5 Ways to bring the family together this holiday season
1. Carol Singing
Bring back this age-old tradition by treating your neighbourhood to a good old-fashioned sing-along. Gather as many family members as possible, hand out candles and lyric sheets of holiday favourites, and walk through the streets sharing good cheer. Add jingling bells for an extra special touch. This is a great opportunity to wear crazy holiday sweaters to distract from the sour notes! End the evening with hot chocolate and a promise to repeat next year.
2. Movie night
Don’t miss your fave holiday movies this year. Set aside some time to include everyone in a special movie marathon. Gather as many short (30mins or less) holiday shows as you can to keep the evening lively. Some titles to include are: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Don’t forget old faves like A Walton Family Christmas and a Little House on the Prairie Christmas episode. While the short films play, everyone can dig into a take-out feast from Mandarin. There’s something for everyone on the extensive menu – from crispy spring rolls and belly-warming wonton soup, to savoury fried rice and sweet and sour chicken balls. After dinner, everyone can snuggle up for the feature film of the night, “ It’s A Wonderful Life.” Pass the tissues please!
3. A Photo Share Dinner
Take the stress out of trying to book visits with everyone this season by inviting all to one big holiday season get-together at Mandarin. The large, yet warm and welcoming, dining rooms and the vast selection of delicious food make it the best place for families and friends to catch up and reconnect. Add some laughs to the event by asking each family member to bring as many old holiday photos as possible. While everyone tucks into their favourite Mandarin dishes (crab legs anyone?), laugh and reminisce as you pass around the pics. Have silly prizes for the family that brings the oldest photo and the most candid Santa photo. After dinner, be sure to snap lots of photos during this gathering as everyone enjoys the wonderfully indulgent Mandarin desserts. The friendly staff at Mandarin will be happy to help you to capture the moment with a group photo.
4. A Crafty Get-Together
Give the adults some kid-free shopping time by bringing all the kids from your extended family together one afternoon to create special holiday ornaments. Clear plastic/glass balls are fun to fill with cotton balls, ribbons, confetti, sparkles, OR all of the above! Styrofoam balls can be covered with coloured thumbtacks or toothpicks with mini-marshmallows. Colourful buttons can be strung on yarn or ribbon for simple garlands. You provide the supplies and the kids provide the magic. Don’t forget to blast some holiday tunes while the little ones create.
5. Secret Santa Draw
As our families grow it can be difficult to share the holiday spirit as lavishly as we would like. A good cost-saving way to enjoy this special time of year is to arrange a Secret Santa Draw. The month before the holiday, bring your extended family together for a Secret Santa Lunch. Everyone can meet at Mandarin for an all-you-can-eat buffet where the large rooms and tables can accommodate everyone. Before each person heads over to Mandarin’s award-winning buffet, they must write their name on a piece of paper and place it in the hat. While everyone around the table indulges in the delicious special menu items from the salad bar, grill, hot entrée station, and more, each person is invited to share their memory of the best gift that they ever received. These stories will allow cherished memories to be passed on to the next generation around the table – a special way to kindle the holiday spirit. After indulging in the endless offering of baked goods, sweet treats and ice cream sundae station, everyone regroups at the table to draw names from a Secret Santa hat. So, rather than struggling to buy gifts for everyone in the family, each person can be Santa and focus on buying one very special gift for that one very special person. If not everyone can gather on the big day, why not plan to meet again at Mandarin for a Secret Santa Gift Exchange Lunch?
Although this post has been sponsored by Mandarin Restaurant, the opinions and language are my own.
