Christmas Bucket List: Create Magical memories And Traditions with these activities for the entire family - with free printable

I am SOO excited for the holiday season! I cannot wait to start decorating, picking out a tree, enjoying hot chocolate and cozy family movie nights and seeing all the Christmas lights. I am obsessed with Christmas lights!

I have always loved Christmas, but since having kids I love it even more. There is just something very special about experiencing Christmas through your kids eyes. Creating magical moments and family traditions is so much fun.

But if you’re a mom like me, it can also feel a bit stressful and overwhelming. The pressure of being responsible to make the Christmas season special for your kids, on top of getting all the gifts and holiday things organized and ready, can feel a bit daunting. To help you with that, I have created the ultimate Christmas bucket list for the entire family. You will find activities and ideas that will be enjoyed by toddlers, preschoolers, older kids and adults. No need to come up with things to do to make the holiday season magical, just look at the list and chose the activities you want to try with your family.

You will find the free printable Christmas bucket list at the end of this post. Print it out, hang it up on your fridge and get started creating magical memories.

Go see Christmas lights

As mentioned before, Christmas lights are one of my favorite things about the holiday season. They are so magical and fascinating to me and my kids love them just as much. It’s also one of the things I really miss about the USA. People here in Germany decorate their houses and hang up lights but not nearly as much as in the US. Christmas decorations in the US are just out of this world crazy and beautiful.

Pick a tree & decorate it

You could have a fun afternoon cutting down your own tree or choosing a pre-cut one from a tree farm. No matter which one you choose, picking a tree and decorating it will be a fun activity for the entire family. And don’t worry if the tree isn’t perfect. If you have small children, there will most likely be no ornaments on the bottom, or all ornaments hung in one spot. I like to embrace the chaos and be thankful for having young children that mess with my tree :)

Christmas movie night

You can’t ever go wrong with movie nights, especially in winter when the evenings are dark and cold. There are many great Christmas movies to enjoy with kids. Keep an eye out for my Christmas movie guide coming soon.

Christmas crafts

Christmas crafts are not only fun to make, especially on cold winter days. They can also be used to add some cute decor pieces to your home.

Enjoy a hot chocolate

Hot chocolate makes everything better. At least if you ask me. Add some marshmallows or use fun hot chocolate bombs, cuddle up under a warm blanket and enjoy some family snuggles.

Read Christmas books

If you have read previous post, you know I am a big fan of utilizing books to introduce seasons, holidays and concepts to kids. There are so many great Christmas books out there and not only do they help kids learn and understand the holiday, they also make them even more excited for Santa’s arrival. Check out these Christmas books for toddlers and books for preschoolers and kindergarteners, if you’re looking for fun, engaging books that spread holiday cheer.

Wear Christmas sweaters

Dress up and get into Christmas spirit. Have a ugly Christmas sweater Sunday funday or enjoy some matching outfits for the entire family.

Decorate the house

It won’t be Christmas without decorations. If you prefer minimal subtle decor or lots of colorful accents, decorating the house together with your children will foster everyones excitement about the season.

Put up lights

Ahhh here comes my favorite.. lights. You can not ever have too many lights! They make the Christmas season so magical and especially the kids get so excited seeing all the sparkly lights everywhere.

Have a Christmas party

How about throwing a little Christmas party? Either for your kids and their friends or invite your friends and extended family for a small get together. No better season to spend lots of time with family and the people we love. Are family gatherings stressing you out? Worried about your mother-in-law giving you parenting advise for the 100th time? Check out my guide about ‘How to set boundaries with family members’ for valuable tips, ideas and real life examples for a peaceful, relaxed holiday season.

Christmas scavenger hunt

A fun family winter adventure. Surely one of my favorites. Get outside and explore the magic of the season while searching for typical Christmas characters. Too cold outside? The scavenger hunt can easily be adjusted and done inside or in your car while driving through your neighborhood. Find the free printable Christmas scavenger hunt and step-by-step instructions in my Christmas scavenger hunt post.

Send/ write Christmas cards

Include your kids by having them write some cards, just sign their name or scribble, depending on their age. My daughter looooves writing cards and my family loves receiving cards she has signed herself (she is 4 so she can write her own name but not much else).

Donate a toy

There are two reasons I like to do this. First of all, it is great to teach our kids to be kind and grateful and let them know that not all children are lucky enough to receive Christmas presents. You could also participate in a program like the Angel Tree. Secondly, I like to declutter our toys before Christmas to make room for new ones.

Write letter to Santa

Have your kids write or draw a letter to Santa. Decorate it with some stickers and send it off to the north pole. An all time favorite Christmas tradition.

Decorate gingerbread house

I prefer using pre-made houses to decorate, but if you feel up to it make one from scratch. My kids love making gingerbread houses. Mostly because they can eat about 10 lbs of candy and icing. But hey, it’s Christmas so candy rules are a bit more flexible (by a bit I mean a lot more).

Buy family Xmas Pajamas

Growing up in Germany Christmas PJ’s is something we never did. After moving to the US we started the tradition of buying the kids Christmas pajamas and I love it. We usually give them to the kids beginning of December so they can wear them as much as possible. I know many families gift them to the children the night before Christmas, which is a cute tradition as well.

Pictures with Santa

Good luck with this one if you have babies and toddlers.. Remember in 10 years those pictures of your screaming child on Santa’s lap will be hilarious to look at.

Make a homemade gift/card

Have your kids craft something small and gift it to a friend, family member or even a teacher. It will bring joy to your kids and the receiver for sure.

Bake Christmas cookies

It wouldn’t be Christmas without some delicious Christmas cookies, am I right? I like to bake cookies multiple times throughout the season. They also never last long in this house full of sweets loving people. And of course you will need cookies to leave out for Santa the night before Christmas. If you’re baking with kids I recommend sticking to simple recipes and don’t expect perfection. It is not about making the perfect Christmas cookies, it’s about having fun and creating memories :)

Craft an Ornament

Over the past few years we have collected quite a few DIY ornaments the kids made. They are so special and will be great to remember all the Christmases once your kids are grown.

Listen to Christmas music

I feel like there are two types of people in this world: you either love Christmas music or you don’t. I LOVE it. And so do my kids. We play Christmas music all through December and have random sing and dance-alongs.

Go ice skating/Sledding

There is probably an ice skating ring near you and most of them will have those little support things to help kids take their first steps on the ice (no idea what those are actually called).

Make paper snowflakes

This is a super simple activity you can do anytime, since all you need is paper and scissors. Fold the paper, cut in various shapes, open it back up and voilà you have a snowflake. They look great hung up on the windows.

Track Santa online

This is so much fun for kids! Starting December first you can see what Santa is up to and even watch him ride around the globe on Christmas eve. My children become obsessed with tracking Santa and we need to check on him multiple times a day. Just follow this link.

Wishing all of you a fun, magical Christmas season! Let me know in the comments what your favorite traditions and holiday activities are. I would love to hear from you.