I love Christmas! In years past, as soon as the Thanksgiving dinner plates have been cleared from the table, I could be found rummaging through the Christmas bins and getting right to decorating! This year, I decided that I was going to embrace the chaos of 2020 and 2021 and just go with the flow….Christmas is already here in every store, so why not my house?! We aren’t skipping Thanksgiving (it’s actually my favorite day of the year), we are just embracing the Christmas season for a little longer!
A few years ago, a fellow Christmas-loving friend showed me her list of activities for each day of December, leading up to Christmas Day and I was immediately sold on creating one for my family. I love the idea of having a craft, an event, or a special family tradition — big or small — to enjoy for each day. Here’s our Christmas Bucket List! You can add, delete, or move things around as it works best for your family!
Christmas Bucket List
1. Decorate for Christmas while listening to holiday music.
2. Write Santa a letter.
3. Purchase a “giving tree” gift or put together an Operation Christmas Child box.
4. Have family holiday photos taken.
5. Make and mail a Christmas card to a deployed soldier.
6. Make a Christmas wreath for the front door.
7. Decorate a gingerbread house.
8. “Elf” a neighbor (make an adorable arrangement of holiday items for someone in the neighborhood, with the instructions for passing the fun along).
9. Take children individually to buy siblings or family members a thoughtful inexpensive gift.
10. Visit Santa.
11. ICE! at Gaylord Palms.
12. Bake Christmas cookies.
13. Visit a local living nativity.
14. Purchase a new holiday book to read with the family.
15. Attend a Christmas Parade.
16. Create a Christmas themed craft or decoration for the house.
17. Make a homemade ornament to add to the tree.
18. Grandma and Grandpa take the kids to buy an inexpensive surprise gift for my husband and me while we go on a dinner date.
19. Go to Light up UCF at UCF.
20. Take a family drive, admiring Christmas lights.
21. Enjoy Hot cocoa bombs and hanging of our stockings.
22. Give each family member new Christmas pajamas.
23. Read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2.
24. Watch a special Christmas movie and fall asleep under the tree (and then take the kids up to bed).
25. Have a special breakfast, open gifts including one family game to play later in the day.
This time of year can create such special memories for our children. I love this idea of celebrating Christmas each day leading up to the day that we celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Do you celebrate the first 24 days of December in a similar way? Do you have any other fun suggestions for activities? Tell us in the comments!
