Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt Free Printable (Updated for 2018!)

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

2 years ago, we found a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt online and printed it out for our annual drive around town.

It was SO  much fun.

However, some of the items were just impossible for us to find. People around here don’t really put Santa on their roofs and you don’t often find streets where only one house is undecorated.

This year, I made the lofty goal that we were going to find EVERYTHING on our Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt list!

Except…I cheated 😉

I made our own list! Everything on this list is manageable and I know (from experience) that we’ll find multiple instances of each and every item on this list in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The prize is that once we find everything on the list, we get to come home and have a special Christmas treat!

I decided to share the printable list with y’all. It might not fit your needs, but you can always change it up or play it however you like.

EDIT in 2018: Guess what!!! I have made an UPDATED printable! Or you can just look at it on your mobile device. Either way…I hope you enjoy! 

Click here to print the 2018 Christmas light scavenger hunt!

Or click here to print the previous scavenger hunt!

Or click on this image to print the full size Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Marshmallow Madness: Snowmen S’mores & Marshmallow Snowmen Candy Sticks (A How-To)

This is a repost of a very popular 2014 craft! Let me know if you make it!

Yesterday was a big BIG day for my kids! They each had a fun school Christmas Party.

That tray above had big plans. That was the before, and here are the afters:

Snowman Marshmallow S’mores


You might remember that for Halloween, I made these adorable Ghost Peep S’mores as gifts for the kid’s classmates.

So when I was searching for a great classmate gift for Christmas, and I stumbled upon my friend Stacie’s adorable Snowman Marshmallow S’mores on her blog The Amazing Mess (fabulous blog, you should check it out!), I knew I had to make them!

I’m totally going to be known as the Crazy S’more Lady at the school! 😉 (Now to brainstorm an Easter S’more gift!)

Head on over to the Amazing Mess to get this super simple gift idea.

Marshmallow Snowmen Candy Sticks


Next, I needed a centerpiece for Lizzie’s classroom. I was in charge of decorations, and since I was sick with Strep Throat all last week, I was coming down to the wire! I saw these adorable Sugar Crystal Covered Snowmen and I knew I had to make them!

They were super simple to make:

Ingredients:

  • Light Karo Syrup
  • Clean  small paintbrush
  • Large Marshmallows
  • Candy Sticks (I got the long ones)
  • White Sparkling Sugar
  • Rolos
  • Mini Oreo Cookies
  • Fudge Frosting
  • Mini Chocolate Chips
  • Orange confetti sprinkles

Directions:

  1. “Paint” the sides of each marshmallow with karo syrup and roll it around in the sparkling sugar to coat.
  2. Push 3 marshmalllows onto each Candy Stick
  3. Make a face using the mini chocolate chips (I just pushed in with the pointy side) and the orange confetti sprinkle (I had to put a bit of Karo Syrup on my sprinkle to make it stick)
  4. Take your oreos apart.
  5. Eat the side with the frosting 😉
  6. On the other side, use the fudge frosting to stick the rolo to the top and to attach the hat to the top marshmallow

After this point, I found a basket and stuck a small styrofoam block in it (just one that came in with a package). Next I stuck my candy stick Snowmen into the styrofoam and filled the bottom with mini marshmallows. I tied some ripped fabric for a pretty effect.

They were a real hit with the kids and they were pretty simple to execute!

Both of these projects were done in about an hour and a half at a frantic pace, but the results were well worth it!

What Christmas crafts have you done this year?

Why You Need To Start Working On Your Christmas Budget Now

Whether you are on a tight budget, barely making it paycheck to paycheck, or comfortably setting aside a chunk of change into a robust savings account each week, it’s time to start thinking about your Christmas budget! Have a more joyful and stress free Christmas season by getting organized for Christmas NOW in 5 easy steps! 

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is closer than you think.

If you are like me, I like to take life one day and one HOLIDAY at a time.

However, this can be short sighted when it comes to BIG holidays like Christmas. Preparation and good financial planning is important to truly enjoy these holidays that often come with a big price tag.

A well thought out Christmas Budget can make a HUGE difference in your enjoyment of the most wonderful time of the year.

