Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Family – Fun Memory Making Ideas!

Looking for some fun Christmas activities to do with your family? Here are more than 30 ideas!

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Christmas can be one of the best times of the year to build family memories. Some of the most simple activities can bring so much joy and will be remembered by your family forever.

Here are some Christmas traditions to start that will have you making memories for years to come! This post has fun things to do on Christmas day, as well as ideas for the whole holiday season. Most of these ideas are really simple, which is a big bonus for busy moms.

Fun Christmas Activities for Families

1. Get Matching Christmas Pajamas

Buy matching Christmas pajamas for each person in the household to wear. Everyone can make sure to wear their pajamas on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. There are some really cute family pajama sets available! This idea is cute for all ages from toddlers to teens and adults.

2. Visit a Local Light Show

Look for details on local light shows and take your children to see one. Some light shows are walk through, some are drive through, and others include a hay ride. No matter which one you choose, you can have a great time with your family. You can check Facebook events near you or Google Christmas Light shows near you. All ages from toddlers to teens can enjoy this activity!

3. Watch a Christmas Movie on Christmas Eve

We love watching movies for part of our Christmas celebration. A few of our favorites are Klaus, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Arthur Christmas. We like to eat popcorn and other yummy things like Reeses cups while we watch.

4. Have Christmas Morning Waffles

Make it a tradition to have waffles on Christmas morning. Even though I haven’t done this, I think it would be a really fun thing to do on Christmas day! Note: I need to think about buying a waffle maker!

5. Bake and Share Christmas Goodies

When I was growing up, we had a baking night where we met at my Grandma’s. All of my Aunt’s and my mom and some of us grandkids would bake. My grandma used to be a caterer and she made delicious baked goods. I remember that she checked to see if things were done by touching the tops of the baked goods. That is a sweet memory.

We would then go Christmas caroling, and sing for our neighbors and give them tins of delicious homemade baked goods!

Try making this real food walnut roca (It is pictured above.) Or make cookies-your kids will love this baking set-I know I would have loved it when I was a kid!

6. Decorate the Tree While Listening to Christmas Music

This is a fun Christmas tradition for my family. I like to put my oldest daughter in charge of the music. I start getting out all the Christmas decorations. We decorate the tree and house while we listen to some of our favorite holiday songs. It can be fun to sing as well!

7. Take a Car Ride and See What Christmas Lights you can Find

Take a ride through your neighborhood or a nearby neighborhood and look for Christmas lights. This is an economical alternative to paying to see a light show. My family has seen some really beautiful light displays this way. You may want to ask around about which neighborhoods have the best lights.

8. Open a Gift on Christmas Eve

Let each person in the house open one gift on Christmas Eve. It gets them excited for the following day when they’ll have even more gifts to open!

9. Go Caroling

I mentioned earlier that this is what my family did after we baked all those yummy baked goods. Caroling has been around for a very long time, but not many people do it these days. You can bring the tradition back to life while caroling with your family (or even a larger group like your church.)

10. Have a Christmas Eve Potluck

Choose someone’s house to meet at and have a Christmas eve potluck. Each person in the family can bring something that is yummy to eat. You may want to have someone who coordinates everything and makes sure that there is enough main dishes, desserts etc. Potlucks are fun because you have so many delicious things to choose from.

11. Make Homemade Hot Chocolate

Make some homemade hot chocolate with the kids. Here are 20 healthy hot chocolate recipes to inspire you. Hot chocolate is so fun to drink on a cold day!

12. Buy Blank Mini Stockings and Decorate Them

Buy some inexpensive mini stockings and decorate them. Decorate them with pom poms, glitter, sequins, glitter glue and more.

13. Make a Gingerbread House

Buy a gingerbread house kit and put it together with your family. You can buy a preassembled one, and just decorate it. Or you can buy a gingerbread cookie cutter set and make the entire house from scratch. (With the cookie cutter set, you would make your own icing and decorations as well).

14. Play a Game the Night Before Christmas

Choose a fun game that you can play with your family on Christmas Eve. It’s a great way to spend quality time with your loved ones while sharing lots of laughs and good times. The game Telestrations has really good reviews.

