Looking for Christmas Activity Ideas? This bucket list of the best things to do for Christmas has tons of great ideas to work into your calendar or pick your favorites!
When I shared my advent calendar, I mentioned that I use my calendar partly as a tool for organizing and planning a Christmas activity list. I put daily holiday activities in it as well as special events that we celebrate during Christmas. If you are planning on making an advent style calendar, you may be looking for ideas on activities to put in your calendar. Or maybe you just want to create some new memories for yourself, family, and friends. These are great memories, Christmas activities, and also wonderful opportunities for pictures with your family!
Christmas Activity Ideas for Families
- Make “Who Pudding” or “Roast Beast” for dinner
- Paper Snowball fight in the living room
- Cutting your own tree on a tree farm
- Hot chocolate (bonus for mini-marshmallows)
- make and trade cookie recipes or cake balls – Need a Recipe? we have 24 excellent suggestions here!
- volunteer – shelter, food kitchen, fundraiser, church, etc
- spend a night driving around and putting money in all the kettles you find
- Bake holiday cookies
- Make a gingerbread house
- Decorate Cookies
- Christmas Movie Night : Polar Express, Home Alone, Griswold’s Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Charlie Brown Christmas, etc
- Read the Night before Christmas (we have this book that records voices and grandma gets to read it even though she is far away)
- Drive around and see Christmas lights
- Make your own ornaments
- Have a date shopping (My husband and I do this for our son)
- Go see Santa
- Make paper snowflakes
- Make wish lists or Santa’s lists
- Go on a carriage ride
- Ice Skate
- Trim the tree
- Donate to a food bank
- Go sledding or skiing
- Wrap gifts – a wrapping party is so much fun!
- Make and swap gift tags
- Ugly sweater day – free party printables and invitations here
- Create a holiday playlist for the family
- Live Nativity
- Christmas Parade
- Make eggnog
- Christmas Photoshoot
- Elf on a Shelf
- Make teacher, co-worker, or school friends gifts
- Send out Christmas Cards
- Feed the reindeer at a petting zoo
- Make garland – popcorn, scrapbook paper, jingle bells
- Call the North Pole or watch the NORAD tracker
- Make “Rudolph Noses”
Have a wonderful day!
Frequently asked questions:
If you have enough time, I highly suggest doing an advent calendar for the month of December. It’s a whole month of special and fun activities, and my son loves getting a surprise every morning leading up to Christmas! I like to mix it up a bit, with simple activities like hot cocoa, to special adventures like afternoon outings to the trampoline park.
That’s totally fine! If you don’t have that much spare time on your hands, especially around the holidays, try to pick one activity a week. Let your kids each pick an activity. If it’s something your family really enjoys doing, you can make it a tradition. That way, the next year and the years to come, it’s one less thing you have to worry about planning.
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qschmitzdesign says
Great list! I think Rudolph noises might be a funny one 🙂
Rebecca says
This is such a great idea! There are so many things I want to do that are on your bucket list. Just reading through this list puts me in the holiday spirit!
Kimberly says
Hello gorgeous! I’m loving your list! Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see on Monday at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Monday~Lou Lou Girls
Malia @ Small Town Girl says
Love it! Is it wrong that I will probably do most of these even though I don’t have kids? Lol I <3 Christmas 😀
Rachel says
I love your spirit! It’s the kid in me but even before kids, I did many of those with my girlfriends and baked so many cookies, my co-workers were begging me to stop bringing them in (with mouths full of cookies). lol
Ashley @ 3 Little Greenwoods says
Oh I love your list! Grabbing a couple of new ideas to add to our Christmas Countdown Santa. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Pinning and sharing everywhere!
~ Ashley
Rachel says
Always glad when someone finds inspiration! And thanks for the shares!