Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day This Year 

Finding ways to celebrate the holidays to make them special for kids can be challenging during Covid restrictions, but there are plenty of ways you can make St. Patrick’s Day fun at your new Ten Trails home!

Scavenger Hunt to Find a “Pot of Gold”

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Create a series of clues for kids to search in your home and backyard, all leading to a “pot of gold” prize that can be actual money, coins, or chocolate coin candies.

Buy Shamrock Plants 

Shamrocks are very hardy indoor plants and will bloom throughout the year under the right conditions. These make a great starter plant for kids as they are low maintenance and easy to care for. Buy shamrocks at nearby Four Corners Maple Valley or a local nursery for a pretty, holiday-themed plant the whole family can enjoy.

Dress up in Green 

Make sure everyone in the family has something green to wear on St. Patrick’s Day for their in-person, zoom learning, or day at work. Tradition says if you forget to wear something green, you may get pinched by the leprechaun!

Make Traditional Irish Fare 

Traditional Irish recipes like Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread are great staples to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. For a fun, easy treat to make with kids, try making Irish “potatoes” which are not made with any potato at all. These no-bake candies consist of cream cheese, coconut, butter, sugar, and cinnamon and resemble small potatoes when rolled together and chilled. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043  

Take Time for Self-Care this Holiday Season

Taking time to care for oneself may seem counterintuitive when there is so much to do in a day with busy families juggling home-schooling, working from home, and the daily stress of a pandemic, but self-care is more important now than ever! If you do not take time for yourself, you cannot be of service to others. Striking this delicate balance is important, especially during the busy holiday season.

Spend Time in Nature

Getting outdoors is one of the best ways to relieve stress and decompress. At Ten Trails, our residents have easy access to the outdoors via our network of community nature trails along with our many outdoor parks and walking paths.

Stream Your Favorite Show Via One-Gig Internet

Everyone has that one television program or film that only they enjoy out of everyone in their household. Make viewing time “me” time by scheduling a special time to view it solo. Thanks to the one-gig, ultra-fast internet at Ten Trails through Wave, streaming your favorite programs is easier than ever.

Find Time for Daily Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress and a healthy way to care for oneself! Balance the overindulgence that comes with the holiday season with making time every day to move your body. Even if you do not have a home gym, Ten Trails has options for you to exercise using our community amenities like our many biking lanes and jogging pathways.

Connect with Others 

The term “social distancing” is commonly used in our society when referring to pandemic guidelines, however what we really are required to do is keep physical distance from one another. This means you can be as social as you need to be for your self-care needs as long as you do it safely and remotely! Schedule a video call with a friend, coordinate a virtual book club or plan a holiday party over Zoom. There are so many creative ways to connect virtually these days to help us all maintain our sanity and foster important connections, especially during this time of year.   www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043

Ideas for New Holiday Traditions This Season 

While the holiday season may be a little different this year for some families due to the pandemic, that does not mean family traditions have to be abandoned completely! Why not use this year to establish some fun new traditions with your family, or try different twists on longstanding ones? Here are some suggestions for how to connect with loved ones during the holiday season why still maintaining physical distance.

Play Long Distance Games with Family 

Video games have long had the option for players from around the world to connect but there are ways to play popular board and card games virtually as well! Family favorite games like Monopoly, Scattergories and Uno all have online versions you can play with friends and family. You can also hop on Zoom or Facebook Rooms to have a video conference with family members to play fun games like Charades, Who in the Room, or Trivia.

Do a Virtual Watch Party of Your Favorite Christmas Movies 

Does your family have favorite holiday movies that you watch together every year? You still can with new streaming technology and the help of ultra-fast one-gig internet at your Ten Trails home. Many streaming services like Netflix or Sling offer opportunities to create a “watch party” with friends and family members who are also subscribers. Chat on video while the film plays, and you can offer commentary and enjoy all your favorite scenes together.

Zoom Holiday Formal 

Do you miss getting dressed up for a night out? Get decked out in your favorite holiday attire and attend a holiday formal with friends or coworkers via Zoom. Ideas for sharing this event including picking out one or two appetizer recipes ahead of time that you will each make and share together during the party. Select a few special holiday-themed cocktails or mocktails to toast with while showing off your festive outfits.

Take Part in a Remote Baking Competition 

Holiday time is synonymous with baked goods and there is no reason this year should be an exception! Enter a friendly competition with friends, neighbors, or family members by baking up your best sweet treats and shipping or dropping off small batches to your baking competitors. Decide on a rating system beforehand and each member on the competition gets to vote for which treat they like best. Suggestions for voting categories include: “best decoration,” “best taste,” “most creative,” “best texture.” and “best overall.” Plant a New Year Tree Many cultures celebrate the new year by decorating or planting a tree — similar to the common practice in this country of putting up a Christmas tree. To mark the passage of 2020 and transition to 2021, your family could adopt this tradition and plant a tree or purchase a new houseplant to commemorate the holiday and represent a symbol of growth and life for the coming year. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043

Holiday Decorating Ideas for Your New Ten Trails Home

Looking for ideas on how to decorate your new Ten Trails home for the holidays? Head to our Pinterest page for inspiration! We have tons of pins and holiday decor ideas for your to peruse.

Wreaths

Holiday wreaths come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors. From traditional evergreen to holly berry, a holiday wreath is a staple for front door decor. Ensure your new Ten Trails home stands out with a festive homemade or store-bought wreath this holiday season.

Christmas Tree Decor

Christmas trees can be as traditional or as eccentric as you want to make them. Christmas ornaments, balls and garland are the typical tree adornments but we have seen trees decked out in paper lanterns, floral crowns and even disco balls! Let your creativity take over this holiday season and you and your family can create a special memory finding unique decorations for your tree.

Lights

Holiday lights bring festive cheer to any space, indoor or out! From conservative white lights to accent the roof lines of your Ten Trails home, to multi-hued string lights to adorn your trees and shrubbery, you can’t really go wrong with adding more lights to your home this holiday season. www.TenTrails.com 360-469-4043

There’s a lot happening in Black Diamond the weekend of Dec. 7-8! Don’t miss out on all the holiday fun!

Nearby Halloween Events

Just a few more days until Halloween and there are still plenty of activities to do to get in to the spooky spirit of the holiday! Check out these nearby, family-friendly activities with your kids this week!

Dark Haunted Forest Maple Valley

Take a spooky tour through the haunted forest with your little ones on October 30 and 31st at Royal Arch Park, 20821 Renton Maple Valley Hwy SE from 7-10 pm.  In addition to the walk, there will be concessions and classic horror clips playing while you wait in line.

Trick-or-Treat at the Pacific Science Center

Head to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center from 4 to 7 pm on Tuesday, October 30th for trick-or-treating and half-priced admission! Kids can take part in spooky Halloween activities and stage and planetarium shows.

11th Annual Hallo-Wee Story Time and Parade

Head to the Auburn library at 1102 Auburn Way South for their 11th Annual Hallo-Wee Story Time and Parade! Kids in costumes can parade around the library and cozy up with friends and family members to hear a not-too-scary Halloween story.

Renton Ikea Trick or Treat

From 4 to 7 pm at the Renton Ikea, kids can trick-or-treat throughout the store for candy and toys. Bring the kiddos for a fun, safe afternoon of trick-or-treating, and get some shopping done for  your new Ten Trails home at the same time! www.TenTrails.com 360-469-4043