A Christmas Scavenger Hunt

This year as self-therapy to learn how to enjoy Christmas, my two oldest daughters helped me set it up so the kids would wake up to something different. Something fun, something more than a pile of presents under a tree. Something that required teamwork, sillies, and a sense of adventure.

Santa brought some of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys and Indians with him this year to act as guards since it was rumored the Grinch was on the loose. So they set up a fort to keep guard. When the Grinch showed up, they chased him all around the yard and through various rooms of the house, leaving the tee-pee and a trail of clues for the kids to chase down their presents.

Our hunt had instructions from making snowmen to having sock-skating contests in the kitchen to follow the glow-sticks in the dark storage room. Two and a half hours later, it ended with the Grinch trying to get away in the van with the stockings! To get his heart back to the right size, we had to hug each famly member three times – and in a family of 8, that’s a lot of hugs. When we’d each had our hugs, the van doors unlocked and the Grinch surrended the last of the goodies. And mom went inside for a nap along with the two helper elves who helped set it all up.

Yep, they were in the tub

And the dishwasher. (I kept waking up all night, worried that the dishwasher was going to turn on or a kid getting up to pee in the middle of the night would hit the button and start it.)

I think this was Q's favorite spot. She couldn't stop laughing after she found the presents in the dryer.

They had to make a snowman before they could find the presents and the next clue. Since the snow is too powdery, they improvised with bags of leaves.

The Grinch trying to drive off with the stockings and remaining presents

Sure love my kids. And am super grateful for the mysterious Santa who left presents on the doorstep. The kids all got something they wanted and something they needed, which rocked, and there were giggles all around at the silly locations of presents.

Biggest Sister D made custom hats for everyone. They were all so cute!

To find their presents, the whole family had to play Just Dance 2. The Winner got the next clue. Big sis is helping little brother compete against another big sis.

fighting off the evil Grinch, D's magic wand dispells the grumpies