Ho-ho-ho, it’s time to share the update for my 2019 mini Christmas bucket list. Before reading this update, you might want to read the original post, here. Typically, I am very enthusiastic about my seasonal bucket list activities. But this time my heart really wasn’t into it. I knew as I put together my list that I wasn’t ‘feeling it’ so kept things short and sweet.
My 2019 Mini Christmas Bucket List
Here’s what I was hoping to do. While there were lots of things I hoped to do before the holidays, these were some of extra activities I had planned in addition to the traditional tree trimming, house deocrating, baking and cooking. PC doesn’t like Christmas but he has been very sweet to help me with preparations. He even helped make our Christmas cards!!
In addition to this mini-list below, and all the decorating and cooking, I would like to put together another Bethlehem dinner, and do another Christmas light scavenger hunt. We’ll see if that happens. Here’s what I’ve been working toward accomplishing.
Be Blessed to be a Blessing
Early in November I shared a list of 10 favorite gifts for 10 on the 10th. The items on that list became my first mini Christmas bucket list activity.
- Pick up trash. ✔️ Everywhere we go, I pick up at least 3 pieces of trash. I’m an all seasons garbage collector, not just at Christmas.
- Take donations to the El Paso animal shelter. ✔️ Took bones and treats for the puppies and kitties. And isn’t this a flattering photo?
- Collect food for church. ✔️ Several types of things and my beloved peanut butter.
- Provide books for some Little Free Libraries. ❌ Not yet. Will try to get this done over the next few weeks. Have looked into getting a Little Free Library to put in our neighborhood park or maybe even in our yard. The Woodworkers Club of El Paso makes LFLs and sells them for $100.00. I brought the second LFL in El Paso to the elementary school from which I retired. Placed another in a library where I was a long term sub in honor of the librarian who had worked there for years. The photos below were taken of that library.
- Donate arts and crafts supplies to the children’s hospital. ❌ Not yet but would like to take these supplies to the children who are hospitalized during the holidays. I need to sort through my many scrapbooking supplies.
And…
- Adopt a classroom through Donors Choose. I adopted the classroom of the teacher with whom I worked during one of my long term library sub jobs. She is hoping to build a classroom library and to encourage her students to read, read, read. With my donation, I sent the following message:
Leslie (Roberts) Clingan from Texas gave to We Love to Read!
So proud of the wonderful teacher you are. Hoping Santa comes through for you and your students so that you can continue to love to read.
- Provide a new blanket to the Extreme Weather Task Force (EWTF). ✔️ Our church was collecting blankets for the task force so I left our blankets with them.
- Put together a care package for a deployed soldier. ✔️ This was a slightly selfish endeavor. My nephew Trey enlisted in the Army and started Basic Training in October. I sent snail mail letters, email letters through a service called Sandboxx, and several packages.
- Check with the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home to see what donations they need. ❌ Need to stop by to see what donations they could use. In the meantime, made a small monetary donation in honor of my very own vet.
- Take a name from the Christmas angel tree. ✔️ Our gym had an angel tree with the names of several orphaned or abandoned children from Rancho los Amigos. I selected 12 year-old Teresa’s name. PC and I enjoyed buying clothes and a few other things for her and packaging it all into a new backpack for her.
Make a Gingerbread Something and Decorate It
✔️- kinda Here I am at 61, hoping to make and decorate my first gingerbread house. I bought a single gingerbread house kit but today I saw a kit that comes with 4 little houses. Think I will get it so that all of us can decorate a house when we are together after Christmas. Don’t you think that will be fun?
[source]
Read Christmas Stories to Lucia and Cadence
✔️- kinda I have several favorite Christmas picture books but would like to build on my personal holiday library. Had thought I could make a video of myself reading a book or two so the girls will have it to share with their children someday. But that hasn’t happened. YET. I did read a new Christmas book with Lucia. And have purchased several other books. Of course, this retired librarian has included new books among the gifts I am giving to my grands. Now to have the babies here to read to.
Put Together a Cocoa Bar
✔️- kinda I have a delicious Mexican hot chocolate recipe to make, here. And have super cute cocoa bar decor and the perfect place in the kitchen to set it all up. Just need the family to get here!! Plan on making a crock pot of cocoa and having all kinds of goodies to add to it, toppings, etc. Found a few cute glass containers for the toppings. Bought some Santa chocolate-covered marshmallows and festive paper coffee (cocoa) cups. Pinned a number of photos of cocoa or hot chocolate bars on Pinterest including this pin with great suggestions for cocoa toppings.
