30 Christmas Activities for Families and Kids (Many Free)

Simple activities, lasting memories

Ask grown-ups what they remember about childhood Christmases, and the answer is rarely a specific gift. It is the smell of cookies baking, the drive to see the lights, a grandparent teaching them to make paper snowflakes. The good news: most of the best Christmas activities cost little or nothing.

Below you will find more than 30 ideas, sorted by type, plus picks by age, rainy-day and warm-weather ideas and a list of free activities. Pick a few that suit your family — trying to do everything can turn the season stressful.

A simple way to plan: sit down together around Thanksgiving and let each family member choose two or three activities they most want to do. Write them on a calendar so everyone can see what is coming, and leave some evenings completely empty. Kids get something to look forward to, grown-ups can plan purchases and reservations, and nobody feels as if the season raced past without the things they love.

Think about mixing three kinds of activities each week: one that gets you out of the house, one quiet night at home, and one that helps someone else. That balance keeps December fun without exhausting anyone — especially younger children, who melt down quickly when there are too many late nights in a row.

In the kitchen

• 1Bake and decorate cookiesSugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles are the classic. Find recipes in our cookie guide.
• 2Build a gingerbread houseUse a kit, bake your own walls, or glue graham crackers to a milk carton with icing for an easy version.
• 3Make hot cocoa bombs or a cocoa barSet out toppings — marshmallows, crushed candy canes, whipped cream.
• 4Cook a family recipeAsk a grandparent to teach a traditional holiday dish over video chat or in person.
• 5Make reindeer snack mixPretzels, cereal, popcorn and candies, packed in bags for friends.

Kitchen projects are a great way to give kids real responsibility. Preschoolers can pour pre-measured ingredients, stir and add sprinkles; school-age kids can crack eggs, read the recipe aloud and roll dough; tweens can run a simple recipe on their own with an adult nearby for the oven. Expect mess, set out a cookie sheet as a “decorating zone” to contain sprinkles, and remember that lopsided cookies taste just as good.

Keep allergies in mind when baking for others — label treats with major allergens like nuts, wheat, eggs and dairy.

Outings and adventures

• 6Christmas lights driveWear pajamas, bring cocoa and vote on the best house. See our state-by-state lights guide.
• 7Choose a real treeVisit a tree farm and cut your own — or walk a tree lot. Our tree calculator helps pick the right size.
• 8Visit SantaMalls, libraries, fire stations and community centers often host free or low-cost Santa visits.
• 9Attend a tree lighting or paradeMost towns hold one; see our Christmas events guide.
• 10See a holiday showA school concert, a church pageant, a community Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol.
• 11Ride a holiday trainMany tourist railroads run Santa trains — book early.

Outings with little kids go best when you keep them short and plan around naps and meals. Pack snacks, a change of gloves and a small toy for waiting in line. For popular events, check the official website for tickets and parking information before you leave, and have a “Plan B” nearby — a playground, a library or a cocoa shop — in case lines are long or someone gets cranky.

Crafts and decorating

• 12Paper snowflakesFold paper into a triangle, snip shapes, unfold. No two alike.
• 13Handmade ornamentsSalt dough, clay, pinecones or a photo in a clear ball — write the year on the back.
• 14Paper chain countdownMake one link for each day until Christmas and tear one off every morning.
• 15Coloring pagesPrint free Christmas coloring pages for a quiet afternoon.
• 16Homemade wrapping paperDecorate brown kraft paper with potato stamps, handprints or doodles.
• 17Decorate a kids’ treeA small tabletop tree in a child’s room that they decorate entirely themselves.

To make crafts less stressful, set up a “craft station” on a table covered with newspaper or an old sheet, with supplies in muffin tins or cups. Offer an example but let kids create their own versions — the wonky snowman they designed themselves will mean far more on the tree than a perfect one an adult fixed. Save a few pieces each year in a labeled box; in a decade, you will have a collection that tells your family’s story. More decorating ideas are in our decorating guide.

