25 Days of FREE Christmas Activities for Families

The 25 Days of FREE Christmas Activities for Families list will bring festive holiday cheer and memories to your home.

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Making the most of the Christmas Season

My goal with making this list of 25 Days of Free Christmas Activities for Families, is to help inspire festivities that cost no money during a season that can have monetary focus.

Some of these ideas can be done on a small budget depending on what you want to do but all of them can be done completely free with a little creativity and using what you have on hand!

I love to take a moment, brew a cup of coffee, and sit down to make an intentional plan of how I want to bring some holiday cheer to our season without breaking the bank.

I hope these ideas inspire you to do the same and I pray great family memories are made in your homes this season!

25 days of FREE Christmas activities for Families List

Make a December bucket list of great ideas together

As a family, take some time to write out a wish list of activities you want to do this holiday season. Each member can make their own list and you can come together to write out Christmas ideas for the season. 

Hopefully this list gives you a budget friendly place to start!

Here is a FREE Printable you can use for the season. This list has a few bonus ideas so you can swap out what works for your family.

I like to sprinkle these activities throughout the month as they work with our lives but having a set activity every day can be fun to incorporate in a visual Christmas countdown as well. 

Christmas pajama box

Our Christmas pajama box is a box I put together each year to open on December 1st, after hanging Christmas lights, or putting up the Christmas tree. I like to put a new pair of matching Christmas pajamas and a few new Christmas books but there are many free ways to do this.

Fill the box with the Christmas mugs, puzzles, board games, and advent calendar you already have to open at the beginning of the season. 

These precious items that have been tucked away the rest of the year can bring a fresh wave of holiday cheer for the season ahead. 

This year I added Christmas sheets and blankets to put on the beds that we will tuck away after the season and use again next year. 

Another idea if you do not have anything on hand to stash in your Christmas box, would be to look through this activity list and stock the box with things to build anticipation for the season ahead. 

You can put together the homemade decoration supplies, gift wrap, Christmas activity cards (free printable here), or festive snacks with your favorite movies to open and build anticipation for all that will be enjoyed throughout December. 

Even putting together this box is a highlight for me as a mother in bringing holiday memories to our home.

Christmas Tree Farm visit

Even if you don’t use a real tree and put up an artificial tree, visits to many Christmas tree farms are free.

Our local tree farms typically have fun activities for the children and farm animals to watch and feed. One of our favorite tree farms burns a large bon fire, hands out free candy canes, and sets out a hot chocolate bar for visitors.

Besides cutting down our Christmas tree at the farm, we visit the gift shop, and sometimes pick up a handmade wreath or fresh garland to add to our decor for the holiday season. 

Make a gingerbread house (food or cardboard gingerbread houses)

Making gingerbread houses is a tradition that has lasted since my childhood. One year I sent out gingerbread house kits to the whole family for a little friendly competition. Each family or family member participated by making their most elaborate gingerbread house for everyone to vote on their favorite. 

Making gingerbread houses doesn’t have to be expensive. Here is my from scratch gingerbread house recipe and template to use ingredients already on hand. 

​Gingerbread houses can be made out of graham crackers or even cardboard. 

To make a cardboard gingerbread house all you need is cardboard, a box cutter or scissors, and a white paint pen or white Elmer’s glue. A hot glue gun is helpful but optional. 

Cut out the pieces to construct your house, decorate with the white glue or paint pen, piece together with hot glue, and enjoy your masterpiece!

These little houses make the sweetest decorations and the process of constructing them together is a great way for the family to get some quality time. 

Make Christmas ornaments

During the Christmas season, we love to make homemade ornaments and decorations. Some very inexpensive homemade Christmas ornaments include cinnamon salt dough ornaments, dried orange slices, paper stars, and felt ornaments. I like to spread Christmas crafts throughout the month of December as a way to add some holiday cheer to our homeschool days. 

Christmas play-doh

Christmas play-doh is another of our family traditions the kids look forward to. We make palydoh throughout the year and Christmas time is a great time to refresh our supply. 

The process of measuring and making the dough can be a great way to implement math in a homeschool day, and putting Christmas playdoh into little mason jars can make a great gift or stocking stuffer for little ones.

