How to Celebrate Christmas Week with Kids

The holiday season is a magical time, especially for families with children. Christmas week offers countless opportunities to make memories, foster creativity, and embrace the joy of giving. Whether you’re looking for new traditions or simply want to add to your festive fun, here’s a guide to celebrating Christmas week with kids in meaningful and exciting ways.

Day 1: Christmas Decorations and Crafts

Start Christmas week by decorating your home together. Create a cozy and festive atmosphere with:

• DIY Ornaments: Use simple materials like salt dough, paint, or foam balls to craft ornaments. Let your kids decorate them with glitter, stickers, or markers. Over time, these handmade treasures become keepsakes.

• Personalized Trees: Consider getting a small tree for your kids’ rooms that they can decorate with their own ornaments. It’s a fun way for them to express their creativity.

• Paper Snowflakes: Transform windows into winter wonderlands by making and hanging paper snowflakes.

Crafting these decorations not only gets everyone into the Christmas spirit but also provides moments of bonding and creativity.

Day 2: Festive Baking Day

Kids love being in the kitchen, especially when it involves sweet treats. Dedicate a day to baking holiday favorites like:

• Christmas Cookies: Bake cookies in fun shapes like trees, stars, or snowmen. Let the kids go wild with icing and sprinkles.

• Gingerbread Houses: Build and decorate gingerbread houses using kits or homemade components. Save leftover Halloween candy for added decoration.

• Muddy Buddies or Simple Treats: For quick and easy recipes, whip up some muddy buddies or hot cocoa mix to enjoy during movie nights.

Make this a tradition by sharing your baked goodies with neighbors, friends, or shelters.

Day 3: Acts of Kindness and Giving Back

Christmas is a season of giving, and teaching kids about kindness can make the holidays even more meaningful:

• Adopt a Family or Donate Toys: Let your children pick out toys or gifts for children in need.

• Handmade Gifts: Create potpourri jars, homemade cards, or small crafts to give as gifts to family or the elderly in nursing homes.

• Food Donations: Pack food bags or holiday treats for a local shelter and deliver them as a family.

These activities help kids understand the joy of giving and encourage empathy and generosity.

Day 4: Christmas Storytelling and Reading

Settle in for a cozy day filled with storytelling and holiday-themed books. Wrap up Christmas or winter-themed books as part of an “Advent Book Calendar,” and let the kids open one each day to read together. A few classic reads include:

• The Night Before Christmas

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas

• The Polar Express

Reading by the glow of holiday lights adds a magical touch to the experience.

Day 5: Outdoor Adventures and Lights

Bundle up and head outdoors for some holiday-themed fun:

• Light Tours: Drive around your neighborhood or nearby areas to admire Christmas light displays. Bring along hot cocoa to make it extra special.

• Tree Farm Visits: If you haven’t already, visit a Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree or simply enjoy the ambiance.

• Outdoor Games: If there’s snow, go sledding, build snowmen, or have a snowball fight. No snow? Plan a festive scavenger hunt instead.

These activities allow kids to burn off energy while enjoying the beauty of the season.

Day 6: Family Traditions and Pajama Party

Set aside a day for family traditions that everyone can look forward to year after year:

• Matching Pajamas: Gift everyone festive pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve or throughout the week.

• Movie Marathon: Watch classic holiday movies like Home Alone, Elf, or A Charlie Brown Christmas with popcorn and cozy blankets.

• Game Night: Play board games or trivia with a holiday twist.

These simple activities create lasting memories and bring the family closer together.

Day 7: Christmas Eve Magic

Christmas Eve is the perfect time to embrace the excitement of the big day ahead. Here are some ways to make it magical:

• Christmas Eve Box: Prepare a special box for each child with items like pajamas, a holiday book, and hot chocolate mix.

• Santa Prep: Bake cookies for Santa and leave out carrots for the reindeer. Add a handwritten note to make it personal.

• Bedtime Traditions: Read The Night Before Christmas as a family before tucking the kids in bed.

• Santa Tracker: Use an app to follow Santa’s journey around the globe. The excitement is contagious!

Bonus Ideas Throughout the Week

Here are additional activities you can sprinkle throughout Christmas week:

• Advent Calendar of Experiences: Instead of chocolates, create a calendar with daily activities like “dance to Christmas music” or “make hot cocoa.”

• DIY Wrapping Paper: Use kraft paper and let kids decorate it with stamps, drawings, or handprints.

• Candy Cane Planting: Have kids plant candy cane “seeds” (like Tic Tacs) in sugar overnight and wake up to a candy cane “garden” the next day.

• Mini Holiday Markets: Visit local markets for crafts, treats, and seasonal music.

Wrapping Up

Christmas week with kids is about making memories, fostering joy, and embracing togetherness. From baking cookies and crafting ornaments to enjoying light displays and movie nights, every activity brings its own unique charm. By mixing creativity, family traditions, and a touch of magic, you can create a holiday season that your kids will cherish forever.

Celebrate the little moments and enjoy the wonder through their eyes—after all, that’s what makes Christmas truly special. Happy Holidays!