Cozy nights at home

• 18Christmas movie nightBuild a blanket fort and pick a film from our movie guide.
• 19Read Christmas storiesStart a nightly book tradition through December.
• 20Sing carolsAround the piano or with a playlist, using lyrics from our carols page.
• 21Family game nightPlay board games, charades with holiday movie titles, or our Christmas trivia.
• 22Find everyone’s elf nameUse the elf name generator and use the names all evening.
• 23Joke contestRead Christmas jokes and see who can keep a straight face.

Giving back

Christmas is a natural time to teach kids about generosity. Choose activities that let children see and feel the difference they make.

• 24Donate toysKids choose a new toy to buy for a toy drive, or sort gently used toys to donate where accepted.
• 25Fill a giving tree tagMany churches, schools and stores have trees with gift requests from local families.
• 26Make cards for seniors or service membersCheck with a local nursing home or a reputable card program for guidelines.
• 27Food bank helpCollect canned goods or volunteer together where age rules allow.
• 28Thank-you treatsBake for mail carriers, sanitation workers, teachers and neighbors.

Talk with kids about why you are giving, and let them make real choices — which toy to buy, which charity to support, what to write on a card. Many volunteer roles have minimum age requirements, so call ahead; if your children are too young to volunteer on site, collecting donations at home or making cards are wonderful ways to start. Some families set aside part of their own gift budget for a charity the kids choose together.

Santa letters and snow days

• 29Write to SantaMake a letter with our Santa letter maker, then mail it or leave it by the tree.
• 30Track SantaFollow NORAD on Christmas Eve — see our NORAD guide.
• 31SleddingChoose a hill free of trees, roads and ponds; kids should sit up, feet first, and wear helmets if possible.
• 32Build a snow familySnowmen, snow forts, snow angels — and cocoa afterward.
• 33Ice skatingMany cities set up outdoor rinks in December.

Never let children walk or skate on frozen ponds, lakes or rivers unless local authorities say the ice is safe. For snow play, dress kids in waterproof layers, bring them inside to warm up regularly, and watch for numb fingers or toes.

Best picks by age

• Toddlers (1–3): paper chains, sticker crafts, light drives, simple songs, “helping” stir cookie dough, a visit to see Santa (if they are not scared).
• Preschool (3–5): decorating cookies, coloring pages, salt dough ornaments, short TV specials, mailing Santa letters, reindeer food.
• Elementary (6–10): gingerbread houses, NORAD tracking, trivia, joke contests, giving tree gifts, Advent calendars, caroling.
• Tweens (10–12): baking a recipe on their own, running a family game night, choosing a charity, making handmade gifts.
• Teens: volunteering, hosting a cookie swap with friends, a Secret Santa exchange, classic movie marathons, wrapping gifts for younger siblings.

Ideas for rainy days and warm climates

Not every American Christmas is snowy. In Florida, Texas, Southern California, Hawaii and much of the South, December can be mild or even warm, and in the Pacific Northwest it is often simply rainy.

• Beach or park Christmas: decorate a sandcastle, have a picnic with holiday treats, or join a holiday boat parade if your coastal town has one.
• Indoor “snow”: make fake snow by mixing baking soda with a little white hair conditioner, or try a bin of shaving cream for a sensory activity.
• Paper snowball fight: crumpled white paper or soft pom-poms in the living room.
• Library visit: many libraries host free holiday story times and crafts.
• Indoor camping: a blanket fort lit with string lights, with flashlight stories.
• Museum or aquarium: many host holiday events, and some offer free days.

Free Christmas activities

Plenty of holiday magic is free. If you are watching your budget — and you can plan spending with our budget calculator — these cost nothing or close to it:

• Driving or walking through neighborhoods to see lights.
• Window shopping downtown and viewing store displays.
• Community tree lightings, parades and outdoor concerts.
• Library story times and crafts.
• Paper snowflakes, paper chains and coloring pages.
• Caroling for neighbors.
• Christmas movies already on your streaming services or borrowed from the library.
• Writing letters to Santa and tracking him with NORAD.
• Playing in the snow, or a holiday-themed scavenger hunt at the park.