Find a Christmas Ornament to Represent This Year
✔️ We’ve had another wild ride this year! Guess that’s just LIFE. Had thought maybe a tornado-shaped ornament would represent the crazy. But found a simple metal ornament with a single word that summed up what has gotten us through this roller coaster ride. BELIEVE. Having faith or believing that in the end, everything will be okay. Thank You, God.
Give Our Christmas Decorations Some New Life
✔️ We wanted to try something new outside in the yard. Our first inflatable. Debated over a “snowmam” (Lucia-speak), gingerbread man (or would that be “mam,” too?) or this nativity scene. Thought a second about the reason for the season, and the choice became clear. Tried something new in my wheelbarrow and by the front door. Decided to go with a snowmam and tree theme so I can keep the decorations up through January!! Just call me lazy. Inside, I added a few gingerbread men and snow flakes and “snow-mams,” hope to do a quick holiday home tour this weekend.
Brennyn, Mustafa and Cadence arrive on the 26th. We are hoping that Cami (36 weeks gestation), doesn’t arrive until her birth-date of o1.15.2020. In the meantime, I hope to tie up all of the loose ends on my 2019 mini Christmas bucket list and have a wonderful holiday surrounded by those I love most.
Your Turn
What activities made your 2019 mini-Christmas bucket list? How did you fare on accomplishing your planned activities? Did you try anything new this year? Do you have a favorite tradition you look forward to? Please link up your bucket list related post below or tell me about your accomplishments in a comment below.
How did you feel about 2019? Great year, fair-to-middlin’? Or pure garbage? We had lots of good moments but the year began very stressfully and is winding up the same way. How ’bout my Bitmoji’s gray hair? That speaks volumes!!
Hopeful for the new year and new decade. Enjoy your weekend!!
Hugs and kisses,
Natalie
I love your holiday decorations, Leslie, and how generous you’re with your donations and adoption. Your grands will love their reading time with you, and remember to share your gingerbread houses with us after you make them. My family will have a big get-together on December 26. Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!
Lauren Buendia
I love, love, love the inflatable. I want one so badly. We would be happy to do a gingerbread house with you.. Love you!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, baby for coming by!! We didn’t get those gingerbread houses made but maybe next year. And we had some good times doing other things this holiday season. I love you!!
Amy Johnson
My, aren’t you a generous little elf at Christmas! I’m in awe at your selflessness. My Christmas bucket list is very selfish: decorate my home, write Christmas cards, shopping, baking, going to our Christmas Eve service.
Valerie Price
Trey loved his care packages and said he hoped he had written you a letter. I thought he did, but now I can reassure him. He loves his aunt Leslie and Uncle Paul. Thank you for always thinking of others.
Cindi
2019? What’s that?
LOL.
It’s over.
And that’s a very good thing.
Helen
Wow. I feel exhausted just reading that. You are very generous with your time. Good on you. I always stress out a bit before the big day and then it all comes together. I’m in Australia so our Christmas focuses on staying cool. Swimming, cool drinks, aircon and a game of cricket or football in the backyard after lunch. 2019 was an ok sort of year. Ups and downs as usual. Merry Christmas to your family.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hello, Helen!! Thank you for coming by and leaving such a sweet comment. I find it so interesting that Christmas is warm in Australia. Seems so funny, so foreign to me and yet, all of us here always think how nice a holiday at the beach in the warmth would be. Hope you had a memorable time with the family, and were able to stay cool. Wishing you a terrific 2020!!
Juhli
I love “snowmam”! Makes me think of a snowman with a frilly scarf and flowered hat. Enjoy your holiday with your family.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Great visual you described for snowmam. That Lucia is a pretty crazy baby. Merry Hanukkah and happy Christmas.
Deb
How generous you are Leslie – so very thoughtful. I bet you are counting down the hours to the rest of your family arriving and hoping that Cami waits for them to get here too!
2019 had some huge ‘ups’, a few ‘downs’, a sprinkling of anxiety and a mix of relief. Guess every year is similar in one way or another, we just need to concentrate on the good bits!
Have a lovely Christmas x
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You are very kind, Deb. I wish I had enough money to make a real difference in this world. But hope to bring a little sunshine where I can. 2019 seemed to have been a tough year for everyone I know. So I think we are all looking forward to the hope of a better year with 2020. Merry Christmas!
Bri
You did great at your list! Loved reading it, and love seeing your decor, Leslie!
Have a blessed Christmas!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Bri. So glad to have reconnected with you this year. Merry Christmas!!
