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Cute Ideas for Families Celebrating the Holidays Apart

Cute Ideas for Families Celebrating Holidays Apart

Updated: November 2023

I’ve often been abroad during the holidays and found other ways to feel connected to my family back home. And now, in a multi-cultural marriage (my partner is South African), there’s no way to be with all of our friends or family at the same time.

It’s all about adapting and focusing on the good.

While spending holidays apart looks different, and we can’t always physically be with family and friends, other ways exist to come together. I know that being away from family is not easy, but with a few adjustments, we can still capture all that magic and nostalgia of the holidays.

So, for those of you who are celebrating the holidays away from loved ones, I’ve come up with a list of things to do with your friends and family to feel closer than ever.

Waffle Recipe

Create a Family Recipe

One of my favorite things about the holidays is all the baking and delicious food. Find a recipe (it can be one that’s been passed down for generations or something completely new) and make it together over a video call!

As you create the dish from scratch, follow the recipe together, and catch up on life. You can bounce off questions and show your progress as you go!

Want some recipe inspo? Check out this European Christmas Market Food you can make at home!

Read More:

Get Happy Hour Going

Many of us participated in virtual Happy Hour during those quarantine years… now is the time to put a holiday spin on it!

Whether eggnog is your drink of choice, you’d like a (boozy) hot chocolate or mulled wine, or just a simple glass of your favorite wine—feel free to put a seasonal twist on your beverage.

Pour a glass and Facetime that bestie across the pond!

This glühwein (German mulled wine) recipe is a super easy recipe that’s perfect for the holidays. Plus, you might already have the ingredients on hand! 

Play Games

Put your game face on and find an activity you can play with the whole family. The Monopoly App allows you to play virtually with up to 4 players. Though they’re marketed as “Team Building” games, Watson Adventures creates fun virtual games with a Zoom host. Check out their “Around the World” scavenger hunt!

Have a Meal Delivered

Not in the mood to cook? Coordinate with your loved ones when you can have a meal delivered to their house. You can support a local restaurant in their area or consider having an assortment of cookies (or something similar) sent to them!

Movie Watching Party

I’m a big fan of holiday movies and every year make my way through the ultimate holiday movie watch list. Take your pick from this list and hit play at the same time!

  • Meet Me in St. Louis
  • Home Alone
  • Love Actually
  • The Holiday
  • Sleepless in Seattle
  • The Santa Clause
  • Christmas with the Kranks
  • Deck the Halls
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Last Christmas
  • The Family Stone
  • The Polar Express
  • Elf
  • It’s a Wonderful Life
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • Miracle on 34th Street

christmas fireplace

Family Story Time

Set the mood by lighting a few logs in the fireplace, cozy up in some blankets, and grab a warm drink. Then, start a video conference on Zoom or Facetime.

Share stories with your friends and family about your favorite memories from past holidays, OR just favorite stories from over the years!

This is a special way to honor those who are no longer with you and let their memory live on, too. 🙂

Matching Pajamas

I’m a big supporter of matching Christmas pajamas! Here are a few fun sets to consider:

Gingerbread Decorating Contest

Nothing says the holidays quite like a little cheerful competition.

I love a cookie or gingerbread house decorating contest! Whether you want to sprinkle your sugar cookies with rainbow jimmies or you’re building a mansion out of gingerbread, cookie decorating is always a fun (and delicious) activity that you can do apart and come together at the voting polls.

Create a Holiday Playlist

Have you considered co-creating a playlist together? Whether you want all holiday songs or just favorite tracks, even though you can’t be together, you can still jam to the same tunes.

Secret Santa

This takes a bit of coordination and planning, but set up a Secret Santa gift exchange with your friends and family and ship them something sweet! Here’s a free Secret Santa name picker.

The best part is most online stores offer gift wrapping and free delivery!

Need some inspo? Check out all of my holiday gift guides:

salt dough ornaments

Make Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are perfect for the occasion — you need flour, salt, water, and paint. Cut out your preferred shape with a cookie cutter, decorate, and leave it out to dry!

Or, you can find some super cute hand-stitch ornament kits and easy macrame ornament kits on Etsy! Buy them and make them together over a video chat!

Here are some cute kits on Etsy!

What ideas do you have for celebrating Christmas apart? Let me know in the comments below!

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    1. Travelia Mare

      Because we had a max 3 people visitors allowed, this year we decided to be just us. And Netflix… Hopefully next year we can gather all family again. Happy New Year!

