One of my biggest pieces of advice for enjoying the holidays is not putting limitations on what you do. By limitations I mean things like saying you don't need an Elf on the Shelf because you don't have kids or that you can't build gingerbread creations because they are messy or again you don't have kids. Star the elf comes to visit us every year around Thanksgiving and doesn't leave until after New Year's because Santa knows we need the extra supervision. We also started putting together gingerbread works of art last year and it was something we were excited to do again!
Last year we went with a dog house because it was Brody' first Christmas. This year Tamy picked the Camper just because she liked it and wanted it to be different. Both were kits from Target. They are mostly easy to use and definitely fun to put together - we laughed a lot making our little camper this year.
When I was little my mom made super elaborate gingerbread displays where she made the gingerbread herself and cut it out and decorated it with such amazing skill - skill that I don't have! But this is a great compromise to incorporate such a fun tradition and make it our own. There is no age limit on this, there is no rule saying if you buy a kit it has to look just like the box, there is no gingerbread police that will knock on your door if things aren't just so. My suggestion to you - just do it. Put a gingerbread something together. Enjoy the process, be silly, if you don't have children that doesn't mean you can't have fun like one.
I said this yesterday but it bears repeating, Christmas is what you make it! We choose to have fun and hold onto traditions without letting social rules tell us we can't. It makes me so sad to hear people say they are too old to have an Elf on the Shelf or because they don't have kids they don't see the point in gingerbread houses or tracking Santa on Christmas Eve. I say, let's get rid of these ridiculous rules and you do what brings you joy. This Christmas I encourage you and challenge you to try something you wouldn't normally do based on social rules. Please, please tag me on Instagram or hashtag #christmasadventures if you do because I so want to see what new things you try. And if you have little ones and it is socially acceptable to do these things then I encourage you to add something new to your rotation this year, try a new cookie recipe, watch a new to you holiday special, just bring something new to your home this year and have fun with it. This Christmas doesn't have to be sad, it doesn't have to be about what we can't do but can be the time we try something new. Find the joy and tell me all about it because we could all use joy this year!