No holiday plans? No problem! Here are 15+ family Christmas activities at home for a great time without ever leaving the house.
I remember squeezing my hands together and bouncing up and down with excitement as my mom pulled the Christmas decorations out of the shed. Christmas was my favorite time of year as a child.
Despite living almost 1,800 miles away from our extended family, my mom always managed to make Christmas an exciting and magical time of year. We would decorate the house, pull out the holiday towels, and even add some ribbon to the cats’ collars.
We didn’t have big family dinners or do much traveling, but we had so many fun traditions together, that I never missed it. In fact, as an adult, I prefer to stay home for Christmas.
I can kick back in my pajamas, let my hair be a frizzy mess, and just enjoy my family.
However, the last thing I want to deal with when I’m trying to relax and enjoy the holidays is my kids complaining about being bored…
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Making the Most of an At-Home Christmas
I want to recreate some of those exciting and magical Christmases I had as a kid. I want my kids to look back on their childhood holidays and remember all the good times we had together.
This means that while I’m cozy in my pajamas, I also make sure to add in some fun family Christmas activities at home.
I sprinkle in the activities listed below all December long.
That way, no matter what kind of weather comes along or what kind of holiday parties we do or don’t get invited to, my family has a happy and fun-filled Christmas.
If you’re planning an at-home Christmas (or maybe accidentally got stuck with one!) this list of activities will make sure you are ready! You’ll have plenty to keep everyone entertained and get to stay in your slippers to do it.
15+ Fun Family Christmas Activities at Home
1.) Read Christmas Books
One of my favorite memories growing up is reading Christmas books with my mom. Our favorite was “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” We would read it every Christmas Eve together.
As I got older, we started seeing how much of the book we could memorize. We would take turns trying to repeat the whole story as we laughed and joked about our slip-ups and mistakes.
It’s a tradition I love sharing with my children and it’s the reason reading books is first on my list of indoor Christmas activities for families. It’s simple and easy to do, but can leave great memories your family will cherish as they get older.
If your family doesn’t have a favorite Christmas book, you can check out some of these classics to try out this year:
- 5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas
- The Night Before Christmas
- The Polar Express
- Twelve Days of Christmas
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2.) Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Next on the list of fun Christmas activities to do at home is a scavenger hunt. This is a great way to mix things up during Christmas time.
If you need a little peace while you tackle some chores around the house, you can send the list off with your kids and tell them not to come back until they find everything lol. This would also work as a fun family activity to do together.
You can make your own scavenger hunt or you can get this one here. It has 220 holiday objects you can hunt for inside and outside your home.
3.) Make Some Holiday Crafts
If your kids love to do crafts as much as mine, then this would be another fun Christmas activity for kids. You can pick up some inexpensive ready-to-go crafts from the dollar store or Hobby Lobby.
They’re great if you don’t want to worry about hunting down different supplies and materials. Or you can look up a few craft ideas on your own.
Here are a few fun ideas I know my kids would enjoy doing this Christmas:
- Homemade Cookie Cutter Bird Feeders
- Paper Snowflakes
- Easy to Make Christmas Ribbon Wreath
- Christmas Tree Thumbprint Art
- Santa Salt Dough Handprints
- Clothespin Snowflakes
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4.) Holiday Coloring Pages
Another fun way to celebrate Christmas without having to love your house is to color some holiday coloring pages. Coloring can be a fun activity for kids and adults.
You can encourage your kids to color pictures to add to Christmas cards or as extra decorations around the house.
5.) Play Some Christmas games
Playing Christmas games is top of my list this year for new Christmas traditions. My family loves to play games and I have no idea why I took so long to think of the idea of adding some Christmas games to our holiday celebrations.
Want to keep everyone entertained and get some quality family time together? Christmas games are the way to go.
Here is a list of a few I know we will be trying out this year:
- Christmas Eye Spy
- Christmas Mad Libs
- Christmas Smell Guessing Game
- Christmas Guess Who
- Minute to Win it Christmas games – This list will be a family favorite at my house!
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6.) Decorate Christmas Cookies
If you usually set out some store-bought cookies for Santa, this year try spending a little extra time making them yourself. This is a great Christmas activity for kids.
We spend Christmas with my mom, and my kids love getting to decorate cookies with her each year. They look a little crazy, but the kids have a wonderful time and they always taste amazing.
Plus, I’m pretty sure Santa doesn’t mind.
7.) Watch a Christmas Movie Marathon
I don’t know about you, but I watched tons of Christmas movies growing up. For my mom, it wasn’t Christmas until we watched It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street at least once.
It became a holiday tradition my family has cherished. We love to set up a Christmas movie marathon, grab some hot chocolate and a few blankets, and settle in for some nice relaxing family time.