      December 26, 2020 at 3:42 pm · Reply
      • The Blonde Abroad

        I understand that! I’m embracing staying home and I just know I’ll appreciate getting together and celebrations so much more when it is safe to do so.

        December 28, 2020 at 12:53 pm · Reply

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    Dia de Los Muertos in Oaxaca 🇲🇽💀🪅
    •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    I’ve wanted to visit Oaxaca for as long as I can remember, and it was so special getting to be there for the days leading up to Dia de Los Muertos (celebrating my boo @kpande)!

    Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated in different parts of Mexico, to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have passed on.

    The festivities are colorful, joyful, and often humorous. Coming from a culture where the deceased are so quickly forgotten, I think this tradition is so beautiful.

    Oaxaca is such a vibrant city with endless street art and incredible food. I can’t wait to return!
    •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    #oaxaca #mexico #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos

    1678 47
    Open
    Dia de Los Muertos in Oaxaca 🇲🇽💀🪅 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I’ve wanted to visit Oaxaca for as long as I can remember, and it was so special getting to be there for the days leading up to Dia de Los Muertos (celebrating my boo @kpande)! Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated in different parts of Mexico, to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have passed on. The festivities are colorful, joyful, and often humorous. Coming from a culture where the deceased are so quickly forgotten, I think this tradition is so beautiful. Oaxaca is such a vibrant city with endless street art and incredible food. I can’t wait to return! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #oaxaca #mexico #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos

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    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    I’m sharing some insider info on hiking the legendary Flume Gorge in New Hampshire.

    We opted to stay in North Conway, NH and used it as a base to explore the White Mountains. We stayed at Kearsarge Inn and @oldvillagebakerynh was literally next door.

    We grabbed some pastries and bagels for the road and drove about an hour to Flume Gorge– a 2.2-mile self-guided hike with covered bridges, amazing waterfalls, and gorgeous mountain views.

    TIP: You need to book tickets with a dedicated time slot for entry to hike Flume Gorge. I did this about 2 months in advance given how busy the foliage season is here. So BOOK EARLY and ARRIVE EARLY.

    Most people can do the hike in about 1.5 hrs, but I’d add an hour with young kids. We did lots of nature exploring and resting along the way.

TIP FOR YOUNG KIDDOS: Bring a baby carrier or hiking backpack! While this is rated a family-friendly hike, it wasn’t without some challenges with a toddler. I ended up carrying him on my shoulders for over a mile which was an adventure in itself.

    I had bookmarked Artist’s Bluff Lookout and Polly’s Pancake Parlor to do after, but like with all plans with kids, they change as need. We opted to call it a day after the first hike but you can definitely add Artist’s Bluff to your day (it’s just a few minutes up the highway).

We did drive to Polly’s because pancakes sounded amazing, but the wait was 2.5 HOURS at 11am. So we passed.

We had a relaxed afternoon back in North Conway and went to @conwayscenicrailroad to watch the trains come into the depot. You can book a scenic ride too!

    If you’re planning a similar road trip, you’re not gonna wanna miss Day 4 for arguably the MOST famous scenic byway in all of New England during the foliage season!
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    @visitnh #fallroadtrip #fallfoliage #portlandmaine #newengland #autumn #visitnh #visitnewhampshire

    757 17
    Open
    If you’re finding yourself here for the first time, welcome! I’m sharing my New England Road Trip (with a Toddler) series, and it’s Day 3 of our adventure! 🍂🍁 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I’m sharing some insider info on hiking the legendary Flume Gorge in New Hampshire. We opted to stay in North Conway, NH and used it as a base to explore the White Mountains. We stayed at Kearsarge Inn and @oldvillagebakerynh was literally next door. We grabbed some pastries and bagels for the road and drove about an hour to Flume Gorge– a 2.2-mile self-guided hike with covered bridges, amazing waterfalls, and gorgeous mountain views. TIP: You need to book tickets with a dedicated time slot for entry to hike Flume Gorge. I did this about 2 months in advance given how busy the foliage season is here. So BOOK EARLY and ARRIVE EARLY. Most people can do the hike in about 1.5 hrs, but I’d add an hour with young kids. We did lots of nature exploring and resting along the way.

TIP FOR YOUNG KIDDOS: Bring a baby carrier or hiking backpack! While this is rated a family-friendly hike, it wasn’t without some challenges with a toddler. I ended up carrying him on my shoulders for over a mile which was an adventure in itself. I had bookmarked Artist’s Bluff Lookout and Polly’s Pancake Parlor to do after, but like with all plans with kids, they change as need. We opted to call it a day after the first hike but you can definitely add Artist’s Bluff to your day (it’s just a few minutes up the highway).

