It's December and all over people are already in full gear for Christmas. If you're like me, you're ready to jump into the festive bucket lists and enjoy the many traditions of the season... but if you're like me, you also realize that those wonderful lists you see on Pinterest aren't always feasible. Whether you live in a place without snow, a country that doesn't really celebrate Christmas, you're on a budget this year, or you're just plain busy throughout December, I've compiled a list for you.

While I enjoy all the holiday experiences as much as the next person, I realized that it's easy for the Christmas season to get swamped in all the to-dos (however exciting and fun they may be) and the whole reason behind why we celebrate can easily get buried. On top of that, I can't be the only one who feels guilty when my Christmas ends up looking less like cookie-baking for friends and more like last-minute gift-bag making for our church program. What I'm saying is, it's ok if your Christmas doesn't look like a Hallmark movie. What your Christmas should be, however, is full of love, light, and laughter.

So here is my Christmas bucket list, created especially for the busy person in mind. Who might that be, you ask? 

As a teenager, at the start of every season, I would write a bucket list. They were full of classic seasonal things, as well as things I wanted to try for the first time. It was a great habit-- I got out there and had adventures, learned new things, and made a lot of memories. I learned how to throw a football for the first time, I pressed flowers, I read books in trees, made my own pumpkin spice coffee syrup, created smoothie recipes, and went on long bike ride excursions. I was excited to be able to do this again. 

It's safe to say that I'm not the only one whose expectations of the year has been completely turned upside down over the past few months. My summer plans were sun-soaked and adventurous and nostalgic because I was going to be back in my home country to stay. I had a lot of vision. Instead, I ended up quarantined in my passport country while my home country put a travel ban in place. To be perfectly honest, it's been frustrating, scary, discouraging, and emotional. The unknowns can feel like they've completely taken over. So much for summer plans, right? Between quarantines in some places and healing processes in others, it can feel impossible-- and silly-- to create a summer bucket list at this point. There are so many things we can't do, and so many uncertainties. 

So I decided to come up with a very chill, very customizable bucket list. Because we can still make memories, and we can still have adventures!