25 Fun Family Christmas Ideas

There’s nothing like the winter holidays to spend quality time with your family! 

No matter how and where Christmas is the perfect time of the year to gather all your dear ones in one place so that you can all enjoy a merry little time together! 

25 fun Christmas activities to help you enjoy with family

Holidays are some time to do things with your family. However, if you need more family Christmas ideas, here are some. Here is a Christmas activities list you can refer to. 

1. Take a postcard photo

Now that you have to send out holiday wishes, why not take a new photo of it?

2. Christmas tree farm

You will need a Christmas tree, right? Go to the farm together and pick the best one! This is one of the best family Christmas ideas.

3. Baking

Baking Christmas-themed cookies sounds like a perfect family Christmas activity idea.

Looking for some Christmas-themed baking ideas? Watch this video.

4. A professional photoshoot

Apart from just taking a holiday postcard photo, hire a professional photographer to take family photos. The decor during the holiday season is something to capture! This is one of the best Christmas activities to do at home.

5. Game night

You can do a holiday trivia game night as a family to mark the arrival of the best time of the year! Add this to the list of things to do with your family on Christmas.

This research suggests that families that play together, stay together. While the findings are focused on video games, they still hold true for offline games.

Related Reading: 50 Fun Family Game Night Ideas

6. Christmas craft

If you have young kids, indulge in some holiday crafts with them. You can use the same in the decor later.

7. Letters to Santa

Writing letters to Santa is a super cute and fun activity and a great family Christmas idea. Add this great idea to the list of festive things to do for Christmas.

8. Draw

Holiday-themed drawings are another fun thing to do for Christmas. You can do it with your family and use it later for decor as well. This is especially helpful if you plan to host your friends and family for Christmas dinner or a party.

9. Hot chocolate

Christmas screams hot chocolate. You can make a holiday-themed hot chocolate – such as one with peppermint or whatever the favorite around your house is! Here are some recipe ideas.

10. Set up a photo booth

If you are hosting your friends and family on Christmas, setting up a photo booth with your family would be a great idea. 

11. Drive-in movie

Christmas movies are simply the best! If you are in a place where they do drive-in movies at this time, definitely visit one with your family. 

If you still need to get a drive-in movie happening, you can still watch a Christmas movie at home with festive snacks.

Related Reading: 40 Best Romantic Movies of All Time

12. Cookie exchange

Christmas holidays are all about delicious food. However, you may get bored with the things you make. Hosting a cookie exchange is a great family Christmas idea. Try out your favorite festive treats.

13. Throw a party

If you like playing the host, throw a Christmas party for your friends and family. It will be a great way for everyone to connect and enjoy.

Related Reading: Kids Christmas Party Tips: How to Create Magic at Home

14. See the lights

The best part about the holiday season is how well-decorated and pretty the cities look. If you cannot think of anything else to do, go on strolls to see the lights with your family. You are sure to enjoy it.

Lights are known to affect our mind and mood. Read more about it here.

15. Attend a church service

Christmas is the perfect time to reconnect with God and religion. Attend a church service with your family to get in the Christmas spirit.

16. Volunteer

Another fun family Christmas idea around the holiday season is to volunteer. It could be at a donation drive, food services, or wherever you feel fit. It is a great way to give back to the community.

17. Go ice skating

Now that winter is here, ice skating is the best way to spend quality time with your family. Even if you need to learn how to skate, it can be a fun activity to learn together.

18. Go on a hike

If you and your family are super outdoorsy, it is the perfect time to hike. Especially when the season is transitioning, you may see some beautiful colors.

19. Wear ugly sweaters

What are some indispensable family Christmas events? Ugly sweaters and Christmas go hand in hand. Have a party where everyone is dressed in ugly sweaters. You can also make it a contest and decide whose sweater is the ugliest.

20. Build a snowman

If you live in a place that gets enough snow around Christmas, build a snowman as one of the Christmas family activities. You can also make individual ones and compete with each other in creativity.

21. Go sledding

Christmas is the time to go sledding. If you have such spots in your city, you should plan a day for them. 

Outdoor activities during the winter do not have to be limited; they have to be according to the season. Sledding may be one of the best fun family Christmas ideas. 

22. Shop for gifts

You have to get gifts for people, so why not make gift shopping a family thing instead? Each of you can pick something for a specific family member, which will help you keep the gifts a secret, but involve everyone in the process.

Related Reading: 25 Most Practical Gift Ideas For Men

23. Clean up and donate

Christmas may be a great time to clean up your house and find things you can donate. It will bring your family together and make you feel great when you bring joy into other people’s lives during the holiday season.

