Christmas bucket list for kids brings the magic of the season to life through fun activities and cherished memories. Creating a holiday bucket list helps families slow down and enjoy special moments together during this festive season.
From baking cookies to building snowmen, these activities make December the most wonderful time of year. Let your kids experience the joy and wonder that comes with checking off each festive adventure. 🎅
1. Bake and Decorate Christmas Cookies Together 🍪
Getting your hands covered in flour and frosting is a holiday tradition kids absolutely love. Baking Christmas cookies creates delicious treats while building beautiful memories in your kitchen. Let each child pick their favorite cookie cutter shape, from gingerbread men to snowflakes and reindeer.
Set up a decorating station with colorful icing, sprinkles, candy canes, and edible glitter. The cookies don’t need to look perfect because the real magic happens in the laughter and creativity. Some families make this extra special by baking cookies to share with neighbors or leave out for Santa.
Turn on festive music while you work to make the experience even more joyful. Kids can practice their measuring and mixing skills while learning to follow a recipe. Don’t forget to save a few cookies for your family’s cookie jar!
2. Drive Through the Neighborhood to See Christmas Lights ✨
Piling into the car in pajamas to admire twinkling lights is a simple yet magical experience. Driving through decorated neighborhoods turns an ordinary evening into a dazzling adventure for young eyes. Bundle up the kids, grab some hot chocolate in travel mugs, and set out after dark.
Make it interactive by having children count certain decorations like inflatable Santas or candy canes. Some families create scorecards to vote on their favorite house display. Play Christmas music softly in the background while you slowly cruise past the glowing homes.
Consider mapping out the best light displays in your area ahead of time. Many neighborhoods have streets that go all out with synchronized light shows. This activity costs nothing but creates priceless memories that kids will treasure for years.
3. Write and Mail a Letter to Santa Claus 📬
Watching your child carefully write their wishes to Santa is one of the sweetest holiday moments. Writing to Santa encourages kids to practice their writing skills while expressing their Christmas hopes. Provide special stationery, colorful markers, and festive stickers to make their letters extra special.
Help younger children who can’t write yet by letting them draw pictures of what they want. Many kids also include messages about how good they’ve been or questions for Santa. The North Pole even has official addresses where you can mail letters and receive responses.
Make this activity more meaningful by encouraging kids to write about kindness and gratitude too. They can mention nice things they did for others or say thank you. Snap a photo of your child holding their finished letter before mailing it away. 📝
4. Build a Gingerbread House Masterpiece 🏠
Creating an edible house from gingerbread and candy brings out everyone’s inner architect. Building gingerbread houses combines creativity, patience, and plenty of sweet decorating fun. Purchase a pre-made kit for easier construction or bake your own gingerbread pieces from scratch.
Lay out an assortment of candies like gumdrops, peppermints, pretzels, and chocolate chips for decorating. Kids love using royal icing as “glue” to stick candy onto their creations. The houses rarely look like magazine covers, but that’s what makes them perfectly imperfect and memorable.
Set up a dedicated workspace covered with parchment paper to contain the sticky mess. Let each family member build their own mini house or work together on one larger creation. Display the finished gingerbread houses on your table as edible holiday centerpieces. 🍬
5. Have a Cozy Christmas Movie Marathon Night 🎬
Snuggling under blankets to watch holiday classics creates the coziest family bonding time. Watching Christmas movies becomes even more special when you make it an all-out event. Let kids help create a movie lineup with favorites like Rudolph, Elf, and The Polar Express.
Pop mountains of popcorn and set up a snack station with candy canes and cookies. Everyone can wear their comfiest pajamas and grab their favorite pillows and blankets. Dim the lights and let the glow from the TV create a magical theater atmosphere at home.
Make it extra fun by creating “tickets” for each family member to get into the living room. Pause for intermissions to stretch, refill snacks, and chat about favorite parts. Some families make this an annual tradition on a specific night each December. 🍿
6. Create Handmade Christmas Ornaments 🎨
Crafting ornaments together fills your tree with treasures that hold stories from each year. Making handmade ornaments gives kids a chance to express creativity while building family keepsakes. Simple materials like salt dough, felt, popsicle sticks, and clear glass balls offer endless possibilities.
