3 ways to let loose with your kids during Christmas break

My family always looks forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks during the school year. Not only are we in better spirits because of the holidays, but time off from school gives us a chance to do a little adventuring, especially when we can visit uncrowded places.

How do you entertain yourselves, however, if you can't adventure or travel? What do you engage in as a family? There's no right or wrong answer here.

My daughters and I did three really fun things during their last break. Best part is, we didn't have to leave our house. We had so much fun, I thought I'd share in case you need ideas.

A Fort and A Movie

I may be biased, but I think we create really cool forts. Although a spur of the moment idea, we did a bit extra by giving it a Christmas theme for the season. You can use any theme you'd like.

We pulled out the girls' LED lights, a little Christmas decor, pajamas, snacks, blankets, pillows, and movies. Before you ask if it was worth all the work, YES. It definitely was. It was so much fun to race around looking for things to use and then put it all together. The energy in the house was full of excitement and laughter.

Make those memories!

Games and Karaoke

You know those untouched games sitting on your shelf? And the ones your kids unwrapped last Christmas, cheered about, then tossed in the closet never to be seen again? Or perhaps the games you love but haven't had a chance to play because of, well, life?

Yes, pull all of those out!

Our chosen ones this time were card games. My daughters love unique card decks but had not gotten good use from them until now. Funny thing is, we're not really card players. Most of the time we have to Google the rules to simple games most people learn as kids.

In my case, I learned to play Gin Rummy before learning Uno. It was one of the only card games my dad really knew and enjoyed. As a child, I asked him to teach me. When I was pretty good at it, I'd stay up until he got home from work just to beat him. Good times!

After card games was karaoke. My oldest wants to make singing her career so a lot of it happens in our home. We used her microphone and amplifier to create living room fame! There was a lot of Billie Eilish and other pop stars in the mix. Next time, mama's adding to the playlist, too.

You don't need any of this stuff for karaoke, however. Choose a song, grab something you can pretend is a mic and show 'em what you've got. Having fun is the goal.

Just Dance

We don't have an official game, so Youtube to the rescue. Doing a Just Dance video search pulls up all kinds of choices. The group dances are always hilarious. Watching us try to learn the moves is funnier than I care to admit.

The key to this is letting go. Get loose and enjoy!

Don't worry about how bad you look or the fact that your best dance move is standing still. Get in there with the folks you love and make good memories.

If Just Dance isn't your thing, turn on some music and go for it. The point is to feel good. Let's do more of that as we end one year and head into another.