I can’t think of anything more fun than staying home on a cold December night with my family. Even as a teenager- who normally wanted to be as far away from my parents as possible- I really enjoyed all of our family traditions throughout the holiday season. Now that I am grown up with a family of my own I am keeping all of my parents traditions alive while adding some of my very own! The new tradition I want to share with you was inspired by my best friend’s ugly sweater at an ugly sweater party last year. Her sweater had the Grinch, Max, Cindy Lou Who, and the Grinch’s sleigh on it. And I thought to myself “We should have an entire party dedicated to just the Grinch!!”
Is it really Christmas if you haven’t watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas? I don’t think so. HGSC is such a great movie because you can watch it if your family is religious or not. I think something everyone can agree on is that Christmas is a time where we take a break from the real world, and surround ourselves with what really matters. Not our phones or computers, our elaborate parties, or what gifts we are going to get or give to others. Its about surrounding ourselves with loved ones and letting them know we love them-and we are grateful they love us.
Now enough sappy sap. Let me tell you how to have a Grinch party with your family! (Applicable to all ages!!)
- Have everyone put on their pajamas and grab their favorite blanket!!
- The first thing on your Grinch party to do list is to read the book! There is nothing quite as magical as hearing your dad (or especially your grandpa) read HGSC aloud. Do it. You’ll see. (If you don’t have the book, I recommend investing in it. If you don’t want to invest in it, you can watch a video of someone reading it on youtube)
- Next, have some Grinch Punch and Grinch Cookies. I always make mint chocolate chip cookies because, duh, they turn out green. I’ll post my recipe for those down below. If your kids are older and like chocolate mint, they will love these!! If you kids are younger (like mine) and would go into a gagging fit if you gave them mint, just throw some green food coloring into your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. You could also go with red and green M&M cookies since they have bags of only the colors of red and green during the holidays! I will post my Grinch Punch recipe down below too, you can really use any punch you want as long as it turns out green!
- Once everyone has gotten some punch and cookies, have them grab a place to snuggle up and watch the HGSC movie. Its the perfect way to have a lazy family night, get in the Christmas mood, AND wind down after a stressful day!!
Recipes:
Grinch Cookies:
3/4 C shortening
1 C sugar
2 Eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp mint extract
2-3 drops green food coloring
1 C mini chocolate chips
1 C mint baking chips
Creme the sugar, eggs, and shortening.
Mix the flour and salt
Add chocolate chips and more food coloring if you need to
Refrigerate 1 hour
Roll dough into 1in balls and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Grinch Punch
Sprite, Lime Sherbet, and Ginger Ale. That’s it!
Mix together with as much or as little sherbet as you like and enjoy! Garnish your glass with a candy cane.
About Brittany:
Brittany was born and raised in Alabama. She is a Wife and Mama of two sweet babies- her son John is two years old and her daughter Annie is ten months old. She is pursuing her degree in Home and Family Studies with an emphasis on Child Development from BYU. She is looking forward to writing for Birmingham Mommy in preparation for graduation in the Fall of 2016.
