What to do with family on Christmas

81 Ideas to do With Your Family at Christmas

By: Patty Getz

Christmas is about so much more than presents and parties, and yet, each year, that is the focus that we as a society place on it. Christmas has become a stress for some, and financial hardship for others. Where there used to be a holiday, to celebrate Family, we have some how lost touch with our roots, and a meaningful soulful Christmas.

Following is a list of of Ideas that cost little or no money, that you can do with your family this Christmas.
Set aside some time, and lets all get back to the basics of Christmas.
Take this list, and let each family member choose one, and then set aside an evening, for each activity, you will be surprised and amazed how much this will Change your and your families outlook on Christmas.

• Make Garland : popcorn garland - garland with construction paper
• Make :

1. - snow globes with old jars
2. - Christmas gifts for your family's pet and other relative's pets.
3. - a manger scene out of playdough or clay or even construction paper
4. - ornaments
5. - paper snowflakes to decorate your windows

• Have parties :

1. - Shows party : Watch Christmas shows together with hot Chocolate and popcorn,
2. - Slumber party : Build a fire, and have a slumber party with your kids
3. - Wrapping party
4. - Tree decoration party : Make Decorating the tree a family event, serve hot chocolate and play Christmas music
5. - Cards party : Make your own Christmas cards to send to people and/or invite your children's friends over to make cards or gifts for their parents
6. - a campout night, and sleep in sleeping bags under your lighted christmas tree or some christmas lights.
7. - a game night

• Donate : to a charity for Christmas Gifts from a 1 $ store, or Clothes/toys for needy children
• If you have snow, enjoy it : make a Snowman, or have a snowball fight
• Cook : Make a ginger bread house out of graham crackers and what ever you have in the house, or Bake and decorate cookies
• Paint Christmassy pictures on the windows with washable paint
• Make up a Christmas scavenger hunt : game out of hunting around the house, for things to make christmas decorations out of.
• Plan to share a plate of goodies with any elderly or young parents in the neighborhood
• Lights :

- Take a Special drive at night to enjoy others Christmas lights, and see who wins for the best lights in town. Make an award for the winner and present it to them.

• Attend a Live Nativity.
• go collect pine cones and use them to make ornaments
• sing Christmas carols
• have the kids write and act out a Christmas play
• Books :

1. - go to the library and borrow Christmas videos and books
2. - read one Christmas short story each night before bed

• Write Christmas letter to all the relatives with the kids all telling what they have been up to in their own words
• Take a picture of the kids in front of the Christmas tree, and make it a yearly tradition.
• Attend a Church service together
• Watch all the videos or home movies of Christmas. Or, look at all the photos from Christmas.
• color some Christmas pages together
• share a favorite Christmas memory
• Help your local church/library/ community center organize a special holiday reading of twas the night before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, etc. Invite seniors/families. Maybe get a local store to donate some cookies or cocoa.
• We make a video of ourselves decorating the tree, making cookies, singing Christmas carols and telling the Christmas story. then we make copies of it for all the far off relatives (beats a humdrum letter).
• Volunteer :

1. - as a family for the local shelter or nursing home.
2. - kids make Christmas cards or snowflakes and take them to the local nursing home.
3. - go caroling at a nursing home.
4. - work in a Christmas wrap booth that gives the proceeds to charity
5. - carry groceries for elder people
6. - food servers at shelters that provide christmas/thanksgiv ing dinners
7. - Visit the local nursing home and present some of the residents with homemade Christmas cards
8. - Do a random act of kindness for a neighbor that you know is sick or feeling down, like take them a plate of cookies or some homemade ornaments.
9. - Invite an older person/couple for a holiday meal

• light up your walkway/driveway with handmade luminaries
• Get out your old records - or borrow your parents- and listen to the Golden oldie Christmas songs from your youth, and share the memories of Christmas past with your children
• Learn about different cultures celebrate Christmas... . and about what they did years ago.
• Sing silly Christmas songs with your kiddos... (Grandma got ran over by a reindeer)
• Create a calendar that the kids can mark off the days til Christmas.
• Have a Christmas Past, Present and Future evening/afternoon. Get out your photo albums/scrapbooks and talk about Christmas Past, remembering those who are no longer here to share it with us; for Christmas Present, discuss what one thing makes Christmas special for each person; for Christmas Future, talk about your hopes and dreams for the coming years ahead.
• Let the kids make their own stockings out of felt and stocking "packages" out of paper grocery sacks to put gifts for others in.
• Let your child decorate their bedroom door for Christmas. A wreath with some small trinkets on it is charming on every door inside the house, too.
• Make snowmen out of styrofoam ball ornaments or styro balls or old Christmas bulbs (the breakable kind) in 2 sizes (one larger and one smaller glued together), paint white or glue on cottonballs or fake snow and add glitter. Use google eyes or dots punched out of a paper punch for eyes, Orange pipe cleaner twisted to a carrot shape for the nose, little buttons or mini m & m's or small pom poms can be buttons or even the gold top of a paper fastener clip. Also can use yarn for eyes, smile, eyebrows or braid yarn for a scarf.. use your imagination and whatever you have around the house, toothpicks or tree branches for arms, etc. An old sweater and flannel shirt can provide scarves and hats, mittens for all the snowmen and snowwomen which can be grouped together under a tree branch from outside. Provide all the scrap materials you have and let the kids have a great time making them.
• Create a God Can for family members

Here is how : use a tall odd shaped can, the one I found was a solid gold color, was maybe 6 inches tall and semi squared with a rounded bubble shaped lid. (Found it at Dollar Tree last year)
This is what I attached.
God Can
When your worries get too heavy, Follow this little plan
Just write it on a little note And drop it in this can
You know that any problem That you place in Our Lord's hands
Will soon be taken care of Because we can't but God Can!