Try fingerprint ornaments where little hands create snowmen or reindeer with their painted prints. Older kids can make beaded snowflakes or photo ornaments featuring family pictures. Each creation becomes a time capsule of your child’s age and artistic abilities.
Date the back of each ornament so you’ll remember when it was made. Years from now, unwrapping these handmade treasures will bring tears of joy and nostalgia. Set aside an afternoon, spread out the craft supplies, and let imaginations run wild. ✂️
7. Go on a Real Christmas Tree Adventure 🌲
Choosing and cutting down your own tree turns a simple task into an exciting outdoor expedition. Visiting a Christmas tree farm lets kids experience the magic of selecting the perfect evergreen. Bundle everyone in warm clothes, grab a thermos of hot cocoa, and head to a local tree farm.
Walking through rows of fragrant pine and fir trees feels like exploring a winter wonderland. Let children help measure trees and give their opinions on which one looks best. The smell of fresh pine needles and the crisp winter air create unforgettable sensory memories.
Many tree farms offer hayrides, hot chocolate stands, and photo opportunities with Santa. After finding your tree, kids can help saw it down (with supervision) or watch it get shaken and wrapped. Bringing home a tree you picked as a family makes decorating it even more meaningful. 🪓
8. Build a Snowman in the Front Yard ⛄
Rolling giant snowballs and stacking them into a frosty friend is pure winter joy. Building a snowman brings kids outside for active play and creative construction during cold months. Wait for the perfect packing snow that sticks together easily rather than powdery flakes.
Start with a large base ball and let kids roll it around the yard until it’s enormous. Stack progressively smaller snowballs for the body and head. Raid the kitchen for carrots, buttons, and scarves to bring your snowman to life with personality.
Snap plenty of photos because snowmen don’t last forever, but the memories will. Add stick arms, a funny hat, and draw a cheerful smile with pebbles. Some families create whole snow families with snow kids and snow pets joining their creation. ❄️
9. Spread Kindness with Random Acts of Christmas Cheer 💝
Teaching children to give without expecting anything in return plants seeds of compassion and empathy. Performing random acts of kindness shows kids that Christmas is about helping others, not just receiving gifts. Brainstorm simple ways your family can brighten someone’s day this season.
Bake extra cookies to deliver to neighbors, especially elderly folks who might be lonely. Help kids choose gently used toys to donate to children in need. Leave encouraging notes on car windshields or pay for someone’s coffee in the drive-through line.
Make a kindness chain where you add a paper link each time you do something nice. Kids feel proud seeing the chain grow longer throughout December. Visit a nursing home to sing carols or make cards for hospital patients. 🤗
10. Create Magic Reindeer Food for Christmas Eve ✨
Making special food to sprinkle on the lawn for Santa’s reindeer adds extra excitement to Christmas Eve. Creating reindeer food is a simple craft that builds anticipation for the big night. Mix oats with colorful sprinkles and a bit of edible glitter to make it sparkle under moonlight.
Kids love measuring and mixing the ingredients while imagining Rudolph munching on their creation. Place the mixture in small bags and tie them with festive ribbons. Write tags that say “Magic Reindeer Food” so everyone knows what it’s for.
On Christmas Eve, let children sprinkle the food across your yard to guide Santa’s sleigh. Explain that the oats are food for hungry reindeer while the glitter helps them find your house. This simple tradition adds magic to an already enchanting night. 🦌
Conclusion
These ten activities will transform your December into a month filled with laughter, love, and lasting memories. A Christmas bucket list helps families slow down and savor the simple joys that make this season truly special.
Each checked-off activity becomes a story your children will share with their own kids someday. From sticky gingerbread fingers to the sparkle in their eyes watching Christmas lights, these moments are the real gifts. Start your list today and watch the magic unfold through your children’s wonder and excitement.
Pin this Christmas bucket list to your Pinterest board so you can come back to it throughout the holiday season! 📌
