25 Christmas Countdown Family Activities

In what ways do you celebrate the holiday season? Do you have a bucket list, or an advent that you follow? Or do you take each day as it comes?

Well today, I’ve got 25 of our favorite, family-friendly activities to do each day in December counting down to Christmas.

Keep Christmas fun and simple

All of these cute Christmas countdown activities are really about enjoying the little things in life. Fostering a sense of gratitude for our blessings and learning to be content and enjoy the things we already have.

Here are 25 of our favorite Christmas countdown family activities…

25 Days of Christmas Countdown Family Activities

1. Read a Christmas book together.

There are so many wonderful books about Christmas. Some of our kid’s favorites are: The Grinch That Stole Christmas, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Apple Tree Christmas. (For more, check out this huge list of picture books about Christmas.)

2. Decorate a Christmas tree

Learn about the History of Christmas Trees, then decorate one of your own. Enjoy the fragrance of a real one or the cleanliness of an artificial one, then add ornaments, garland, and lights. (Our family enjoys putting homemade and family heirloom ornaments on ours.)

3. Light a scented candle

Add a cozy touch to your space with some war scents of the season. Some of our favorite scents are pine, apple cinnamon, and coffee. However, if candles aren’t your thing, perhaps add some potpourri on the stove, or a Christmas oil blend in your diffusers.

4. Make hot chocolate

Most kids get giddy over a cup of hot chocolate, at least mine do. Hot Chocolate is an easy Christmas treat to whip up and serve your family as you celebrate the season.

5. Hang a Christmas wreath

Whether its a fancy wreath from a department store or a homemade rag wreath, add a little welcoming festive cheer to your front door. I have a boxwood wreath that I hang over my chalk board throughout the year, for Christmas, I’ll switch out the ribbon or add some red berries to give off some Christmas vibes.

6. Make sugar cookies

Making sugar cookies was always quite the event growing up. Mom would bake a huge batch of cookies and all the kids would pile around the table with frosting and sprinkles and go to town. This is such a fun, family tradition, not to mention, a tasty one too.

7. Bundle up and go for a walk

So simple, but probably one of my favorite. Get outside and really experience the season of winter. Feel the cold crisp air, watch the snow birds flit between trees, and the smell of wood-burning fireplaces as people cozy up in their homes.

8. Make homemade ornaments

We’ve made homemade ornaments for years now. Some of our favorites have been: fingerprint ornaments, wood slice ornaments, wood sign ornaments, and bird feeder ornaments.

9. Wear a cozy sweater

Enjoy some soft, fluffy textures for the day. Slip into a comfy, cozy sweater.

10. Listen to music

Its officially time to bring out your favorite Christmas tunes! Have a family dance party, or just play Christmas music softly in the background.

11. Wrap a gift

Wrap one gift or multiple gifts! Take some time to make it something special. Maybe make homemade wrapping paper, or add a colorful ribbon or bow. (We enjoy making creative tags to put on our packages.)

12. Try a new recipe

Christmas is the perfect time to try a new recipe. I like to ask my friends what their family favorites are and try them for my family. If you need a place to start, here’s a unique recipe our family enjoys every year: Scandinavian Fruit Soup.

13. Dry some oranges

Slice an orange and dry the slices. Make an orange slice garland, ornaments, use instead of gift bows, or just hang them around your house. We love the scented cozy vibes these dried oranges bring to our home.

14. Hang a few stockings

The kids love when I bring out the stockings. I guess it’s the anticipation of having them filled. Besides they are an easy, useful Christmas decoration to spruce up the mantle for the holidays.

15. Bake treats for friends and neighbors

We like to get some of those small treat bags and fill them with chocolate covered pretzels and give them away to our friends and neighbors. This is a great way to get the kids involved in spreading Christmas cheer.

16. Cozy up by the fireplace

..or the wood stove. Warm up the house or just create a little ambiance by lighting a fire in the fireplace.

17. Plan a party

Plan a Christmas party. Plan a Christmas book party for your kids and their friends, host a festive dinner party, or even have a game night/cookie exchange with your friends.

18. Give a gift

Focus on one special person and give them a gift today. It doesn’t have to be elaborate (it could even be your own husband). Two things: make it thoughtful and sweet.

19. Go for a hike

Bundle up and take an afternoon and visit your favorite hiking trail. Enjoy the quiet along with the outdoor sights and sounds of winter.

20. Watch a Christmas movie

There are a lot of good Christmas movies. Since we have young kids, our top choices are the Grinch that Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, Star, and the Polar Express. (Amazon affiliate links included)

21. Sing carols

Get your kids acquainted with the all the traditional Christmas carols. Sometimes our church will send a group of people to go around singing to people in nursing homes or to people in our community. This is a great Christmas service opportunity to jump on board with.

22. Bake bread

Create some warms smells in the kitchen by baking some bread. Do a yeast bread, or even a quick bread option like banana or zucchini bread. (Pumpkin chocolate chip is one of our favorites)

23. Decorate cookies

Put an added touch on your holiday cookies with frosting, sprinkles, powdered sugar, or by using a cookie stamp. A couple years ago I found a whole bag of vintage cookie stamps at a thrift store, and they have been such a fun tool around this time of year!

24. Wear warm socks

Now is the time to break out your crazy candy cane striped socks. The more color and the more crazy, the better. Its even okay if they don’t match.

25. Practice gratitude

This season is really about a spirit of giving and gratitude because of all the Lord blessed us with. This is a wonderful time to reflect on your blessings and let gratitude and love overflow into the people in your lives.

I want my kids to see that we can enjoy the Christmas season with the things we already have around the house, with chilly walks out in nature, and homemade ornaments.

Printable Christmas Christmas Family Activity Cards

These cute, watercolor, printable Christmas Countdown Family Activity Cards are available in my Etsy store.

More Christmas countdown family activities & resources

• Experience-Based Gift Ideas for Kids
• The Ultimate List of Non-Toy Gift Ideas
• Christmas Counting Busy Book
• DIY Bird Feeder Ornaments
• DIY Stocking Christmas Countdown Garland (Cricut Craft)
• Printable Indoor Christmas Scavenger Hunt Clues
• DIY Scented Dried Orange Garland

What are your favorite Christmas countdown family activities?

*This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.