15. Visit an Ice Skating Rink

Alas, we don’t have an ice skating rink nearby, but you might. I always thought this looked so fun to do!

16. Make a Shoebox for Operation Christmas Child

Help your children learn the value of compassion by making a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. This can be a lot of fun, and really gets your mind going in a positive direction.

17. Go to Church on Christmas Eve

Think about going to church on Christmas Eve. It’s often one of the best times to go to Church. Many churches have Christmas Eve services. Sometimes there is a candlelight service. You may find a church with a Christmas play scheduled for Christmas Eve.

18. Visit a Christmas Tree Farm and Pick Out a Tree

Go to a local Christmas tree farm and pick out your tree. It is fun to let the kids help pick out the tree!

19. Prepare a meal together as a family and take it to a sick or elderly friend

Choose a simple holiday meal that you make together as a family. Then deliver the meal to someone who could really use it-someone who is under the weather or an elderly friend. This can cheer up your friend and your family. Here are some healthy Christmas recipes for inspiration.

20. Bake Christmas Dessert Together

Decide on a dessert that you’d like to prepare for Christmas dinner and then prepare it all together. You may want to choose a recipe you are already familiar with or choose something that isn’t too hard-especially if you have younger kids.

You might want to make this pecan pie-it has a lot of 5 star reviews.

21. Gather Around the Tree to Open Gifts

This is one of the fun things we do on Christmas day-we put lots of blankets on the floor in front of the tree. Then we pass out presents and open them while “camping out” in front of the tree. We like to open one present at the time so that everyone can enjoy watching the reactions to the gift!

22. Do a Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Consider doing a Secret Santa with your closest friends and family. It’s fun to buy something special, and also get a secret gift from someone.

This is how Secret Santa works: Members of a group of friends or family draw out random pieces of paper to become someone’s Secret Santa. On the paper is a name and a wish list.

On the designated day, the giftee opens their present and has to guess which member of the group was their Secret Santa.

23. Pick Out a New Christmas Ornament Every Year

Take your family shopping and pick out a new Christmas ornament each year. Or you can order a personalized one like these cute name ornaments on Amazon. Each year, your tree will become more and more your personalized family tree. 🙂

24. Have a Christmas Talent Show

Have your family members show off their talents with a Christmas Talent Show. This could be very entertaining!

25. Make or buy Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Buy sweaters and decorate them to create ugly Christmas sweaters together. You can get very creative and add all kinds of things to the sweaters like Christmas tinsel, ribbons, bells, balls, glitter, or sequins.

Or you can buy some really ugly sweaters!

26. Read the Christmas Story Out Loud.

Read the true Christmas story from the Luke 2 in the Bible. My grandpa used to do this right before we opened presents at my grandparent’s house. Now that he has passed on, my dad reads it right before everyone opens their presents at my mom and dad’s. It is an important tradition for us.

27. Decorate the Windows Together with Christmas Clings.

Get some holiday clings for the windows and let the children help you hang them. I know my kids would have loved this when they were small. In fact they might still like it now-I will have to ask them!

28. Make Christmas Crafts or Decorations Together

Kids love to do crafts, and Christmas is a perfect time to do them. This Nativity paint kit is really cute!

29. Visit a Christmas Craft Fair

This is a good way to get into the holiday spirit! You can find gifts as well as just enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.

30. Reserve a Special Place for a Family Nativity Set

Putting out a nativity set helps you and your kids to remember the meaning of Christmas. Plus, your kids will love it. I recommend getting a kid safe set that your kids can play with, because they are going to want to play with it! Or get two sets-a delicate one you put in a safe spot and a kid friendly one.

31. Go to a Holiday Parade

Even a small holiday parade can be a whole lot of fun! This is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

32. Color Christmas Pictures

Color Christmas pictures for fun or give them away. It can really brighten someone’s day if they receive a picture that was colored for them! I have Gingerbread man and gingerbread girl coloring pages here. You may also like my penguin coloring pages.

You may also be interested in these fun Christmas Activities:

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Christmas I Spy Printables for Preschool and Kindergarten – Free PDF!