night sky is completely restful.

As we entered the Christmas light show, the whole family was joyfully announcing the displays they saw. Then we entered the 12 days of Christmas display and we pathetically tried to figure out each one. Apparently, we suck at it unless we are singing it!

Are you singing “5 golden rings” right now? I am!

We even saw a motorhome lit up with Christmas lights going through the Christmas light show. It wasn’t part of the show but my husband got a kick out of bringing up the Griswald’s from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Our daughter asked who the Griswald’s were and after we got over the shock of her not knowing this movie, we decided to make it one of the Christmas movies we watched over the holidays. After all, it is one of our favorites!

Finding a Christmas Light Show

I’ve mentioned before that we are new to the city so finding places to go and things to do has pushed us out of our comfort zone. Sometimes the radio or social media will give us new ideas, but I recently found this great website that helps us plan some fun activities with the family.

Family Fun Canada gave me some great ideas for different Christmas Light shows in our city. I just went to the website and did a search for Christmas light shows in our city. It gave me all the best options and the details for cost and location.

What I love about this website is that they also give other family-friendly ideas for trips to other cities, even trips south to the USA. I’ll be using it to get some new ideas for family vacations and to find more fun activities in our own city.

It’s so easy to stay home after a long day of work. Curling up under a blanket and reading a book is blissful. However, finding moments to reconnect with the family is what helps to simplify Christmas. I challenge you today to plan an outing with the family one night this week. After all, Christmas light shows add hygge during the Christmas season.