Gale
You have such a generous spirit! I think you did a fabulous job with your Christmas Bucket List! A very merry Christmas to you and your precious family!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
What a sweet message. Thank you. Happy new year to you!
Christie Hawkes
I love how much focus you put on doing good–being a gift, as you said. If I do one or two of those things during the season, I pat myself on the back. You are a light in the darkness, my friend.I also love the idea of reading some stories on video for your grandchildren. I used to love reading to the little ones. Now they can read to me! I wish you and your family the merriest of Christmases and a happy, peaceful new year. XOXO
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Christie, you are so kind. We enjoyed a busy but wonderful holiday. I did get some reading in with my little ones. But didn’t get a book read on video. Going to try again to make vlog a priority in this shiny new year. Happy new year, dear, dear friend. May we both have peace and happiness. Thinking of you at this difficult time.
Patricia Doyle
Leslie, You are so generous, with your time and money! Truly an inspiration.
Oh, I too bought my first ever gingerbread house kit this year. I walked by it 3 times before I said, just do it. I don’t have any grandkids to even pretend I’m doing it for/with. I made mine yesterday… by myself with Christmas music playing. It’s harder than it looks to match the pictures on the box – at least for me! My white icing tube sprang a huge leak midway – there was white icing everywhere. And I ended up using toothpicks to prop up the roof over the door. Hah. But I posted my picture to FB, and added another new thing to my New Things list. I’m thinking you’ll be posting pictures on the blog… and with your crafting skills, they will look like the pictures on the box!!
Merry Christmas!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Pat, I am so sad. We didn’t make our gingerbread houses!! Ran out of time while the kids were here. But I think I am going to try to coax
PC to make ours tomorrow night. A little wine might help persuade him. Sounds like you encountered a few bumps during your construction. I fully
anticipate we will, too.
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I was wanting to set up a hot cocoa bar this year and never got around to it. I even purchased some hot cocoa dollar spot items from Target last year. Oh well! Lol! I did make some homemade gingerbread cookies, tho with homemade icing. I have the best recipe that I got from a dear friend… so good!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Set up your cocoa bar one night while the kids are still on vacation. Play some board games. I am hoping we can make our gingerbread houses while sipping our hot chocolate. I saw pics of your gingerbread cookies and they looked delish. In fact, I thought of you making them homemade with homemade icing as I opened my container of prepared icing and iced cookie mix cookies!! Merry Christmas, darling friend.
Kellyann Rohr
Girlfriend, you know how I feel about 2019 so that Bitmoji is spot on! Ha!!
I love your bucket lists, they are so thoughtful and I swear you always amaze me at your service to others. I need to do the same thing, find ways to help others in my community. So glad you shared this and once again you have inspired me!
Merry Christmas sweet friend!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
2020 can only be better than 2019. We have that to look forward to. Thank you for the kind words. Hope you will consider giving bucket lists a try again in the coming year.
Bojan
I am inspired by how much you’ve done to give back to your community, you are such a gift. My girls suggested we go out on Xmas day and connect with a few homeless people in our community and take them a meal and a gift. I can’t think of a better way to actually spend the day, so hopefully we can make that happen. I also think decorating Gingerbread houses all together is a bang on idea! HOw much fun would that be?!? I’ll do my update post Christmas, because at this point we are still making our way through the list. Thanks for reminding me what’s truly important about this holiday season with your generous post today.
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Cannot wait to see if you guys treated some homeless folks with blessings over the holidays. What a great act of kindness. When I taught,
I always picked out children to receive a new set of clothes, shoes, a book and a toy. We had so many children who had never enjoyed
Christmas. Heart-breaking.
Liz Klebba
Sounds like a fun Christmas, and full of the spirit of the season! I’ve never made a gingerbread house, either. I think we’ll keep it simple and start with the graham cracker kind. I’d never heard of a cocoa bar. Now I feel like we need one for tomorrow AM… Okay, maybe it will have to be a sweet way to bring in the new year?
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Can’t wait to make the gingerbread houses. Decided to save my one large house for another time, and bought a second kit with 8 smaller houses. Now we can each have our own! Think I will set up the cocoa bar for the same evening. Maybe this will be a new tradition?
ShootingStarsMag
I think you did a great job – and I love all the Random Acts of Kindness that you did. I still need to do my update -and figure out my actual Winter Bucket List too.
-lauren
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Lauren. I like the idea of acts of kindness. You never know how something little can change a person’s day.
Shugunna Alexander
Wonderful job on your list! We did a ginger bread house for Christmas Eve, it looks nothing like yours, great job!!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, friend.