10+ Family Things to Do at Christmas
For most kids and even a lot of adults, the Christmas season is magical.
There is something special about this time of year. People seem to be nicer (unless you stole the last most popular toy), the food is amazing, and we tend to find more time to spend with our families than any other time of year.
As we approach the holiday season, I like to create a list of family things to do at Christmas. Kind of like a winter bucket list.
I like to have a go-to list of fun things I can do with my kids at Christmas.
Let me share some of the awesome family Christmas activities you’ll likely enjoy.
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How to Connect with Your Kids at Christmas
Watch a Christmas movie
One of my favorite Christmas family activities is to watch a Christmas movie together.
There are some great Christmas movies for everyone. For the younger kids, The Star, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Polar Express, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Elf, and The Santa Clause are all great choices.
If your kids are a bit older, you should totally check out Home Alone, the Grinch, and The Nativity Story.
And for adults, I LOVE Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Christmas with the Kranks.
Cook Together
There is nothing better than jumping in the kitchen with either your family or your own kids. Some of my fondest memories of the Christmas holiday are being in the kitchen with my mom and grandmas. Something as simple as baking a batch of Christmas cookies and decorating them together can be a lot of fun, and create an awesome Christmas memory for your kids.
Go Christmas shopping for their friends and teachers
Although a lot of people are doing online Christmas shopping for the holidays, a lot of people do still “go” Christmas shopping. Take your kids out into the Christmas craziness and let them buy Christmas gifts for their friends and teachers.
Read a Christmas Story
There are so many AMAZING Christmas books for kids! Without a doubt, there is a Christmas book for everyone in your family. You can read a traditional Christmas story, or you can find something newer, like The Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. Here are some of my favorite Christmas books for kids!
Do child-focused advent activities together
If you celebrate the Christmas religion side of the Christmas season, there are some really awesome activities for celebrating Advent together. You may want to read a part of the Christmas story together every night leading up to Christmas. Another advent family activity would be to light an advent candle each Sunday during advent.
Go see Christmas lights
Something I did every year with my family and I now do with my own children at Christmas is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We do this a couple of times during the Christmas season. And now, there are even places you can drive through and look at Christmas lights, oftentimes set up to Christmas music.
Have an Ugly Sweater Contest
Let the Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest begin! Grab some plain shirts and some Christmas decorating supplies and let each person in your family make an ugly Christmas sweater. You’ll be able to wear them around the house, but it will be so much more fun to wear them out Christmas shopping, to family Christmas events, to your Christmas work party, and to your family Christmas dinner.
Go serve together
If you want to spend quality time with your kids at Christmas and teach them that there’s more to Christmas than giving and receiving Christmas gifts. One great way to do this is to take them somewhere they can serve a meal at Christmas. Think of places like a homeless shelter, food pantry, or soup kitchen. It’s often humbling for even young kids to realize that not everyone has what they do. Need some ideas of where to serve? Check out Just Serve!
Talk about your Christmas as a Kid
I love reminiscing about my Christmas memories as a child. I love to pass down Christmas memories and Christmas experiences to my kids in hopes that they’ll find joy in that, and maybe even carry those memories on to their own children. Think about things like where you went to celebrate Christmas as a kid. Was there a special type of food you only ate at Christmas? Who did you celebrate Christmas with as a kid? Do you have one Christmas gift that stands out in your mind, and if so, why?
Sponsor a Child
If you want to give your kids a different perspective this Christmas, I would highly encourage you to sponsor a child this Christmas. World Vision and Compassion International are incredible organizations that will help pair you up with a child who lacks the basic human needs for survival. You can sit down with your family and personally select which child you’ll sponsor for the upcoming year.
Visit a live nativity
If you’ve never experienced a live nativity at Christmas, you should! Take your kids and allow them to experience the true story of Christmas and why we celebrate. In the US especially, we have taken something that is biblically based and turned it into a commercialized holiday. And although there are some awesome and fun parts of that, the true meaning of Christmas is at the center of the nativity.
Play in the snow
One of my favorite things to do around Christmas is to play in the snow with my kids. It’s cold and wet, sure, but it’s also a lot of fun having snowball fights, making snow angels, and building a snowman. I know not everyone gets to experience snow every year, so maybe one year you travel to somewhere that does have snow. Or you can maybe make pretend snow. Another one of my favorite things to do in the snow is to go skiing and snow tubing!
Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
My husband is allergic to evergreen, BUT when I was a kid, we would visit a Christmas tree farm. You have the choice of buying a cut Christmas tree, which you’ll discard at the end of the Christmas season, or you can buy a Christmas tree you can replant. There is something special about picking out a Christmas tree as a family. Oftentimes, you can also pick up some Christmas greenery that you can use to decorate your house for the Christmas season.
MORE Awesome Family Christmas Stuff
The Best Christmas Books for Kids
How to Stretch Your Christmas Budget
Adorable Baby’s First Christmas Gifts
Christmas Eve Activities for Families
Fun Ways for Families to Give at Christmas
Do something different with your family this Christmas.
Let this Christmas be different for your family. Find a few Christmas activities that are new for your family and do them. Christmas is a great time for your family to slow down and enjoy quality time together. With the hustle and bustle that has become the Christmas season, it will do your momma heart some good to spend time with your family this Christmas.
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