Holiday Bucket Lists for Fun During the Holiday Season

The Christmas season is the most wonderful time of the year. Do you take off from schooling in December? Most years, we do very little “formal” schooling in the month of December so we can take short day trips, make cookies, decorate the house, watch movies, sing Christmas songs, and do random acts of kindness. Whether you take the entire month off, have a short Christmas break, or are looking for activities with the kids that are fun and engaging, my December Christmas Bucket List Ideas & Activities will sure to be a hit. Christmas time is my favorite time of year!

I actually have 2 different bucket lists for you to download – the link is below. These are completely free and there is no need to leave your email unless you absolutely want to.

Furthermore, if you do sign up for my email list, I promise that I will not send you a daily email letting you know how many times my son can burp or other such nonsense found in other emails you may get in your inbox.

CHRISTMAS DECEMBER BUCKET LIST IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES – FREE PRINTABLES

The first bucket list is something that is easy to put on your refrigerator and just put little stickers or check marks next to the ones that you actually perform. Date them and place in your child’s homeschool portfolio, so they can remember what they did for Christmas 2021. All of these items are a great way to cultivate the holiday spirit.

Taking family photos, building a snowman, or baking cookies – these activities are exciting for young and old! Feel free to add to the list with ideas such as preserving your cherished holiday memories in a crafted custom album.

These lists include the following Christmas Activities, but I also have one entitled Holiday Bucket List so if your family does not celebrate Christmas, you can still participate in these fun things, however, all three of these lists have the same items on them.

Build a Snowman

Send a Letter to Santa Claus

Go Ice Skating

Volunteer at a Shelter

Cut Out Snowflakes

Decorate a Christmas Tree

Make Hot Chocolate

Donate to a Charity

Host an ugly Christmas sweater party

Kiss under the mistletoe

Donate a toy to a local toy drive

Wear family Christmas Pajamas

Family photoshoot

Decorate a gingerbread house

Do a random act of kindness

Make long distance calls to family members

Sing Christmas carols. Singing loud and clear is the best way to spread holiday cheer.

Bake Christmas Cookies

Go on a Sleigh Ride

Relax by the Fireplace

Have a family Christmas movie night by watching your favorite Christmas movies

Finally, go see Christmas lights

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY CALENDAR LIST

This calendar has an activity for each day of the month. These activities range from listening to Christmas music, visiting a live Nativity, or watching a performance of The Nutcracker.

These are the activities included on the December Bucket List:

Advent calendar

Listen to Christmas music

Have a scavenger hunt or participate with Elf on the Shelf

Decorate for Christmas inside or out. Many times people forget to include their children in putting up Christmas decorations.

Watch a Favorite Movie such as Elf

Send Christmas cards. Include pictures in your Christmas newsletter and tell your friends about your family traditions.

Buy Christmas PJs

Perform a random act of kindness

Donate a toy to a family in need

Drive through a light display

Bake Christmas cookies (sugar cookies and decorate them after baking)

Deliver cookies to a shut-in

Watch a holiday movie such as Polar Express

Make hot cocoa or some other hot drinks such as mulled cider. This is a fun way to bring wonderful holiday smells into your house. Smells help usher in Christmas cheer

Make a gingerbread house or gingerbread men cookies

Find and donate to a Salvation Army bucket

Mark holiday garland for the birds using popcorn and string. When the birds are done eating, they will use the string for nests.

Watch or read The Nutcracker (or some other Christmas books). How much do you know about the original nutcracker? Research the history of some of our holiday traditions including the history of the Nativity.

Have a Christmas Tea Party

Make paper snowflakes

Wrap gifts with wrapping paper that you have made

Decorate Christmas cookies – if you don’t bake cookies you can still decorate pre-made ones.

Visit a live nativity or a holiday display in a museum, department store, or big city

Read A Christmas Story or the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth

Take family pictures

Begin the 12 Days of Christmas – the 12 days of Christmas actually begin the day after Christmas

Have a cookout in the house. Sometimes we use the fireplace to roast hot dogs or marshmallows. This is one of my children’s favorite things to do.

Rest and relax

Plan January activities

Lastly, celebrate New Year’s Eve and prepare for the New Year!

Make Your Own Christmas Bucket List with these Christmas Ideas

In the event you need even more fun ideas to substitute something on the calendar try beginning these holiday traditions this Christmas season:

Send holiday cards. If you already sent them, ask your child/ren if they would live to send some cards. These could even be sent digitally.

Have a snowball fight

Make candy canes

Watch an old holiday movie such as It’s a Wonderful Life – my all-time favorite or White Christmas

Begin new Christmas traditions such as Christmas caroling. If you don’t have any extended family consider taking a cruise or visiting Walt Disney World.

Attend a tree lighting ceremony. Many towns have these activities at the end of November or the beginning of December. Additionally, some towns have Christmas markets that are a fun time for old and young.

Make your own ornaments. I buy our children a new ornament each year, but you could also make new homemade ornaments each year. Make sure to date them.

Visit a Christmas Tree Farm and chop down your own Christmas tree, or just participate in some of their holiday activities.

Buy each child their own snow globe or German smoker. Each of my children has their own smokers. This is a favorite activity for my kids.

Listen to Christmas tunes and teach those songs to your children.

Wishing You the Best Holiday Season! (and Very Merry Christmas)

Don’t put Jesus in the manger, but wait until after the kids have gone to sleep to put him in. I hide baby Jesus before Christmas and He miraculously appears on Christmas day. Now I won’t lie. There may have been a Christmas morning or two that Jesus was not in the manger, but as my kid’s got older, they would run and get him and from his hiding place for me.

Furthermore, whichever list you choose to use, make sure to visit the blog often through the month of December, as I will have posts and links to many of these activities throughout the month.

Additionally, make sure to visit my Instagram profile and see our corresponding IG Photo Challenge. To participate in the IG challenge, just post a photo with the #HomeschoolLife_Dec or #HomeschoolLife. Tag me @pattyoh11 and @bearhavenmama. We look forward to your posts!

IDEA STARTERS FOR CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST IDEAS

Advent Calendars to Buy

Make an Advent Wreath for under $10

Bizarre Nativity Sets from Around the World

The Nativity set post is actually one of my favorite. Seeing how people create the birth of Jesus is interesting and insightful. I am always on the lookout for more posts like this!

DOWNLOAD THE FREE December Bucket List Ideas PRINTABLES HERE!

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