This is a great Christmas activity if you have younger kids or need something calm and relaxing for everyone to do.
8.) Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments
Another fun Christmas activity to do at home is to make homemade Christmas ornaments. You can hang them on your tree or use them around the house as Christmas decorations.
Here are some simple and easy Christmas ornaments you can make with your kids:
- Easy Button Christmas Tree Ornaments
- Easy Toddler-Approved Perler Bead Ornaments
- Christmas Scented Salt Dough Ornaments
- Easy Pipe Cleaner Wreath Ornaments
- Easy Cinnamon Ornaments
9.) Make a Gingerbread House
A great at-home Christmas activity for older kids and teenagers is making a gingerbread house. Building a good gingerbread house is challenging enough for older kids while still being a great outlet for creativity.
This will keep everyone entertained for a few hours and also be a tasty treat when it’s done.
10.) Make and Mail Holiday Cards
Another fun Christmas activity to do at home this year would be to make and mail holiday cards. Making the cards is a personalized touch many family members will appreciate, plus it will keep everyone busy and in the Christmas spirit.
If you’re worried about the final product (I don’t know about you, but true artistic talent does not run in our family) make them an addition to your normal Christmas cards you mail out.
11.) Have a Hot Chocolate Buffet
Next on the list of fun family Christmas activities at home is to have a hot chocolate buffet. You can get some fun mugs, make a big batch of hot chocolate, and then set up a bunch of different toppings.
You could include toppings like peppermints, cinnamon, marshmallows, creamers, etc. This is a fun activity to set up right before you do a Christmas movie marathon or start playing some Christmas games.
I’m not a big hot chocolate fan, but I know my kids would be beyond excited if we set something like this up.
12.) Make a Christmas Card Tree
Another family tradition my mom and I had was using the Christmas cards we received as decorations. You could do the same, or take it a step further and create a Christmas tree design with them on the wall.
My family doesn’t get a ton of Christmas cards (mostly because I’m terrible at sending them out), but I know my kids would enjoy it if we made some of our own and then put them up on the wall.
13.) Sing Christmas Songs
Christmas songs are my favorite part of the holiday season, so this is one of my favorite Christmas activities to do at home. My husband laughs at me because I will start playing Christmas music immediately after Halloween is over.
There’s no Thanksgiving music, so why not?!
Growing up, we had a big book full of Christmas carols and I loved reading through them and singing along. I can’t carry a tune, unfortunately, but it doesn’t diminish my Christmas spirit! LOL.
Even if you aren’t up for traditional caroling, getting together and singing some Christmas songs can still be a great way to enjoy the season. If you have one, you can even bust out the karaoke machine to take things up a notch.
14.) Drive Around Looking at Christmas Lights
These days everyone goes all out with their holiday decorations. So many of us are ready for some good feelings this time of year and Christmas decorations are a great way to do it.
Looking at lights isn’t technically an indoor Christmas activity, but you can do it in your neighborhood while you’re snug and warm in your car. It’s one of the holiday events my family looks forward to every year.
15.) Secret Santa Gift Exchange
Next on the list of Christmas activities to do at home is a secret Santa gift exchange. This might work a little better if you have a larger family, but it’s still a lot of fun.
If it’s just your family at home, you could have everyone make something special and then surprise each other with it on Christmas Eve. Figuring out how to keep everything a secret while making it in the same house will provide a bit of extra entertainment for everyone.
You can even turn your gift exchange into a game. We played this Christmas Dice Gift Exchange game last year at a family get-together and had a blast!
16.) Bake Some Christmas Desserts
Last on the list of family Christmas activities at home is baking Christmas goodies. I have a special place in my heart for yummy holiday desserts.
If you have special treats you make every year, you can spend a little extra time this year and turn it into a family activity. Get your kids to help you bake and make it an experience.
It might take a little longer than usual, but it will create some fun memories for everyone. If you don’t have any favorite recipes yet, here are some festive desserts you could try:
- Christmas S’mores
- Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites * No Bake
- M&M’s Christmas Cookie Bars
- Christmas Poke Cake
- Christmas Bark Recipe
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What Are Your Favorite Family Christmas Activities at Home?
I hope this list of 15+ family Christmas activities at home helps you have a fun-filled holiday season. With them, you can easily create some holiday magic without ever leaving the house.
And let’s be honest, being able to kick back in your pajamas and not worry about how your hair looks makes any celebration better! Lol.
What are your favorite family Christmas activities at home? Thinking about trying any new ones from this list?
Let us know in the comments or email me at Candice@littlestepsbighappy.com. Follow me on Pinterest for more parenting activities and advice.
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Candice is a mom of 3 who has been homeschooling since 2013. She has an A.A.S. in Early Childhood Studies and cares deeply about helping other parents get the information and resources they need to help them homeschool their children with confidence.