Come December, most of us want to take a torch to our overflowing to-do lists and gleefully watch them burn. But there are a few things worth keeping and possibly checking twice.
- 1. Imperfection. After years of vowing to host a dinner party and then getting freaked out by the details and quitting, I’ve decided to forego perfection. The recipe? A giant pot of soup self-served into mugs, a big ol’ salad, potluck dessert, good wine and fun friends. Keeping your gatherings simple is more fun for your guests anyway.
- 2. Footy pajamas Donning grown-up footy PJs produces instant shock and awe on any blustery evening and is guaranteed to chase bad moods away. (It is impossible to be a grumpelstiltskin when your mom is standing in front of you in fuzzy jammies with feet.) Giant-sized footy jammies can be found at Target or online.
- 3. Volunteering to do anything Shovel someone’s sidewalk for free, ring the bells at a Salvation Army bucket or simply perform a few random acts of kindness with your kids. It matters what kids see us do way more than what they hear us say.
- 4 Caroling Serenading your crabby neighbors in the freezing cold may sound like a form of cruel and unusual punishment, but it’s actually ridiculously fun. If you really want to make your neighbors smile, sing a few traditional carols and then bust out The Black Eyed Peas’ song, “I Gotta Feelin’,” or Lady Gaga’s “Papparazzi.” (If you actually do this and send in the video to our editor, I promise to put it on my ChicagoParent.com blog, Flush and Wash.)
- 5. Cookie cutters. Sugar cookie dough is as simple as it gets and there are few things more fun than cookie cutters, sprinkles and a row of little bakers covered in flour. Pass by those preservative laden store-bought rolls of dough and take the time to make your own.
