Christmas countdown ideas
The magic of Christmas is often lost as we grow older. While we may have had sleepless nights as children in the run-up to Santa’s famed visit and left out platefuls of Christmas treats for Rudolf and his friends, grown-ups tend to feel festive later and later each year.
No one knows how to make Christmas more magical than Santa’s Lapland, and we are on a mission to make grown-ups as excited as kids this year.
We’ve teamed up with expert psychoanalyst, practising coach, and therapist Steve McKeown to reveal the ultimate date to start thinking about Christmas - discovered to be this weekend (Saturday 22nd October), with ten Saturdays to go. This optimum date to start feeling festive, allows time before the big day to take part in a whole host of activities to boost serotonin through small acts of festivity.
According to Steve, this weekend has specifically been chosen as Christmas decorations, gifts and food will begin appearing in stores, making it that bit easier to start feeling festive
Allowing a full ten weekends before the big day means you can plan ahead to prevent procrastination - in turn, minimising the release of cortisol, otherwise known as the ‘stress hormone,’ by leaving things to the last minute.
A Christmas Countdown
We have developed a list of 64 wonderfully festive ideas to engage in every day until Christmas, how many can you tick off?
October
22nd: Visit a garden centre to eye up Christmas decorations
23rd: Candle-making with Christmas spices, to burn over the festive season
24th: Make Reindeer Food - Chief Reindeer Herder’s secret recipe to start preparing ahead of the big day
25th: Make tree decorations from scratch
26th: Select a Christmas book to read, from old bookshelves or a second-hand bookstore
27th: Start putting aside small treats for a Christmas Eve box
28th:Try to compose your own Christmas carol
29th: Head down to a supermarket freezer aisle to feel festive while it’s still warmer weather
30th: Collect and paint conkers in festive colours to decorate the house
31st: Create your own snow globe with a snow globe kit. These also make for wonderful, personalised gifts!
November
1st: Use fairy lights to make a Christmas playhouse or den
2nd: Take a Christmas family photo
3rd: Make paper snowmen
4th: Begin writing your Christmas present list
5th: Watch Love Actually and then visit the famous filming locations around London
6th: Bake and ice a Christmas cake for a friend
7th: Dance around the kitchen to Christmas music - checking out some of this year’s new festive pop songs!
8th: Make your own unique Christmas cards
9th: Stock check last year’s baubles to see if any are broken and need replacing
10th: Write cards using new Royal Mail Christmas Stamps
11th: It’s the perfect day to pen a proper letter to Santa
12th: Cut out beautiful paper snowflakes and decorate windows
13th: Go ice skating
14th: Start creating a Christmas box for charities
15th: Dig out or purchase a second-hand Christmas jumper
16th: Construct your own wintery garland, with tips from Santa’s Lapland’s festive florist
17th: Make Christmas crackers
18th: Watch your favourite nostalgic Christmas movie
19th: Attend a school or village Christmas fête
20th: Stir Up Sunday! Santa’s Lapland-approved Christmas pudding recipe
21st: Make festive gingerbread and create a gingerbread house
22nd: Remind yourself of your favourite Christmas stories
23rd: Buy a special bauble to celebrate 2022
24th: Send out Christmas cards to friends and family
25th: One month to go: winter scavenger hunt
26th: Host a Friendsmas lunch
27th: Pop on festive bedding
28th: Switch to Christmas pyjamas
29th: Have a Christmas party night to celebrate the end of November
30th: Dress up in all kinds of festive fancy dress
December
1st: Open the first door to your advent calendar
2nd: Track Santa on Google
3rd: Hold a Christmas painting competition for the whole family
4th: Watch a Christmas movie that you haven’t seen before
5th: Go to a Santa’s grotto
6th: Tuck into your first mince pie of the year
7th: Hold a supermarket mince pie taste test, trying lots of different options
8th: Visit a Christmas market
9th: Christmas lights are switched on around the UK
10th: Build a snowman
11th: Take part in the 5k Santa Run at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (14th)
12th: Throw a snowball
13th: Bake and decorate Christmas cookies
14th: Display your Christmas cards in a fun way
15th: Time to put up the Christmas tree
16th: Host a Christmas recital for the whole family
17th: Hang stockings out by the fireplace
18th: Tune in to BBC to hear live how Santa’s reindeer are prepping for their big journey
19th: Sing your heart out at a carol concert
20th: Prepare ‘thank you’ cards for Santa, family, and friends
21st: Go to a Christmas pantomime
22nd: The big shop! Make your Christmas lunch shopping list and head to your favourite supermarket for this year’s big shop
23rd: Tuck into a treat from your Christmas Eve box
24th: Leave treats out for Santa and his reindeer - including an Eggnog if you or Santa fancies!
Discover our Santa's Lapland experiences
No one knows how to make Christmas more magical
Flights, transfers, half-board accommodation, a fun-filled activity trip and snowsuits are all included.
Seeing Lapland in the snow is all part of the experience, so if we decide that there’s not enough snow, you can change your travel dates, within the same season, or get a full refund.
A remote spot in the far north of Finland, 200km above the Arctic Circle among the snowy trees of Saariselkä.