Here are a few things you can do NOW to make your Christmas season a bit more stress free!

Christmas Budget Tip #1: Decide What Your Realistic Christmas Budget Will Be

What can you afford? This will involve you sitting down with whoever else is involved in the financial decisions in your household and having a conversation about what is realistic. Do you already have money set aside?

Do you need to start saving? What is a reasonable amount to save each week? Do you need to cut something that you aren’t really using anyways?

Some banks and credit unions offer special Christmas accounts that automatically take a set amount of money from your bank account each month and set it aside for you. This can be an awesome way to make adding to your Christmas Budget a bit less stressful!

Christmas Budget Tip #2: Write Up A List of Who You Need To Buy For

Who are you buying for this year? It’s time to make a list of alllll your loved ones and decide who is getting a gift from you this year.

In addition, don’t forget teachers, extra tips for hairstylists, etc.

Basically, if you even *think* you will spend more money on this person than you ordinarily would the rest of the year, include them on this list.

Christmas Budget Tip #3: Decide How Much You Will Spend Per Person

Now it’s time to decide how much you want to spend on each individual. It might be a good idea to write down your ideal next to everybody’s name and then work backwards. After you have all of the dollar amounts written down, compare that to the number you worked out in step 1.

It it’s equal to, or less than, your set budget…great job!

If it’s more than your set Christmas budget, you have a few options. First option is to go back and start decreasing the amounts you will spend on each person.

You other option is to see tip #4!

Christmas Budget Tip #4: Do You Need To Make Extra Money?

Maybe you only need a bit more money to hit your Christmas budget! Or maybe, you realized on your current income, you can’t afford Christmas gifts at all!

I encourage you to check out the following posts to learn how you can make OR find more money to add to your Christmas Budget:

Baby Clothes: How To Save Money and How To Make Money
10 Ways to Make Living On One Income Easier
WMFW: Small Trickles Make A Stream (Make Money Online)
How to Shop a Thrift Store
How to Start a (Money Making) Mom Blog
10 Tips For Learning How to Use Coupons

Christmas Budget Tip #5 Start Shopping

Start shopping right away!

I post deals ALL YEAR LONG. I highly encourage you to create a gift closet! If you periodically stock your gift closet all year long, not only will it help you at Christmas time, but it can also help you with birthday parties, housewarming parties, baby showers, etc!

If you have specific ideas for what you want to get each person, be sure to join my Family Friendly Frugality facebook group to keep up with the deals I post each day. You can also email me directly to let me know what you are looking for a deal on!

3 Great Gift Ideas For the Last Minute Shopper!

We are coming down to the wire now! If you have same day shipping availability with Amazon, you might still be able to order a gift, but you will be cutting it close!

Here are some gift ideas if you need something ASAP!

Something Homemade: Who doesn’t love homemade gifts? We all do! I have a fun Homemade Christmas Gifts board on Pinterest that I’d love for you to check out! (Follow me on Pinterest here!)

Follow Heather Shaw’s board {Homemade Christmas Gifts} on Pinterest.
Gift Cards!:  I mean seriously. I know some people claim they are lazy gifts. Well, I’ll take this “lazy” gift any day! Gift cards are a great way of saying, “I care about you enough to let you get what YOU really want!”

Magazine Subscriptions: Okay, this is GREAT! It’s the gift that keeps on giving ALL YEAR LONG! Go ahead and purchase a subscription for your loved one (use the coupon code FAMILYFRIENDLY to save on magazine subscriptions from DiscountMags.com) and then purchase the current issue out in stores. Print out your subscription receipt and gift the current issue with the receipt during your gift exchange!

Weathered Barnwood Rustic Nativity Scene On Sale $13.99 + Free Shipping

I love this. Right now, you can grab this Weathered Barnwood Rustic Nativity Scene for just $13.99 with free shipping from Jane.com.

Details: 

  • The center slice measures 3.5″ wide by 5.5″ tall.
  • The shorter ones measure 3.5″ wide by 4″ tall.
  • Each order contains the three slices shown.
  • Order one or enough for the whole family!
  • Ready to gift!

Enjoy!

