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Blissfully Domestic: Christmas Traditions

Do you have traditional things you do with the kids each Christmas? 

I'm sharing 10 of our traditions over at Blissfully Domestic.  Here's a sneak peek at one of them:

5 Christmas Activities at Balboa Park

We've spent quite a bit of time at Balboa Park this holiday season.  With so many places to visit, there's no shortage of fun Christmas activities to do with the kids.

Here are five of our favorites. 

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Not only have the San Diego Model Railroad Museum added Christmas decorations to their displays, but there is also a special LEGO train city display running until January 18.  You can only begin to imagine how excited the little man was when his two favorite things, trains and LEGO, were brought together.

Let It Snow - Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

A friend very kindly gave us passes to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, so with the money we saved on admission, we purchased tickets to see Let It Snow.  We had never seen a digital show at the Fleet Science Center before.  The dome screen is amazing. 

Let It Snow runs until January 6.

Note: Obviously we couldn't take photographs inside the dome, so here are a few I obtained from the press page.

Christmas Train - Balboa Park Miniature Railroad

The kids loved this so much last year that as soon as Christmas was nearing they asked if they could go on the special Christmas night train again.  The Balboa Park Miniature Railroad is located just outside of the San Diego Zoo.

Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Old Globe

Marisol's favorite Christmas character (besides Santa of course) is The Grinch.  She loved The Grinch so much last year that we watched the movie nearly every day, read the books, and she even asked for a Grinch doll on her Christmas list.  As soon as I saw that The Old Globe were going to be having a production of Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas I immediately purchased tickets as a surprise.  Two days later I found out that their 1st grade teacher had been given free tickets to take all of the kids.  So she was extra delighted when she got to see it twice.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas production runs until December 29, 2012.

Note: Again, we couldn't take photographs inside the theatre, so The Grinch photo above was obtained from the press page.

Jungle Bells - San Diego Zoo

Of course we had to head to the San Diego Zoo too.  We attended Jungle Bells last year and the kids absolutely loved it.  As soon as we arrived we jumped onto the Skyfari and took a ride to the Northern Fronteir to visit the Reindeer.  Then we popped into the 4D theatre to see Ice Age A Mammoth Christmas.  We picked up some red and green cotton candy and hot chocolate to enjoy as we wandered around the park, then headed back near the entrance for all of the fun Christmas activities that were happening after 4pm.  First up was the Discovery Outpost where they had photographs with Santa, watched a couple of animal encounters, and played musical instruments during the Dr. Zoolittles 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' reading.  Then it was off to Chocolate Town to indulge in a little chocolate treat while we watched the animated light display of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Before heading out, we took in some of the lights, stopped by the Christmas Tree, and listened to the Bell Ringers playing.

There are many more Christmas activities at the San Diego Zoo.  Jungle Bells runs until January 6.

Hot Chocolate Reindeer Ornament Craft

Looking for a last-minute gift idea that also makes a great stocking stuffer? 

Marisol and Flynn handed these out to their classmates today at school.

What you need:

• Clear ornament
• Pom pom - red
• Googly eyes
• Pipecleaner - brown
• Glue
• Hot chocolate mix
• Mini marshmallows - I found mini chocolate ones at Target

To make:

Remove the top off the clear ornament.

Combine the hot chocolate mix and mini marshmallows in a large jug.  Using a funnel, slowly add the mixture into the clear ornament until filled just below the top.  Place the top back on the ornament.

Using the glue attach the pom pom nose and googly eyes.  Twist a brown pipcleaner into the shape of antlers around the top.

Tip: Don't forget to include a note letting the recipient know that the ornament contains hot chocolate and mini marshmallows.

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Happy Holidays!

Festive Holiday Ice Cream Cakes

These festive holiday cakes by Baskin-Robbins are absolutely adorable (and delicious too).  They are perfect for end-of-year school parties, and for a festive treat for all of your holiday celebrations.

One thing that I love about these cakes is you can customize them. Purchase what they have in the freezer ready-to-go, or pre-order a cake in your favorite ice cream flavor. You can also have a message added around the cake board.

Baskin-Robbins’ Snowman, Santa and Elf cakes each serve 8-12 people and cost $26.99 (suggested retail price) during December. If you want a smaller treat though, they are also offering Snowman and Snow Woman Individual Treats.  You can pick your favorite Baskin-Robbins flavor and turn it into a snowman almost too cute to eat. The Snowman and Snow Woman Individual Treats are available at participating Baskin-Robbins shops and have a suggested retail price of $2.49.

If you are looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer, Baskin-Robbins gift cards are perfect for everyone and can be purchased for amounts from $2 to $100.

For more information about Baskin-Robbins follow them here:

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Disclosure: We were treated to one of these delicious holiday cakes by Baskin-Robbins.

Legoland Holiday Snow Days

I've probably mentioned about a thousand times by now how the kids just want LEGO for Christmas again this year. 

They each have a LEGO countdown calendar that they run to every morning when they wake up ... parents, if you want your kids to actually get up in the morning and get ready for school, have a LEGO countdown calendar waiting for them, they suddenly have no problem getting out of bed.

We are also building a Christmas scene on their LEGO table.  And by we, I mean me.  'We' had the brilliant idea, however after the first hour, and realizing that I had the patience to actually look for all the tiny pieces of LEGO that we needed somehow the job ended up being left to me, so of course it's still not finished and they keep cracking that whip. 

Of course they had to go back to Legoland as well.  We went to the Legoland Holiday Snow Days last Christmas and they loved it.  So, we we ventured back again last week. 

They had photos taken with LEGO Santa, played in the snow, listened to the Jingle Jammers while eating an afternoon snack, and watched the Big Test Holidays show and the Let It Snow stage show.

I don't remember this from last year, but there is a special holiday treats truck stationed at the entrance to the Legoland Water Park (which is currently closed), so be sure to stop by for some yummy treats to enjoy.

And if you look very carefully from the Coast Cruise, you might spot Santa and his reindeer flying around a building.

The Let It Snow stage show is very sweet, the kids loved it.

Stay late on select dates for Winter Nights.  We can't wait to get back to see that.

Rusty and Rosy: Snowflake Books, Crafts and Activities for Kids

There's not much snow in these parts.  Unless you count the little patch of snow at Legoland for the kids to play in.  That doesn't mean that we can't learn about snowflakes and create fun snowflake crafts.

I've rounded up lots of snowflake books, crafts and activities for kids over at Rusty and Rosy.  These are sure to keep them entertained this holiday season, and through the rest of winter too.