If you love Christmas as much as us, you’ll likely have your tree up before Thanksgiving. Our family likes to celebrate early and pack in the winter festivities. To make things easier for you and your family we’ve compiled our Christmas bucket list to give you family fun ideas to do all December long!

Our family Christmas bucket list is separated into kitchen ideas, indoor and outdoor fun, Christmas crafts, party hosting ideas, and how you can give back during Christmas time. In our free printable, we even left blank check boxes so you can add in your family traditions.

After reading our family Christmas bucket list, make sure to download and print our free printable pdf!

In the Kitchen

We love to cook – especially during Christmas time! Here’s our ultimate Christmas bucket list for in the kitchen fun!

• Bake Christmas cookies – here’s our go to sugar cookie recipe
• Bake brownies and turn them into reindeers and Christmas trees
• Throw a cookie decorating party with friends (Tip: Pre-bake the cookies and have the toppings and icing ready)
• Make Christmas smores by dipping the hot marshmallow in crushed candy canes.
• Decorate a gingerbread house
• Make hot cocoa
• Make reindeer food or party mix
• Make Christmas bark

Indoor Fun

Our indoor Christmas activity list is loaded with ideas to generate memories, create traditions, and keep the kids busy.

• Decorate your house & tree
• Watch your favorite Christmas movies
• Write a letter to Santa
• Read Christmas books (Tip: Wrap your books and put the under the tree and each night your kids can open a new book to read).
• Advent calendar – countdown the big day with advent calendars
• Go through Christmas magazine’s and let your kids circle their favorites
• Elf on the shelf
• Lite up your fireplace and roast marshmallows
• Family game night
• Christmas music dance party
• Decorate your kids room with Christmas lights or a mini tree
• Give your little one’s a Christmas bath by throwing green and red glow sticks in
• Pictures in Matching Christmas Pajamas. (Tip: buy early as sizes tend to sell out quick!)

Matching Christmas Pajamas is one of our Christmas traditions! Tip is buy early as sizes run out quick! We also buy a sizes up so hopefully they will fit the kids the following year.

Outdoor Fun

Our winter outdoor activities list whether you live in the snow or in the sand!

• Make a snowman. If you live near the beach like us, make it out of sand and shells!
• Watch Christmas movies outside by the fire pit
• Drive and look for lights
• Visit and take pictures with Santa
• Visit a tree farm
• Go ice skating
• Have a winter picnic
• Go sledding
• Look up “Christmas events near me”. In Florida we have holiday boat parades.

Christmas Crafts

Break out the paint, glitter and scissors – let’s keep the kids busy!

• Make salt dough ornaments
• Cut out snowflakes
• Make reindeers with candy canes
• Watch Home Alone and then have the kids draw their own home alone booby trap map.
• Make a Christmas wreath with leftover tree trimmings
• Paint handprint reindeer
• Decorate and paint pinecones
• Learn how to draw Christmas things like Santa, reindeers or a animated tree from Art For Kids Hub (We love this site and youtube channel!)
• Paper chain links – our kids want to do this every year! Cut the paper and give the tape and they will shock you by how long they will build the chains.

Best Christmas craft kits that will last a long time:

Give Back

One of the best feelings in the world is to give back and bring joy to others. Especially during Christmas time!

• Donate toys to local shelter or Toys for Tots
• Write Christmas cards for local assisted living facilities or give gives like decorated ornaments
• Practice random acts of kindness.
  • Bring cookies to a neighbor
  • Donate to the Salvation Army bucket
  • Tape money to a vending machine
  • Give someone a compliment

Christmas Bucket List Party Ideas

Christmas party ideas for friends, family, or adults only!

• Ugly sweater party
• Cookie decorating party (Tip: Pre-bake the cookies and have the toppings and icing ready)
• Gingerbread making party – gingerbread house kits
• White elephant party
• Saran wrap gift ball game
• Pajama Party
• Christmas Drink Ideas
  • Hot Chocolate bar with different sweet toppings for the kids. Adults can spike it how they like it with Rum Chatta or Kahlua.
  • Make the classic eggnog
  • Make a large batch of mulled wine
  • Our favorite Christmas cocktail is a cranberry moscow mule. Slap a sprig of rosemary to garnish your drink.

Our Family Christmas Traditions

We look forward to our Christmas traditions every year! The oldest one, we didn’t create as it’s been passed down for 4 generations. My husband’s family always make party mix. It’s salty buttery goodness! We now make a huge batch that lasts us all December. A few more of our traditions is every year we make gingerbread houses, bake and decorate christmas cookie. On Christmas eve, we always make meatballs and have an Italian feast. Lastly, on Christmas day we wear our matching Christmas Pajamas.

We hope you enjoyed our family Christmas bucket list! Subscribe below to get more fun ideas to do as a family!

Christmas Bucket List Printable

Now you have over 50 free ideas on things to do before and during Christmas. This is our Christmas Bucket List printable pdf that you can download and print. We keep ours on the fridge so the kids can read and check off the fun and free ideas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

XO, The Morrells