Snowmen From A Hand Print Keepsake Christmas Ornament (Easy & Frugal!)

If you enjoy this craft, be sure to Pin it!

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Looking for a cute memorable Christmas Ornament craft to do with your kids or students?

Check out this Snowmen From A Hand Print Keepsake Christmas Ornament that my daughter came home from school with today!

It’s an ordinary ball ornament, but if you look closely, you can tell it’s ACTUALLY her handprint!

It looks like they dipped her hand in some white pant and had her place her hand as if she was holding the ornament. Then (after the paint dried) with either markers or colored sharpies they created snowmen out of her fingers and thumbs! On the opposite side is her name and the year.

Then they tied a little ribbon to the top.

SO cute! Definitely a keepsake that will be on our tree for a long time to come!

Enjoy!

Thanks to Ms Saskia & Ms Karen for this AWESOME crafty Christmas idea!

ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas 2013 Schedule

One of my favorite things to do during the month of December is watch movies on ABC Family! I love ABC Family 25 days of Christmas!

I always end up messing up and missing some of my favorites though, so for the past few years, I’ve made it a point to get the list ahead of time. This way I can set the shows we really want to watch to record. No worries about missing your favorites!

Please share this list with your friends and family so everyone can enjoy the 25 days of Christmas!

(List compiled thanks to ABC Family)

Sunday December 1st (Day 1)

  • 7-8:30AM ET/PT – Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
  • 8:30-10AM ET/PT – Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
  • 10-12PM ET/PT – Santa Buddies
  • 12 -3PM ET/PT – The Family Man
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – Disney’s A Christmas Carol
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Polar Express
  • 7-9:30PM ET/PT – Dr.Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Monday December 2nd (Day 2)

  • 6-6:30PM ET/PT – Winie the Pooh and Christmas Too
  • 6:30-7PM ET/PT – Mickey’s Christmas Carol
  • 7-8PM ET/PT – Jack Frost (1979)
  • 8 -10PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Tuesday December 3rd (Day 3)
  • 6-8PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 8 -10PM ET/PT – Scrooged
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
  • 12 – 2AM ET/PT – Three Days

Wednesday December 4th (Day 4)

  • 6-8PM ET/PT – Scrooged
  • 8 -10PM ET/PT – National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – Deck the Halls
  • 12 – 2AM ET/PT – A Very Brady Christmas

Thursday December 5th (Day 5)

  • 6-7PM ET/PT – Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
  • 7 -9PM ET/PT – The Polar Express
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – The Muppet Christmas Carol

Friday December 6th (Day 6)

  • 6-6:30PM ET/PT – Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
  • 6:30 -8:30PM ET/PT – National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – Deck the Halls
  • 12 – 2AM ET/PT – A Very Brady Christmas

Saturday December 7th (Day 7)

  • 7-8:30AM ET/PT – Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys
  • 8:30-10:30AM ET/PT – Home Alone: The Holiday Heist
  • 10:30-12:30PM ET/PT – Prancer
  • 12:30 -2:30PM ET/PT – All I Want for Christmas
  • 2:30-4:30PM ET/PT – Disney’s A Christmas Carol
  • 4:30-7PM ET/PT – Dr.Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • 7-9PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3
  • 11PM-1AM ET/PT – Deck the Halls

Sunday December 8th (Day 8)

  • 7-8AM ET/PT – Jack Frost (1979)
  • 8-10AM ET/PT – Christmas Cupid
  • 10-12PM ET/PT – Snowglobe
  • 12 -2PM ET/PT – Santa Baby
  • 2-4PM ET/PT -Santa Baby 2
  • 4-6PM ET/PT – 12 Dates of Christmas
  • 6-8PM ET/PT – The Mistle Tones
  • 8-10PM ET/PT – Holidaze
  • 10PM-11PM ET/PT – Holiday in Handcuffs

 Monday December 9th (Day 9)

