20 Christmas bucket list ideas for families
Creating a Christmas bucket list is a great way to ensure that your family spends some quality time together, during a time that can often be stressful, and jam packed.
But what is a Christmas bucket list? It’s a list of Christmas activities that you’d like to do over Christmas with your family.
One of the biggest benefits of creating a Christmas bucket list is that you don’t have to spend time finding fun Christmas activities to do whenever the mood strikes, instead, all you have to do is choose an activity from your bucket list, and start having some family fun immediately.
If creating a Christmas bucket list sounds like a great idea, here are 20 bucket list ideas for Christmas that you can add to your very own list.
When creating your Christmas bucket list, add activities, or family Christmas traditions that your family will enjoy, not activities that you think you have to do.
Also, don’t feel like you have to do everything on your Christmas bucket list, you can spread the activities out over many years, and you can add to your bucket list whenever another idea comes to mind.
So, let’s get started with some family friendly activities that you can add to your list.
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Make your own wreath
Making your own Christmas wreath is a great way to add a personal touch to your family’s Christmas.
You can make your own Christmas wreath from scratch using any of these Christmas wreath ideas, or you can buy a pre made wreath, and decorate it with fake snow, dried fruit, berries, flowers, or pine cones.
Make your own Christmas decorations
Another thing that you can make yourself are Christmas decorations, and if you decide to do this, getting your kids to help is not only a great way to keep kids entertained, but it also gives them some pride over the way their home is decorated during this time.
Making your own Christmas decorations is also a great way to ensure you have toddler friendly Christmas decorations on display, if you have a toddler in your home.
Some great DIY Christmas decorations that you may like to make with your kids include:
- Christmas Stockings
- Christmas Tree Thumbprints
- Cinnamon Stick Christmas Ornaments
- Paper Plate Christmas Elf
- Toilet Roll Reindeer
Make your own advent calendar
Another activity that you can add to your Christmas bucket list is to make your own advent calendar by using a fill your own advent calendar, and placing advent calendar fillers inside it.
Or, if you don’t want to make your own, there are many chocolate advent calendars available in stores, or for something more personal, there are a wide variety of advent calendars to suit different interests, including arts and craft advent calendars, tea advent calendars, Lego advent calendars, beauty advent calendars and so much more.
Decorating your home and Christmas tree
Decorating your home and Christmas tree is something you may choose to do over a few days, or in one day.
Gingerbread house decorating
Another thing that you may also decide to decorate over Christmas is a gingerbread house, which you can make from scratch using a gingerbread house recipe, or by buying a pre made gingerbread house and adding your own decorations to it.
This is a particularly fun Christmas bucket list item for kids, because they can have a lot of fun decorating the house with frosting, sweets, sprinkles, chocolates, marshmallows, and anything else that they can think of.
Christmas baking
If gingerbread isn’t your family’s favourite thing, there are many other Christmas treats that you can bake over Christmas.
Some delicious ideas are:
- Christmas Reindeer Brownies
- Christmas Rocky Road
- Christmas Tree Chocolate Cake Pops
- Easy Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Bark
- Sugar Biscuits
Hot chocolate station
A hot chocolate station is another Christmas activity idea that kids will love, which involves making each family member a hot chocolate, then having a variety of toppings available that they can choose from to add to it.
Some topping ideas include:
- Chocolate buttons
- Chocolate shavings
- Marshmallows
- Sprinkles
- Syrup
- Whipped cream
Christmas breakfast
Another food related Christmas activity you can add to your Christmas bucket list is to make a breakfast that has a Christmas feel to it, which can include:
Make a Christmas playlist
You may like to make a Christmas playlist that you can play on Christmas Day, or during the lead up to Christmas, that may even turn into a family dance party.
Some Christmas songs that you can add to your own Christmas play list that your kids would love include:
- Christmas Time
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Last Christmas
- Let It Snow
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
- Underneath the Tree
Take a family Christmas photo
Taking a family Christmas photo is not only fun, but is a great way to see how your kids grow over the years.
You could have a different theme each year, dress up in the funniest Christmas jumpers you can find, or create a photo booth where each family member chooses different outfits and disguises to wear.
Santa photo
As well as taking a family Christmas photo at home, you may like to get a photo of your kids with Santa, which you can do at a number of local locations including shopping centres, garden centres, and even restaurants.
This is something that you will need to do when preparing for Christmas early, because many Santa photo slots book out as early as October, so keep your eye on your desire location’s website for details on when the slots are released.
Write a letter to Santa
Writing a letter to Santa is something that younger children in particular will love, plus it makes buying kid’s Christmas presents easier.
Family board game night
If you have children who don’t want to write a letter to Santa, then a Christmas bucket list idea that they may enjoy is having a family board game night.
Some Christmas inspired boards games are:
Christmas books
Reading Christmas books in the lead up to Christmas is a great way to foster your kids love of reading, as well as get into the Christmas spirit.
Here are some lovely Christmas books that you may like to read with your kids:
- Dear Santa
- The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas
- The Jolly Christmas Postman
- The Polar Express
- The Snowman
Christmas movies
Having family Christmas movie nights is another great Christmas bucket list idea, and can include:
- A Christmas Story
- Elf
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Miracle on 34th Street
- The Grinch
Secret Santa
To make the costs of Christmas presents more affordable, you may like to do a Secret Santa with extended family.
This means putting everyone’s name in a hat, and then telling each family member who they need to buy for, and what the maximum price they need to spend is.
Christmas events
There are many local Christmas events that you can add to your family’s Christmas bucket list that you can attend this Christmas, or future Christmases.
Some of these include:
- A Christmas light switch on
- Christmas tree farm visits
- Ice skating
- Pantomimes
- Parades
Christmas Day walk
Christmas Day is perfect for going on a family walk, as the streets are quiet, and you can take a break from any Christmas food you’ve been eating.
Santa food
Leaving food out for Santa is something that younger children love to do over Christmas.
Some food that Santa may enjoy includes fruit mince pies, chocolate, or milk.
Reindeer food
When leaving food out for Santa, don’t forget his reindeer who may love some carrots, or special reindeer food that consists of mixing together oats and sprinkles.
Christmas bucket list ideas – a recap
There are many bucket list ideas for Christmas that you can work through with your family.
Some of these include:
- Making your own wreath, Christmas decorations, or advent calendar, to add a personal touch to your family’s Christmas
- Decorating your home and tree
- Making and decorating a gingerbread house
- Doing some Christmas baking with your kids such as baking brownies, rocky road, cake pops, chocolate bark, or sugar biscuits
- Creating a hot chocolate station full of yummy toppings
- Having a festive Christmas breakfast
- Creating a Christmas music playlist
- Taking a family photo at home, or getting a photo with Santa
- Writing a letter to Santa
- Having a Secret Santa
- Playing board games, watching Christmas movies, or reading books
- Going to local Christmas events such as a Christmas light switch on, visiting a Christmas tree farm, ice skating, pantomimes, and parades
I hope you’ve found some Christmas activities here that you’d like to start doing with your family.
What does your family love to do over the festive season?
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Secret Santa is a lot of fun! I’ve only done it with colleagues, but it would be nice to do it with my family this year. Thanks for sharing your list!
Secret Santa is also something I’ve done with colleagues, and once with extended family and it was a great idea and such a time saver.
I really appreciated this list. I can’t wait to try these with my family
Thank you so much, I hope they work for you.