24. Game party

Make it a Christmas family fun game night by playing all your favorite board games together. This is a time to relax and unwind. 

You and your family will cherish it. Keep it different from the game night, where you play Christmas trivia. This is one of the fun things to do at Christmas time.

Related Reading: Kids Christmas Party Tips: How to Create Magic at Home

25. Go caroling

If you enjoy singing or love Christmas carols, you should go caroling this Christmas with your family.

Five examples of fun activities you could turn into future family traditions

Here are some examples of fun activities you could turn into future family traditions:

1. If you want to give presents as a special one, try hiding the gifts and leaving riddles for each person to solve to find their present.

This will make everything more fun and exciting and have everyone guessing what and where their gift is.

2. Light some candles, gather around the Christmas tree, and take turns singing carols or telling a short story or memory of past winter holidays with a family member that you hold precious and feel thankful for. 

Presents are always a source of happiness, but try opening up and sharing the love!

3. Buy baubles and ask each member to secretly write a message for another family member and give them to each intended person once they are done. 

To make things even more interesting, gather them all up and put them away until next Christmas when each person gets to see and remember last year’s wishes for one another.

4. Choose a person to name their favorite winter holiday movie every year and have everyone watch it together. Name a person each year and take turns choosing who gets to decide what the film will be. 

You can do this when it comes to picking movies but also activities. It’s even more fun to anticipate what this year’s chosen family member decides to do for Christmas and what awaits the entire family on this special occasion.

5. Traveling abroad for Christmas has gradually begun to be more common than staying at home for the occasion. If you and your family, spend a few days in a winter wonderland abroad.

FAQs

1. How do you spend Christmas Eve with your family?

Depending on your time, budget and disposition, you can choose a few ways to spend this special day with your loved ones. 

Here’s how you can do that:

• Santa Claus is coming to town!

Why should Santa be the only one to arrive in town for the holidays when you can call all your family members to your house for Christmas? 

Yes, it might take a bit to prepare dinner and presents for more than just a person or two, but the joy and cheer a group can bring to your home can’t compare to a solitary holiday. 

While couples with children might have to liven things up for them, for those who are alone, this is the perfect occasion to enjoy Christmas to its fullest.

• Christmas treats

It’s also the perfect time to impress your dear ones with your cooking skills; there is a wide variety of recipes and Christmas food decorations that you can try and have fun with, which you might not feel like preparing while alone at home. 

From homemade meals you rarely cook to deserts in the shape of Christmas trees, stars, and reindeer, let your imagination run wild and create a feast to remember! 

However, if cooking is not your strong point, you can always run to the nearest market to choose from a wide variety of imaginative treats.

• The joy of sharing

Instead of sending your presents by mail, offering them in person is always more impactful and pleasing for both the giver and the receiver. 

Gather around the Christmas tree and start exchanging presents or hide them around the house, leaving them guessing what belongs to whom to make things more entertaining. 

A multitude of games can be played in regards to handing out presents and, depending on your type of humor, a simple gesture can turn into a hilarious moment.

If spending more than a few hours is possible for everyone involved, try turning a few days into an entertaining affair by playing various games together, visiting shops downtown, or simply taking your time to exchange some stories. 

Nowadays, our hectic schedules and tiring working hours rarely leave room for meaningful interaction. Rediscover family traditions that you enjoyed as a child or bask in your family’s love and attention for a change. 

It’s not only entertaining but also relaxing. And, if you don’t have family traditions, it is never too late to start one now.

2. What is the five-gift Christmas rule?

Making a list of Christmas gifts takes work for the kids. They end up wanting anything and everything. As parents or people giving them gifts, we would also like them to have everything they want, but it has to be regulated because that is what parenting is. 

Usually, parents or gift-givers follow the four-gift rule. The four-gift rule includes one gift based on each of these parameters –

• Something they need
• Something they want
• Something to wear
• Something to read

However, there is also a new gifting rule for Christmas – called the five-gift Christmas rule. According to this rule, the first four gifts remain the same. However, the fifth gift is the real star of the show. They need or want it but do not know they do. Therefore, it is likely to separate from the list of gifts wanted/needed. This gift is the real surprise factor.

You can pick the fifth gift based on your child’s interests and passions if you listen to them. Have they developed a liking for playing instruments lately? You can get one of those, and they may develop real talent. 

Coming up with the fifth gift may require you to think a lot and observe your receiver quite a bit. But that’s the fun of it.

Takeaway

Whether it is just your parents, relatives, or very close friends you consider family, choose to share these precious moments and make beautiful memories for the years to come. 

Bring the magic and the warmth of the Christmas holidays not only into your home but also in your heart! Spending time with your family can feel like family therapy and help fix any issues you may be facing.