  • 6-8PM ET/PT – Holidaze
  • 8-10:30PM ET/PT – Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • 10:30-11PM ET/PT – Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
  • 12 – 2AM ET/PT – 12 Dates of Christmas
Tuesday December 10th (Day 10)
  • 6-6:30PM ET/PT – A Chipmunk Christmas
  • 6:30 -9PM ET/PT – Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – The Year without Santa Claus
  • 12 – 2AM ET/PT – SnowGlobe
Wednesday December 11th (Day 11)
  • 6-8PM ET/PT – Holiday in Handcuffs
  • 8-8:30PM ET/PT – Melissa & Joey
  • 8:30-9PM ET/PT – Baby Daddy
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Thursday December 12th (Day 12)

  • 6-6:30PM ET/PT – Baby Dady
  • 6:30 -7PM ET/PT – Melissa & Joey
  • 7-9PM ET/PT – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – Scrooged
  • 12-2AM ET/PT – All I Want for Christmas
Friday December 13th (Day 13)
  • 4-4:30PM ET/PT – Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
  • 4:30 -6:20PM ET/PT – Disney Pixars Toy Story
  • 6:20-8:20PM ET/PT – Disney Pixars Toy Story 2
  • 8:20-10:30PM ET/PT – Disney Pixar Toy Story 3
  • 10:30 -11PM ET/PM – Disney Pixar Toy Story of Terror
  • 12-2AM ET/PT – Chasing Christmas

Saturday December 14th (Day 14)

  • 7-7:30AM ET/PT – Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
  • 7:30-8AM ET/PT – Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
  • 8-9:30AM ET/PT -The Pooh
  • 10-11:30AM ET/PT – Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
  • 11:30-1:00 PM ET/PT – Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
  • 1-1:30PM ET/PT -Mickey’s Christmas Carol
  • 1:30-2PM ET/PT – Disney Pixar’s Toy Story of Terror
  • 2-3:50PM ET/PT – Disney Pixar’s Toy Story
  • 3:50-5:50PM ET/PT – Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 2
  • 5:50-8PM ET/PT – Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3
  • 8PM – 9:45 ET/PT – Disney’s The Little Mermaid
  • 11:30 – 1:30AM – The Muppet Christmas Carol

Sunday December 15th (Day 15)

  • 7:30-9AM ET/PT – Mickey’s Once UPon a CHristmas
  • 9-10:30AM ET/PT – MIckey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
  • 10:30-11AM ET/PT – Disney’s Prep & Landing
  • 11-11:30AM ET/PT – Disney’s Prep & Landing Naughty vs Nice
  • 11:30-12PM ET/PT – Mickey’s Christmas Carol
  • 12-2PM ET/PT – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
  • 2-4PM ET/PT – All I Want for Chistmas
  • 4-6PM ET/PT – Deck the Halls
  • 6-8PM ET/PT – The Muppen Christmas Carrol
  • 8-10PM ET/PT – National LAmpoon’s Chrismas Vacation
  • 10-12PM ET/PT – Scrooged

Monday December 16th (Day 16)

  • 7-9AM ET/PT – Snow
  • 7-9PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 2
  • 11-1AM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3
  • 1-1:30AM ET/PT – Disney’s Prep & Landing
  • 1:30-2AM ET/PT – Disney’s Prep & Landing Naughty vs Nice
Tuesday December 17th (Day 17)
  • 7-9AM ET/PT – Three Days
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – Unlikely Angel
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – Prancer
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – I’ll be Home for Christmas
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 7-9 PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 2
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – The Polar Express

Wednesday December 18th (Day 18)

  • 7-9AM ET/PT – Holidaze
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – Secret Santa
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – The Mistle Tones
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – Santa Baby
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – Santa Baby 2
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Polar Express
  • 7-7:30PM ET/PT – Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
  • 7:30- 8PM ET/PT – Mickey’s Christmas Carol
  • 8-11PM ET/PT – Mary Poppins

Thursday December 19 (Day 19)

  •  7-9AM ET/PT – Eloise At Christmas Time
  • 9-12PM ET/PT – Mary Poppins
  • 12-2PM ET/PT – 12 Dates of Christmas
  • 2-4PM ET/PT – Holiday in Handcuffs
  • 4-7PM ET/PT – The Family Man
  • 7-8:30PM ET/PT – Rudolph The Red Nosed Redindeer adn the Island of Misfit Toys
  • 8:30 – 11PM ET/PT – Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • 12-2AM ET/PT – Deck the Halls