Christmas light display drive

Light displays are one of the most festive things we do with the entire family this time of the year. Locally to us there are many free, elaborate light displays throughout different neighborhoods. Sometimes we have visited the same house multiple times throughout the month because of how much fun they are. Our favorites will have you tune into a radio station that syncs the display to the music. This is one of those Christmas festivities we will never forget. 

Christmas tea party

A themed tea party is one of the fun ways we embrace the Christmas spirit this time of year. The best part of this tradition is you can use whatever you have on hand to make it special. 

We put on some Christmas music while decorating the table. Dress up the table with fresh greenery from outside and make a hot pot of tea, hot cocoa, or mulled apple cider. 

My girls love to dress up in fancy sparkly dresses while sipping tea by candlelight at the fancy table. This is a great opportunity to invite friends and have a little Christmas party. You can even wear ugly Christmas sweaters and have a more casual tea party.

Christmas countdown activities (advent calendar or paper chain)

Christmas countdowns are very fun, especially for younger children.

• Using strips of construction paper to make a red and green paper chain
• Opening a chocolate advent calendar daily
• Making your own advent calendar incorporating fun family events coming up and these daily activities

These all can be fun, inexpensive ideas for counting down each day of December leading up to Christmas Day.

Candlelight service on Christmas Eve

Most churches put on a Christmas Eve service.

This is a favorite holiday tradition for our family that brings us back to the true reason for celebrating Christmas, and not focused on material things.

Some churches put on a live performance of the Christmas Story, a Christmas concert, or a special Christmas play.

The lighting of candles, singing together, and worshipping the Lord is a highlight for my children each year on Christmas Eve. 

Christmas wreath making

We have a supply of floral wire and a few dollar store wreath forms in our stash but even if you don’t you can make a Christmas wreath with some cardboard, nature findings, and some glue. 

The possibilities are endless!

Make gifts or Christmas cards

Christmas is the perfect time to make cards and write letters to loved ones.

These cards are special for grandparents, friends, and even neighbors. You can make them extra fun by adding some Christmas confetti, stickers, wash tape, or by water coloring your cards. 

Wrap gifts

Wrapping Christmas gifts with the whole family for others is a great way to involve everyone in the spirit of giving.

You can use some brown butcher paper and make your own designs for wrapping paper. Younger kids can use stamps made from nature or color a special note on the gifts they wrap.

Older kids can help younger kids with wrapping or put their own thought into how they want to wrap the special gift for someone they love. 

Put together a Christmas puzzle

Every year our winter puzzle collection grows a little bit more. We like to have a puzzle out on a counter that the whole family can work on together and contribute to throughout the day or week. 

Drink peppermint hot cocoa

Homemade hot cocoa is delicious and even more fun is sticking a candy cane into mugs for a peppermint twist. Here is our favorite recipe for homemade hot chocolate: Whole milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and vanilla bean sugar or maple syrup to taste. Heat over the stove, whisk, and serve warm.

Play in the snow, go ice skating, or go for a winter walk

Depending on where you live, the winter activities to get outside will vary.

We do not have ponds that freeze over enough to go ice skating so that is not an option here, but where you live it may be.

Something we do enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest is to play in the snow when it falls and go on a winter walk. Warning: sometimes this turns into a snow ball fight… 

The fresh crisp air fills our lungs as we bundle up nice and warm.

If you frequently walk the same areas it is fun to watch the seasonal changes together. Wonder at the frost, listen to the calm in the snow, observe tiny snowflakes, and watch what animals come out in the winter.

We enjoy these nature walks as a family, even in winter. The key is the right clothing, hand warmers, and the incentive of a nice fire with hot chocolate when we get home. 😉

Make paper snowflakes

Paper snowflakes can really dress up the house for winter cheer. You can use white printer paper and even paper doilies for variations. Hang them from the ceiling by some fishing line or string, or place them in the window.

Charity, donations, + homeless shelters

One of the things we do each year is go through our things before more things come in.

Donating nice, lightly used, or even unused items to charity shops can provide a nice selection for those shops to stock as people shop there for gifts. 

