Use this list of Christmas activities to do at home to help have a fun (and socially distant!) holiday season!
2020 has been a crazy year. With all the changes that this year has brought, you might be asking yourself:
What can you do on Christmas day at home?
The pandemic has changed the way many of us celebrate the holidays. Christmas is usually a time of holiday parties, Christmas celebrations, and spending time with family and friends.
This year, however, COVID-19 and social distancing have totally changed how we spend time with others. Most of us will be spending this year at home with our families keeping our distance and trying to stay healthy.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the Christmas season though and still have a good time with our families. I’ve put together this list of indoor Christmas activities you can do at home with your family.
There are ideas for the whole family, from toddlers to teenagers. Staying at home and socially distant doesn’t mean you can’t still have a wonderful Christmas.
Pick some of these indoor Christmas activities to help the whole family have the Christmas they deserve after a long and crazy year.
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15+ Fun Christmas Activities to Do At Home For Families
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 Christmas activities to do at home is a scavenger hunt. I think this sounds like a really fun way to mix things up during Christmas time.
If you’re looking for a little peace and quiet while you get some things done, 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 list of scavenger hunt items 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 crafts from the dollar store or Hobby Lobby if you don’t want to worry about hunting down different supplies and materials.
Or you can really get into it and make something from scratch. 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
Next on the list of indoor Christmas activities to do at home is 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 just 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 it took me so long to think of the idea of adding in some Christmas games to our holiday celebrations.
If you’re looking for a way to keep everyone entertained and get some quality family time together, adding in some Christmas games is a good 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 definitely 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 and decorating them yourself. This makes for a great Christmas activity for kids.
We usually spend Christmas with my mom, and my kids love getting to decorate cookies with her each year. They usually look a little crazy, lol, but the kids have a wonderful time and they always taste really good. Plus, I’m pretty sure Santa doesn’t mind. 😉
7.) Watch a Christmas Movie Marathon
I don’t know about you, but I watched a lot of Christmas movies growing up. For my mom, it wasn’t Christmas until we had watched her favorites at least once.
It became a great tradition to celebrate the holidays that my family has really enjoyed. 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 indoor Christmas activity if you have younger kids or just 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
Next on the list is a great Christmas activity for older kids and teenagers. Building a good gingerbread house can be challenging and is a good outlet for creativity.
This will help keep everyone entertained for quite a while 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 that family members will appreciate, plus it will keep everyone busy and entertained for quite a while.
If you’re worried about the final product (I don’t know about you, but true artistic talent does not run in our family 😂) you can include them with your normal Christmas cards that you mail out.
11.) Have a Hot Chocolate Buffet
Next on the list of fun indoor Christmas activities 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 things like peppermints, cinnamon, marshmallows, creamers, etc. This would be a fun activity to set up right before you did a Christmas movie marathon or started playing some Christmas games.
I’m not a big hot chocolate fan myself, but I know my kids would be beyond excited if we set something like this up. This would also be a good idea for parties or holiday get-togethers.
12.) Make a Christmas Card Tree
Another family tradition my mom and I had while I was growing up was to use 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 definitely one of my favorite Christmas activities to do at home. My husband laughs at me because I will absolutely 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 would just love to read through them and sing 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, just getting together and singing some Christmas songs can be a great way to enjoy the season. If you have one, you can even bust out the karaoke machine and really get into the spirit.
14.) Drive Around Looking at Christmas Lights
I have a feeling that 2020 is going to be the year that people go all out with their holiday decorations. So many of us are ready for some good feelings this year and Christmas decorations are a great way to do it.
Looking at lights isn’t technically an indoor Christmas activity, but you can still stay socially distant while doing it and 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 a lot of fun.
If it’s just your family at home, you could have everyone make something special and then surprise everyone with it on Christmas Eve. Just figuring out how to keep everything a secret while making it in the same house will provide plenty of entertainment for everyone.
If your kids are a little older or you have extended family nearby, that will make it a little easier.
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 it was a ton of fun!
16.) Bake Some Christmas Desserts
Last on the list of Christmas activities to do at home is bake some Christmas goodies. As much as I am into health and fitness, I still have a special place in my heart for some yummy holiday desserts.
If you have some of your own 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 have some fun.
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 out this year:
- 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 indoor Christmas activities for families?
So there you have over 15 fun Christmas activities you can do at home with your family this year. A lot of these are traditions that my own family has loved as well as some new ones I’m looking forward to trying out.
Do you have any indoor Christmas activities your family loves? Are you thinking about trying out 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.
