80 Fun and Festive Christmas Activities for Families

Make lasting holiday memories with this fun and festive list of Christmas activities for families. Including 80 easy ideas everyone in the family can enjoy!

What are you doing with your family this holiday season?

Over the years, our little family has developed a few fun traditions that work well for preschoolers. Things like going to see Christmas lights, baking cookies, and decorating gingerbread houses are all family favorites.

But, now that I’m going to have every age from a 4 year old to my oldest who is practically a middle schooler, I thought it would be good to come up with a wider variety of Christmas activities for families to change things up a bit.

Some people may call this a bucket list, but I’m not a fan of that terminology.

Who needs any extra stress or pressure during the holiday season? Instead I like to think of these merely as fun ideas for things to do with the kids.

Bonus: I’ve got a free set of printable Advent activity cards with many of these ideas already printed on them, plus blank cards to add your own ideas!

To make it easier for you, the Christmas activities for families are separated into four different categories:

1. Activities to Do Out and About. Get out of the house and enjoy something different!
2. At Home Activities for when it’s just too cold and dreary to go anywhere
3. Ways to Promote Kindness and giving. Because we all need a reminder every now and then that the season isn’t just about what we’re going to get under the tree.
4. Ice Breaker Questions to ask each other. These are a great way to add some fun at the dinner table. Answer one a night or do them all at once!

80 Fun and Festive Christmas Activities for Families

Activities to Do Out and About

1. Go caroling around the neighborhood
2. Visit a local Christmas lights display
3. Go see The Nutcracker
4. Go see a Christmas play at a local puppet theater
5. Ride a Santa train
6. Go Christmas shopping as a family
7. Take a photo with Santa
8. Go on a Christmas scavenger hunt
9. Go see a living nativity
10. Paint ornaments at a local pottery
11. Go to a local craft show
12. Go visit a relative
13. Drive around the neighborhood to see Christmas lights
14. Go ice skating
15. Go to a tree lighting ceremony

Activities to Do At Home

1. Watch a Christmas movie
2. Decorate the Christmas tree
3. Make Christmas themed slime or play dough
4. Sing Christmas carols
5. Make cookies for Santa
6. Make treats to give to a neighbor
7. Decorate a gingerbread house
8. Make a popcorn garland for the tree
9. Write a letter to Santa
10. Make reindeer food
11. Read a Christmas story
12. Tell Christmas jokes
13. Make a special Christmas decoration
14. Make a gift for our teachers.
15. Play a Christmas game
16. Wrap Christmas gifts
17. Make paper snowflakes
18. Drink hot chocolate
19. Have a Christmas music dance party.
20. Make a special reindeer craft
21. Play in the snow (or make fake snow if you don’t have the real stuff!)
22. Make an Advent calendar or Advent wreath
23. Put up lights in your front yard
24. Have an indoor snowball fight
25. Have an ugly sweater making contest
26. Take a silly Christmas-themed family selfie and send it to family and friends

Activities to Promote Kindness and Giving

1. Make homemade Christmas cards for someone (grandparents, neighbor, etc.)
2. Donate a gift to charity
3. Donate unused toys
4. Take turns telling each family member one thing that is special about them.
5. Donate food to a local shelter
6. Make a care package for a soldier
7. Put candy canes on all the cars in a parking lot
8. Make a blanket to give to the animal shelter
9. Do something kind for a family member (and don’t let them know about it)
10. Take cookies to the local fire station
11. Pay for the person behind you in the drive through
12. Make a rock for kindness and put it somewhere to be found
13. Hold the door for a stranger
14. Make a Thank You card for the postman
15. Pick up litter at the local park
16. Donate books to the local library
17. Spend time with someone at a nursing home
18. Put extra change in the poor box at church
19. Donate new warm socks and sweats to the homeless
20. Write a note to thank someone in your family
21. Help around the house without being asked.
22. Let someone go ahead of you in line.
23. Play with someone new at school or at the park
24. Make a casserole to donate to the homeless shelter

Ice Breaker Questions to Ask Each Other

1. Share your favorite Christmas memories.
2. Finish the sentence: “It wouldn’t be Christmas without _____.”
3. Tell everyone what your favorite Christmas treat is and why
4. Share your favorite Christmas song.
5. Would you rather build a snowman, go sledding, have a snowball fight, or stay inside drinking hot cocoa?
6. Finish the sentence: The best Christmas movie is ____”
7. Share your favorite Christmas ornament and explain why it is so special.
8. Tell everyone the best thing that’s happened to you so far this Advent
9. Finish the sentence: The worst Christmas movie is ____”
10. Share the one Christmas wish you would like to have granted.
11. Finish the sentence: “The true meaning of Christmas is _____”
12. Answer the question: “Who is your favorite reindeer and why?”
13. You must add a new reindeer to santa’s team. what would you name him?
14. If you could spend Christmas day with one tv family ~ which one would it be?
15. If you had to all your Christmas shopping at pone store, which store would you choose?

Looking for Christmas Activities for your holiday party? You might want to check these out:

• Full Set of Free Christmas Bingo
• Free Christmas Scavenger Hunt Printables
• Christmas Activity Pack with 9 printable games
• Minute-to-Win-it: Rudolph Race Off
• Minute-to-Win-it: Freezer Bum

Now It’s Your Turn

Grab your free advent activity cards from the resources library today and start making memories.

Whether you choose to do one or all of these Christmas activities for families, there’s definitely no reason for kids to say I’m bored!

Which of these advent activities for families do you plan to do?
What family traditions do you have?

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