30 Best Holiday Activities For Families Bucket List (+Free Printable Checklist)
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Make lasting memories with your family this holiday season by completing this bucket list of 30 holiday activities perfect for families!
Scroll to the bottom of this post to download the free printable holiday activity checklist pdf! Not only will your kids love these holiday activities but they will love marking off each activity and looking forward to the next!
30 Bucket List Holiday Activities For Families
From baking cookies to a hot cocoa bar, to starting a new holiday tradition, this list of 30 holiday activities will bring your family together and make this holiday season unforgettable! So if you’re looking for something fun to do this winter with your family, look no further!
1. Decorate The Christmas Tree
Pull out the ornaments or go pick new ones and spend the day decorating your tree together!
2. Go Sledding
Bundle up and head to your favorite hill or look for some new ones! Invite your friends and make it a whole day of it sledding!
3. Make a Hot Chocolate Bar
Snag a few different hot cocoa flavors to try and a multitude of toppings and mix-ins. Spend the evening getting cozy and trying new recipes.
Need mix-in ideas? Try this Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board by Aspyn Jay.com!
4. Build a Snowman
If you don’t build at least one snowman each winter, is it even winter? This is one activity you must do to really kick off the holidays. Try building one to represent each member of your family!
5. Go Caroling
Have each member of your family pick out at least one of their favorite Christmas carols and go carol around to your friends, family, or a nursing home!
6. Choose Old Toys to Donate
This is one activity to really get into the spirit of the holidays. Help your kids pick out some of their lightly used toys to donate to make room for new ones.
This is a great way to have a lesson on gratitude and giving back!
7. Make Paper Snowflakes
Get a big pile of paper and see what fun paper snowflake creations your kids come up with! Let them add some to the tree or decorate their room with them!
Want to really impress? Here are 9 Amazing Snowflake Patterns from The Spruce Crafts to try!
8. Make Christmas Cards
Have your kids color holiday pictures, use craft supplies, or simply write notes in premade cards and hand them out to friends and family!
9. Go Look at Christmas Lights
Take a walk around your neighborhood or look up a local lights parade or event near you to visit!
10. Decorate Christmas Cookies
Many grocery stores have premade cookie kits to decorate or you can bake your own favorite cookie recipe to decorate!
11. Set Up Christmas Decorations
Pull out your holiday decor from the attic and let the family help make your home feel extra festive this winter! Maybe even go pick out one new holiday decor piece as a family!
12. Pick out New Christmas Pjs
Picking out new Christmas pajamas is one of my favorite activities to do each winter with my family! Target and Old Navy are fantastic places to get a set for every member of your family.
13. Watch a Christmas Movie
Watching all your favorite Christmas movies could be it’s own bucket list! With this list of 63 of the best Christmas movies of all time from The Rotten Tomato, be ready to fill your December calendar with two a day!
14. Build a Gingerbread House
Our family always loves to pick new fun gingerbread kits to complete each year, last year we build a gingerbread sports stadium which was awesome!
We also do a gingerbread house-making competition with our extended family each year too using graham crackers and see what we each come up with in the allotted time! It’s one of our favorite things to do each year!
15. Read a Christmas Book
We always read books to our kids before bed, and after Thanksgiving, we pull out our box of Christmas books to choose from. Each year we buy a new book for the season to add to the collection. It’s been a great tradition for our house!
Need Christmas book suggestions? Here’s 50 of the Best Christmas Books for Kids by Country Living.
16. Go Ice Skating
Even with small children going ice skating as a family has always been a favorite holiday activity for us! We end the evening with hot chocolate and snuggling to a movie!
Look up when public skate is at your local rink or see if a seasonal outside ring is close to you!
17. Make a Christmas Ornament
This is a favorite Christmas activity to do with kids! You can put pictures and glitter into a clear ornament, paint wood or porcelain ones, or make paper and craft supply ornaments!
Whatever you choose, this activity is sure to be a hit with the family!
18. Write a Letter to Santa
Writing a letter to Santa is a great way to get your kids to tell you what they want for Christmas and get them all into the holiday spirit!
Did you know you can actually get a letter back from Santa with it postmarked from the North Pole! This just adds another level of magic to the season and the kids love it! Here’s how to do it!
How to get a letter postmarked from the North Pole: (From usps.com)
- Have the child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole.
- Write a personalized response to the child’s letter and sign it “From Santa.”
- Insert both letters into an envelope, and address it to the child.
- Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope.
- Ensure a First-Class Mail stamp is affixed to the envelope.
- Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope, with appropriate postage, and address it to:
NORTH POLE POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998
We recommend sending your letters by December 7 so that they can be received by the Anchorage, AK, Postmaster no later than December 14. Santa’s helpers in Anchorage, AK, will take care of the rest!
19. Take Pictures with Santa
Head to your local mall to get a picture with ol’ saint Nick, or have a family member dress up!
20. Listen to Holiday Music
This is my favorite thing to do around the holiday season. We always have our Alexa playing Christmas music all day long in December!
I mean you at least have to listen to Mariah Carey once!
Rotate in the car who gets to pick the song you listen to and make it a game!
21. Do a Christmas Puzzle
Buy one big puzzle to work on all season long or get a few small ones to complete with your littles all at once. Depending on the ages of your kids you could do both!
22. Start a New Tradition
Host your first annual Ugly Christmas Sweater get together, open a gift on Christmas eve, use one of the activities already listed, or come up with your own! Whatever it is, start a new tradition that you do annually with your family to create lasting memories!
23. Have a Snowball Fight or Make a Snow Fort
Making a snowman is a must do for the winter season, but a snow ball fight or building a snow fort is another fun activity to do with your family!
24. Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
Visit a Christmas Tree Farm and pick out your tree as a family! Or if you opt for an artificial tree, you can just go visit to look around with the family!
25. Make Hot Cider
Not only will this be delicious but it will make your house smell oh, so good! Here’s a recipe for a popular Hot Holiday Spiced Cider by Tasty!
26. Deliver Baked Goods to Friends
Honestly baking delicious goodies around the holidays is one of my favorite things to do, and the more you give out, the more you can make! Make up your favorite 4 recipes and give out sampler platters to friends as gifts!
You get to bond as a family making them and sharing a little holiday cheer too! Need a new recipe to try? Here’s a list of 30 Best Christmas Dessert recipes from A Head of Thyme!
27. Take Christmas Photos
Pj photo by the tree, the family out looking at lights, or everyone in their holiday best, whatever it is be sure to take a holiday photo each year!
28. Go on a Sleigh Ride
If you can find one to do locally, you have to go on a sleigh ride! Search locally to see if there is a company or even near you that has one!
29. Have a Family Gift Swap
A fun way to get into the holiday spirit is by doing a family gift swap! Have each member of your family pull another family member’s name from a hat, set a budget maybe even just $10 and help them shop for each other!
It’s always to fun to see what family members pick out for each other and this way they also don’t need to get something for everyone in the family.
30. Build a Fire
Whether its in your indoor fireplace or a winter bonfire, grab some cocoa and snuggle up by the fire sharing your favorite Christmas memories or reading a Christmas story!
Download the Free Holiday Bucket List Checklist!
Print out the pdf checklist and mark it off as you go!
What is your favorite activity to do during the holiday season? I’d love to see you doing these activities with your families so tag me over on Instagram @CassScroggins!
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