Keeping December simple
And a tiny hike with a loop through a wild oak woodland
When I am quiet on social media, it usually means I am busy on the blog and newsletter. And I have been SO busy on the blog and the newsletter! Hope this post helps you keep December nice and simple.
You asked for a list of the free holiday things to do that Jill (PopsicleBlog.com) and I shared on Instagram a bit ago and I made a PDF Printable for you! And, for the first time ever, I also created one central blog post to find everything I know about making outdoor family traditions around the holiday season in Orange County! Sending warm holiday wishes to all who are celebrating Hanukkah this week.
This post has only a few curated - so not too overwhelming - mostly free & fun holiday ideas. I will be adding a few more in the coming weeks, so bookmark it as your one stop place to get ideas for when you actually have the time and energy.
The little extra PDF printable list of 5 Free Holiday Things to Do is at the end of the blog post!
This same new post includes updates on 3 useful posts about experiential gift ideas or different ways to shop local. Look for these posts on the list:
What to Tell Your Family When They Ask What to Get Your Kids - Designed to just send along the link to your family members if you like the list.
Outdoor Places-To-Go Gifts for Southern California Families - Where I do some math and share our family strategy for how to get the most out of these investments!
Places to Help OC Non-Profits (and Play!) While You Shop Local - I know I have more to add to this list, but you can go to these places and do something fun with your kids and if you happen to purchase gifts at their gift shops then it benefits the non-profit! Win-win!
The weather has been so perfect for getting outdoors! I hope you have been out there to play!
What would you like me to cover in 2024? Please shoot me an email REPLY to this newsletter. I try to answer every one I get!
Tiny Hike Teaser: This one was fun to scout and discover how to make it into a tiny hike! It could be a much longer hike, but I found the perfect distance and there is so much to see! I hope you can make it out there before we get any wet weather because the trails are perfect right now and the skies were blue and clear! An oak woodland to really get you away from it all and feeling like you are out in the wilderness.
I also spent a little time working on the welcome email for when you become a paid subscriber. It now has links to Trail Guides #1-#9 in that welcome email that you can save for easy access to the archive. The wild oak woodland hike for this week is Trail Guide #10!
I’m happy you are here as a free subscriber for the blog updates! So don’t feel any pressure to become a paying subscriber, I just wanted to be able to provide OC Tiny Hikes trail guides as an “extra” if you are homeschooling, or looking for outings beyond the playground, especially if you are new to OC and want the highlights of places to explore outdoors guided by my family-friendly trail guides. Don’t be fooled! I call them “tiny hikes” because they are more a nature connection and exploration than a get-your-gear-on-hike-for-miles. They are even good for dates with your partner or just something to look forward to getting outside with a friend each week! You can always try for a month at $5 and cancel if it’s not for you.