And here we go again! Christmas parties to attend, big family reunions to throw, all the gift shopping to be done. However, make sure you save some time to make the festive period more magical and memorable than ever. A chance to let go of any conventional holiday expectations and reimagine it for 2024.
Here are 25 brilliant Christmas activities you can do to spread some excitement and cheer among your family, friends, and neighbors too!
1. Hiking For Christmas Decorations
Every year towards the end of December, my Dad would wake my brother and me on a Sunday morning by merrily shouting around the house, “Put on your boots and warm trousers, we’re going!” There was no need to say more. We both knew that what he meant was it’s time to gather stuff for making our own Christmas decorations 🙂 It was the ultimate sign that finally, Christmas was about to come! It’s such a beautiful memory that I decided it should be number 1 on this list.
Head out to a local farm to get a real Christmas tree or opt for a countryside walk to collect a few branches and pine cones to make a homemade garland or a centerpiece for your Christmas table. You will have a wonderful time looking for materials and then decorating with them as you spend time together with your loved ones. Silly Christmas jokes included:)
2. Organize A Christmas Clap In The Neighborhood
Remember the applause heard around the world to encourage and say thank you to our health workers during the Covid lockdown? Why not do the same at Christmas? Agree with neighbors on your street a time to step outside your front doors and, at the same time, take a minute to exchange “Season’s Greetings ” 🙂
3. Make An Advent Calendar
An advent calendar is used to count the days before Christmas and, it isn’t just for kids! Everyone deserves a little spoiling at Christmas. A typical advent calendar gifts a small piece of chocolate or sweet candy each day but with a little creativity, you can personalize one to the recipient’s taste and passions. Any foodie in the house? Fill it with some gourmet treats! Beer lovers? Make it ‘craft-y’ 🙂 And you don’t have to fill it with just food or drink… If your best friend is, say, a poetry lover, you could organize a collection of different poems to read each day… Once I made a ‘favorite movie’ advent calendar! Use your imagination:)
4. Play Elf On A Shelf
This is a new family tradition that we started about 4 years ago for my daughter Maria.
At the beginning of the holiday season, this cute Elf will suddenly make an appearance in the house to check if children are behaving (or not…) Each night, this Elf will travel to the North Pole and report to Santa. He returns to the home by the morning but always in a different place. I don’t know who has more fun – my husband and me in hiding it or my daughter in finding it 🙂
5. Make A Christmas Tune Playlist
Use Spotify to make a personal playlist you will want to play over and over again! 🙂
6. Start A Christmas-inspired Collection
For several years now, I have been collecting Christmas bells that I put out around my house during the holidays. Every year my parents give me a new one. You can collect pretty much anything that reminds you of the holiday season… like ceramic Santa figurines, wooden animals, or snow globes! It’s so nice, as the years go by, to watch your collection grow.
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7. Read A Bedtime Story By The Tree
Gather the kids, your flatmates, and even the dog and cuddle up under the soft lights and a warm throw as you read your favorite Christmas story! This is worth more than a treasure!
8. Perform A Random Act Of Kindness
Doing a random act of kindness is so satisfying and can make such a difference to the person who receives it. It can be as simple as paying for someone’s meal, donating groceries to a shelter, or baking cookies for the elderly lady that lives around the corner. The possibilities are endless and achievable on any budget.
9. Roast Chestnuts In The Open Air
There are few winter snacks better to eat outdoors than a handful of fragrant roasted chestnuts! Sure, you can roast them in your oven, but it’s not the same! The smell, the crackling fire, holding the warm chestnuts in your hands…Be bold. Roast them on your bbq or, better yet, do it on an open fire:) I bet it will become something you cannot wait to do every year…
10. Take A Family Christmas Photo
I know it is not the most original… but don’t skip it! It might sound boring now, but in future years, it will make for sweet memories. Start an annual tradition and keep a Christmas photo album. The payoff is so much better if you are all dressed up. Here you will find some ideas on what to wear.
11. Donate A Toy
Making a child smile is something to add to your Christmas checklist! Hospitals, churches, and fire departments will often organize a local drive. If not, there are charities like The Salvation Army or Toys for Tots that collect for many in need.
12. Make From Scratch Your Favorite Holiday Drinks
Which one is it? Let me guess… Mulled wine? Spiced apple cider? Wait a minute…, I see hot chocolate! No matter. It’s always more fun to DIY your favorite holiday treat:)
And you will probably end up liking your homemade drink better as you will be calling the shots! Make it spiked or virgin, with as much seasoning spices as you like, and the best thing is …. no look of judgment from the Starbucks barista if you decide to go for a Venti 😉
13. Go On A Walking Tour Of Lights Around The Town
Now that you have prepared your favorite holiday drink, the next thing to do is fill your thermos, grab the rest of your gang and treat them to a special holiday walk through town. Try to find the winner of the 2020 Christmas decorations contest!
Check ahead if your city has created a holiday lights map!
