I don’t know about yours, but my kids get the “Christmas crazies” around Thanksgiving and it lasts until the New Year. Trying to keep them busy can be challenging. I’ve come up with a list of 12 things to do with kids to focus the crazies and entertain them, while having a ton of fun!
visit a drive thru light display
Look online to find local drive thru light shows in your area. Most of them charge a fee for the car but it is worth it! Some offer discount nights if you bring canned goods. The kids (and adults) love the beautiful lights and the festive music. Roll the windows down and take in the magic of the season. Bonus: you can even bring your fur babies along!
walk through your neighborhood after dark
Grab a mug of hot chocolate (or something a little more “festive” if you are over 21), bundle up and go for a family walk after supper. Of course, some neighborhoods are better than others for this activity. It’s fun to walk and look at light displays. We like to search for the tackiest display in the neighborhood!
go to a local christmas parade
I don’t like crowds and I can’t stand trying to find a parking space, so my family doesn’t do this one, but I have many friends who do. Load up bright and early, take hot cocoa, blankets and chairs and find a spot along the parade route. The kids really love it when the parade people toss candy and treats!
visit santa
This is something that my sister and I started when we were small and continued for decades, until Covid took Santa away in 2020. There were two of us, then we started adding her kids, then mine, and ended up with 7. It is a great tradition and so much fun to look back on our photos from the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. If you don’t already do this every year, buy yourself an album and start filling it up.
drive around local neighborhoods
My kids love it when we go on our Christmas lights/decoration hunts. We drive thru all of the neighborhoods around us with the windows down, listening to Christmas music, wearing our matching Santa hats. We ooooo and ahhhhh over the flashing lights and beautiful displays. We have a few places within 10 miles from us that have participated in (and won) The Great Christmas Light Fight, which is awesome. We have also discovered the BIGGEST inflatable ever…it’s 2 stories high!! Go explore your area and see what you discover.
have a gingerbread house competition
My kids are 5 and 8 this year. They enjoy decorating Gingerbread Houses but we have never had a family competition. I have several friends on Facebook who have annual Gingerbread Competitions with family and it looks like a ton of fun. They either get together and do it or the family members each decorate at their own homes and then share the pictures. All of the pictures are shared on Social Media and then people vote. I look forward to looking at the houses every December and picking my favorite one.
make rudolph rice krispies treats
I saw these online not long ago. They are so festive and fun, I am planning to make them for my son’s preschool party next week. Instead of regular Rice Krispies cereal, I am planning to use the Holiday Rice Krispies. I am also using white M&Ms for the eyes and red M&Ms for the nose. You can follow the recipe here or tweak it like I did. No matter what, kids and adults alike will love them. They make a great party dessert!
make an annual christmas ornament
This Elf on the Shelf Christmas ornament is the tradition that my family decided to use. My kids look forward to doing it every year. Alternative suggestions are getting plastic balls and filling them with ribbon or glitter or anything else you can think of. There are also salt dough ornament recipes online. The list is endless. Find one that fits your family and start this year. Make it a new tradition. I remember making salt dough snowmen with my mother and decorating them with felt. Pretty sure I gave them to my teacher’s as Christmas gifts.
make christmas cookies and deliver them
I have been on the receiving end of this and it is so special and brightens the season. Spend a few hours with your kids baking cookies and decorating them. There are so many festive and fun holiday recipes to choose from. Try these– you can make a combo of gingerbread men and reindeer. Once the cookies are ready, box them up and load the car up and don’t forget to grab your Santa hat.
host a holiday open house for neighborhood kids & parents
This is a great way to get to know your neighbors if you don’t already. Have a holiday open house. Serve light refreshments and festive goodies. Play Christmas music and have a few games for the kids to play. This Saran wrap game is always a huge hit! This reindeer antler ring toss is another one that the kids love. Have an ugly Christmas sweater contest for the grown-ups. Make it fun for all ages!
go to a live nativity
Live Nativities are always fun for the kids, especially the ones that use real animals. My kids got a big kick out of seeing a camel for the first time. Look online for churches in your area that do live Nativity programs. We also have a local church that does a Walk Through Bethlehem. The participants dress in period clothing and they have a small scale Bethlehem set up. They use real animals. You get to see Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the barn. It’s super powerful. Something like this isn’t as common as a Nativity, but you may want to ask around.
dress in christmas pJ’s and have a movie marathon
My kids have been watching Christmas movies since November, maybe even October. My son is a huge fan of the Home Alone movies while my daughter enjoys The Santa Clause series. Needless to say, we have several movie nights from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Another fun marathon is watching the old Christmas Specials that were popular when I was a kid. I had to buy Rudolph, The Grinch cartoon, Frosty and Twas the Night Before Christmas, on Amazon Prime so I could share my old favorites with my 21st Century kids. Pick your family favorites and spend some time bonding over fun and festive movies.
The next time your kids get the crazies or claim to be bored and have nothing to do, try something on this list.