Friday Decemer 20 (Day 20)

  • 7-9AM ET/PT – Chasing Christmas
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – Christams Every Day
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – Christmas Do Over
  • 1-4PM ET/PT – The Family Man
  • 4-5:30 ET/PT – Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer adn the Island of Misfit Toys
  • 5:30-6PM ET/PT – Frosty’s Winter WOnderland
  • 6-6:30PM ET/PT – A Chipmond Christmas
  • 6:30-9PM ET/PT – Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Saturday December 21 (Day 21)

  • 7-7:30Am ET/PT – Nestor The Long Eared Christmas Donkey
  • 7:30-8AM ET/PT  – The Little Drummer Boy
  • 8-9AM ET/PT – Pinocchio’s Christmas
  • 9-10AM ET/PT – The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
  • 10-10:30 ET/PT – Twas the night Before Christmas
  • 10:30-11:30 ET/PT – Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
  • 11:30-1:30PM ET/PT – Rudolph and Frost’s Christmas in July
  • 1:30-2:30PM ET/PT – The Year without a Santa Claus
  • 2:30-3:30PM ET/PT – Santa Claus is Comin to Town
  • 3:30-4:00PM ET/PT – A Chipmunk Christmas
  • 4-6PM ET/PT – National Lampoon’s CHristmas Vacation
  • 6-8PM ET/PT – The Santa Caluse
  • 8-10PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 2
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3
  • 12-2AM ET/PT – The Mistle Tones

Sunday December 22 (Day 22)

  • 7-8AM ET/PT – The Year without Santa Clause
  • 8-9AM ET/PT – Santa Claus is comin to Town
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – Unaccompanied Minors
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – The Santa Claus
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – The Santa Claus 2
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Santa Clas 3
  • 7-9:30 ET/PT – Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Monday December 23 (Day 23)

  • 7-9AM ET/PT – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – A Dennis the Menace Christmas
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – Home Alone: The HOlidayHeist
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – Deck the Halls
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – Disney’s A Christmas Carol
  • 5-6PM ET/PT – Jack Frost (1979)
  • 6-7PM ET/PT – Santa Claus is Comin to Town
  • 7-8PM ET/PT – The Year without Santa Claus
  • 8-10PM ET/PT – The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • 10-12AM ET/PT – The Polar Express
  • 12-2AM ET/PT – Scrooged

Tuesday December 24 (Day 24)

  • 7-9AM ET/PT – A Very Brady Christmas
  • 9-11AM ET/PT – Twas the Night Before Christmas
  • 11-1PM ET/PT – Scrooged
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – The Polar Express
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – A Muppet Christmas Carol
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 7-9PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 2
  • 9-11PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3
  • 8-10PM ET/PT – The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • 12-2AM ET/PT -National Lampoons Christmas

Wednesday December 25 (Day 25)

  • 7-7:30AM ET/PT – Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
  • 7:30-8:30Am ET/PT – The Year without a Santa Clause
  • 8:30-9:30AM ET/PT – Santa Claus is Comin to Town
  • 11-1PM – The Muppet Chrismas Carol
  • 1-3PM ET/PT – Natinoal Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
  • 3-5PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause
  • 5-7PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 2
  • 7-9PM ET/PT – The Santa Clause 3

 

Teacher Christmas Gift: Useful Utility Box Filled w/ Goodies and Essentials!

Please PIN this post on Pinterest!

My sister in law recently sent me these pictures of an ADORABLE Teacher Christmas Gift she made for my nephew’s teachers!

She was inspired by a photo she saw on Pinterest, that came from this tutorial on Eighteen 25.

Isn’t this adorable?


Here’s her price breakdown:

  • Boxes $4 each
  • Misc items to fill boxes: ~$10 (she made multiple boxes and the $10 covered all supplies for all boxes)

That’s a $14 gift filled with useful items INSIDE a reusable, useful container!

I can’t think of a teacher that wouldn’t love such a thoughtful gift!

Thanks Christina for the pictures and the idea!

 

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