Along with gift donations, putting together care bags for a homeless shelter, donating blankets, outgrown winter wear, and thinking of those who may have a need this Christmas can be a nice way to remind our family of the important things and caring for those around us. 

Operation Christmas child

Each year we put together shoeboxes for operation Christmas child through Samaritan’s Purse.

Though not free, filling shoeboxes has been a fun way for our children to pray for other children around the world and put together something thoughtful for others to open for Christmas.

Prayer + gratitude tree

Another option to think of others this season, is to have a small tree to hang prayers on throughout the season.

As you come across those in need or those who need prayer, you can hang a tag on the tree to remind the family to pray for them and see how you may love and care for them in other ways.

Hanging tags on the tree for what you are all thankful for is another great option to remind us of the blessings we have been given. This can cultivate contentment in a season that can be focused otherwise.

Watch a Christmas movie or enjoy a Christmas movie marathon

We like to cozy up in the living room, enjoy a holiday treat or popcorn, and watch a movie together. 

Some popular favorites for a fun holiday movie night are:

• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
• “Charlie Brown Christmas”
• “Little Drummer Boy”
• “White Christmas”
• “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”
• “The Star”
• “Polar Express”

If you are into Christmas movie marathons, you can dedicate a day to this with all of your holiday favorites. 

​There are many options online but if you do not have a streaming service, sometimes there are local churches or other organizations that have a holiday movie night you can attend for free.

Sleepover by the Christmas tree

What says Merry Christmas more to a young child than an opportunity to sleep by the pretty lit Christmas tree?

Have a sleepover by the tree, wake up to stockings or a yummy breakfast first thing Christmas morning. This can be a tradition for great Christmas memories.

Sing Christmas carols by candlelight

We love a good Christmas Carol in our house. We sing them throughout the season, along with Christmas hymns.

These songs can be even more fun when sung in a low lit room to candlelight.

We love to sing the glory of the Lord together. Singing acapella, to a nice playlist, or with some accompaniment on the piano by a family member. This makes a sweet time to calm our hearts and come together during the holiday season.

Christmas morning breakfast

The number one tradition for myself growing up was Christmas morning breakfast. We always had a French toast casserole and cinnamon rolls.

These sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls or a fun breakfast charcuterie board would be the perfect breakfast Christmas morning.

The smell of Christmas goodies baking is so nostalgic for me and I love bringing these memories into our own home for my children to grow up with. 

We set the table with a table cloth, nice glasses from the thrift store, and some festive plates for Christmas Day. These small touches for enjoying our meals is a simple, inexpensive way to add intentionality to the season.

Bake Christmas cookies for 1st responders

My husband is a first responder and has worked many holidays. Baking cookies for these community service workers can be a blessing to those working Christmas Day.

Giving a little thought into serving those who serve is a fun activity the whole family can participate in.

Read Christmas stories

Throughout the season we have a shelf full of Christmas books.

These books feel like new every year as we pull them out to read together.

I like to pick one or two longer books to go through for the season. But we also have a nice collection of winter children’s books my kids love to read every day. 

Play a Christmas board game or do a Christmas scavenger hunt

Playing Christmas board games during a family game night is a blast.

Like our Christmas books and puzzles, we add Christmas board games slowly over the years to our collection.

If you do not enjoy board games or do not currently have any Christmas games, there are plenty to play without any material pieces. 

Put together a Christmas scavenger hunt, holiday charades, Christmas music dance party or freeze game. There are lots of games you can put a little Christmas twist on for a fun night for the family.

Bake a birthday cake for Jesus

I have seen this tradition enjoyed by many young children. Reminding them of Jesus birth and that He came to bring light to the world.

We have so many December birthdays in our family that we don’t make this cake but this can be a fun holiday treat to enjoy together and pair with the Christmas Story.

Secret Santa Night

Exchange names in your family for a secret Santa gift exchange.

You can make the gifts for each other with items you already have on hand. Wrap them up nice with a thoughtful card and have a night where you exchange with one another.

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What is a favorite free holiday tradition for your family? What would you add to your list of 25 Days of Free Christmas Activities for Families? Let us know in the comments below!

Free printables:

25 Days of Free Christmas Activities for Families printable

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