14. Hang Stockings (With Or Without A Fireplace)
This year we need to show some loyalty to all those (allowed) traditions that have stood the test of time. To reclaim the true spirit of Christmas. One favorite is hanging the stockings for the whole household. Since we do not have a chimney but don’t want to miss out on the treats and stocking latter, we hang ours along the railing of the staircase. Another idea would be to keep them in a woven basket.
15. Have A Family Slumber Party Under The Tree
What’s not to love about falling asleep while staring up at the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree? Snuggle inside your sleeping bag and wait for Santa…
16. Share The Fun With The Birds
his is a great Xmas activity to spend time with your kids! Pick a tree in your garden or any other corner outside your house and decorate it with some edible ornaments for the winter birds. There are many kinds of foods that you can feed to birds. Hang up with some string: a pinecone covered with peanut butter; fruits such as apple, orange chunks, or raisins; unsweetened cereal such as regular Cheerios. Or, make some bird ‘ornaments’.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for 30 seconds in the microwave
- Add 1 cup birdseed and toss to coat
- Place some cookie cutters on a parchment-line baking tray
- Fill each cutter with the birdseed mixture
- After 10-15 minutes use a straw or skewer to poke a hole in the top of each ornament and leave the straw there
- Let it cool until ornaments dry. Carefully remove the cookie cutters.
- Insert a piece of ribbon through the hole to create a loop. Hang your ornaments outside and enjoy watching the visiting birds from your window:)
17. Start A New Tradition
For many years I worked in retail, where Christmas is the busiest time of the year. Though I loved my job, it was impossible to fly home for the holidays. Sticking to family traditions was important to me during those “orphan Christmases”. Knowing we would all be eating the same food and doing the same thing at the same time was what enabled me to enjoy Christmas while far away from my family. My nonna is responsible for most of my family traditions. Now that she is not with us anymore, these traditions are a great way to remember her while telling stories about her to my daughter, who visited her only a few times when she was very young. Sharing something as simple as cooking up a family recipe or playing a game after lunch guarantees some photo-worthy memories year after year. Look to start a new tradition this year!
18. Watch A Favorite Holiday Movie
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” You can’t really get into the holiday spirit without slipping into your warmest PJs, eating some popcorn, and watching at least one classic Xmas movie! As for me, I find that one movie is not enough. So as soon as December 1st rolls around, I make sure I watch a slew of them.
19. Connect With An Old Friend
Christmas is the perfect time to catch up with an old friend. Maybe someone you haven’t heard from for a while, or maybe one that lives far away. A video chat or a phone call is a great way to reconnect!
20. Donate Your Unused Clothes
Unless you are reading all of this from Hawaii (…in which case I am very jealous!) you know that Christmas is probably the coldest time of the year in many countries! Your unused jackets, scarves, hats, and mittens could get homeless people through the winter. Take the opportunity to declutter your wardrobe and, if you have any of those items you are not wearing anymore, bring them to a local shelter.
21. Fill Your Home With Christmas Aromas
Aka baking cookies:) Cinnamon, ginger, cocoa… When your home smells like Christmas, it’s hard not to get into the spirit.
Have fun spending a whole afternoon baking and decorating. You could even organize a cookie swap with your friends and family. Don’t forget to save one for Santa on December 24th.
Not sure where to start? Try my Delicious And Incredibly Easy Christmas Cookies!
22. Take A Trip Down Memory Lane
The first of the three spirits to visit was the Ghost of Christmas Past… Have a look at the old photo albums or watch some family footage. If you are lucky enough to share your Christmas with your grandparents or elderly relatives, get them to talk. It’s always amazing to see things through their eyes…
23. Say I Love You
Christmas is time for giving and receiving. Looking at someone in the eyes and telling them you love them is the best present you can give. The smile of joy and happiness on their face is the best gift you can receive.
I find it hard to say “I love you” to my parents. I am sure they know it already, but being a parent myself, I know just how much it means to them. Christmas is the perfect occasion to put our feelings into words.
24. Make A Promise
Every letter to Santa ends with “…and, I promise I will be good!”. Make sure you close this Christmas with the priceless gift of a promise to yourself – or, to someone that you love. It can be any kind and size of promise, as long as you fulfill it. Maybe it’s cooking someone breakfast in bed or finally tidying up the garage. Or maybe, something more significant, like quitting smoking, or forgiving a past mistake.
25. Make A Wish
As this year comes to an end, there still is time to reflect on what we achieved and what maybe didn’t turn out so well. The start of a new year always presents new hopes, new dreams. But before committing to any new year’s resolutions (or, at least, better intentions) it’s important to identify what you wish for.
Then wish. Wish like a child. Wish on the stars, wish when you see the clock strikes 11:11, wish on eyelashes, wish when you blow out a candle. And then keep that wish close to your heart.
And Finally…
I wish you a Christmas filled with cinnamon cookies, warm hugs, fun, and laughter. Filled with a little more sparkle and a little less stress. Merry Christmas to you all!