We did drive to Polly’s because pancakes sounded amazing, but the wait was 2.5 HOURS at 11am. So we passed.

We had a relaxed afternoon back in North Conway and went to @conwayscenicrailroad to watch the trains come into the depot. You can book a scenic ride too! If you’re planning a similar road trip, you’re not gonna wanna miss Day 4 for arguably the MOST famous scenic byway in all of New England during the foliage season! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• @visitnh #fallroadtrip #fallfoliage #portlandmaine #newengland #autumn #visitnh #visitnewhampshire

    The Ultimate Fall Foliage Itinerary for New England (toddler edition)! 🍁
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    We flew in and out of Boston — and you’ll need to rent a car. This trip involves a lot of driving!

    @Expedia is my go-to resource for travel— you can rent your car, book activities, and find amazing accommodation for your own trip to New England!

    You can start your adventure in North Conway, in the white mountains of New Hampshire. This cute town is home to the Conway Scenic railway and is a great base to explore some of the best leaf peeping in the area.

    You’ll want to book tickets for Flume Gorge months in advance—it’s a kid-friendly hike but still 2.2 miles and I definitely regretted not bringing a hiking carrier for Ollie.

    Head out EARLY to drive the 34-mile Kancamagus Scenic Byway—there are tons of spots to stop along the byway, but we loved Sabbaday Falls for a short hike with big reward.

    Next up, head to Woodstock, Vermont, and check into Woodstock Inn. This hotel sells out almost a full year in advance during foliage season, so plan ahead.

    Don’t miss a maple creamy from Woodstock Scoops or a visit to Billings Farm.

    The entire drive through Vermont is SO beautiful. On your way to the town of Stowe, stop for some apple picking, and don’t miss Hollow Cider for cider donuts.

    Stay at the Trapp family lodge (owned by the REAL family from the Sound of Music). This is such a great spot for kids. They have tons of farm animals like highland cattle and sheep. Stowe is famously known for its crowds this time of year, so if you want to avoid them, base yourself here, take in the incredible views, and go on hikes directly on the property.

    Stay at the Trapp family lodge (owned by the REAL family from the Sound of Music). They have tons of farm animals like highland cattle and sheep. There’s a beer hall, bakery, and even hiking trails on the property—so you can avoid the crowds in town. It’s also located near the Smuggler’s Notch mountain pass.

    End your trip by driving back to Boston and spending a couple of days exploring one of the most historic (and kid-friendly) cities in America!
    ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
    #newengland #autumn

    730 26
    Open
    The Ultimate Fall Foliage Itinerary for New England (toddler edition)! 🍁 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• We flew in and out of Boston — and you’ll need to rent a car. This trip involves a lot of driving! @Expedia is my go-to resource for travel— you can rent your car, book activities, and find amazing accommodation for your own trip to New England! You can start your adventure in North Conway, in the white mountains of New Hampshire. This cute town is home to the Conway Scenic railway and is a great base to explore some of the best leaf peeping in the area. You’ll want to book tickets for Flume Gorge months in advance—it’s a kid-friendly hike but still 2.2 miles and I definitely regretted not bringing a hiking carrier for Ollie. Head out EARLY to drive the 34-mile Kancamagus Scenic Byway—there are tons of spots to stop along the byway, but we loved Sabbaday Falls for a short hike with big reward. Next up, head to Woodstock, Vermont, and check into Woodstock Inn. This hotel sells out almost a full year in advance during foliage season, so plan ahead. Don’t miss a maple creamy from Woodstock Scoops or a visit to Billings Farm. The entire drive through Vermont is SO beautiful. On your way to the town of Stowe, stop for some apple picking, and don’t miss Hollow Cider for cider donuts. Stay at the Trapp family lodge (owned by the REAL family from the Sound of Music). This is such a great spot for kids. They have tons of farm animals like highland cattle and sheep. Stowe is famously known for its crowds this time of year, so if you want to avoid them, base yourself here, take in the incredible views, and go on hikes directly on the property. Stay at the Trapp family lodge (owned by the REAL family from the Sound of Music). They have tons of farm animals like highland cattle and sheep. There’s a beer hall, bakery, and even hiking trails on the property—so you can avoid the crowds in town. It’s also located near the Smuggler’s Notch mountain pass. End your trip by driving back to Boston and spending a couple of days exploring one of the most historic (and kid-friendly) cities in America! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #newengland #autumn
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