7 Frugal & Fun Christmas Activities for Families
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Make this holiday season extra special with these fantastic frugal and fun Christmas activities for families.
These tips and ideas will get you excited about creating special Christmas memories with your loved ones.
Pick a few of your favorites and get ready for Christmas fun with your family!
Ava, from Little Bundles, is sharing wonderful ideas and reminders for enjoying Christmas fun with your family this year.
Plan & Prepare for Frugal & Fun Christmas Activities for Families
It’s no secret that Christmas can be expensive.
When you have gifts to buy for family and friends, the costs can feel overwhelming. Decorations, food, and other special holiday touches can really add up.
Fortunately, there are several ways to save money and still have an enjoyable holiday with your family - even if you travel together. With these frugal ideas, you can build your own family traditions without draining your wallet.
1. Make Cards
Holiday cards aren't cheap (with costs often beginning at over $3.00 each).
When you have a list of people to send cards to, that expense adds up quickly. To reduce costs, have a Christmas family craft night.
Buy cardstock, markers, stickers, and other fun supplies. Washi tape (especially that sparkly glitter kind) can add a nice touch 😉
You can add an educational twist to the activity by teaching your kids how to properly address envelopes.
A lovely idea is to have your kids write personalized notes to the special people in their lives.
If you make extra cards, find out if your family drop off at nursing homes, homeless shelters, or other places where people may not receive much for the holidays.
2. Have a Holiday Movie Night
You can enjoy several movie nights over the holiday season. Let each person pick a favorite holiday movie.
Before you watch the movies, decide what you are going to eat. Popcorn and movie candy are always popular choices.
3. Make a Holiday Video to Share
If you prefer to save money and not mail holiday cards, then make a family video.
All you need is a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer with a camera.
To make the video special, let each family member direct part of it. They can create a little storyboard, so everyone knows what is happening.
Take time to consider your outfits, the background environment, and even music you might choose to play. Have fun with the transitions, wipes, and other video elements.
Once you've filmed your holiday video message, use a video making app to edit (like iMovie or InShot). It is easier than ever to post a video on YouTube, then share it with your friends and family on social media. You can set the privacy settings so only invited people can view it.
4. Build Gingerbread Houses
A low-cost and fun activity is to build gingerbread houses with your family. You can make your own with a favorite family recipe or buy kits online (here's a great one!). Make sure you have plenty of colorful icings, candies, and decorations.
Turn it into a fun challenge when building gingerbread houses. Take pictures of the final creations, share them on social media, and let your family and friends vote on whose house is the best one.
Award a prize to the winner and make this competition an annual tradition.
**You can extend the fun with these free gingerbread resources (like these coloring bookmarks, activity cube, and more) found here on Rock Your Homeschool!
5. Make Ornaments
If you don’t want to spend a fortune buying ornaments for your family tree, make it a tradition to craft ornaments each year.
Gather craft supplies like:
- glue sticks
- scissors
- construction paper
- cardstock
- woodcraft sticks
- pompoms
- pipe cleaners
- crayons, color pencils, and markers
- tissue paper
- whatever materials you have around your home!
Like the gingerbread houses, you could make the ornament crafting a contest. You could have separate categories or motifs based on the styles of decorations.
You can also have fun making videos of the crafting party. Let the speedy crafters shoot the video, so they stay involved in the family fun. The winner gets their ornament at the top of the tree.
6. Plan Early & Together
Gather as a family to plan your Christmas fun. Make a yummy treat and some hot chocolate to enjoy as you chat about holiday fun activities.
Talk about things you've liked in the past and new things you'd like to try. Consider activities like:
- crafts
- baking
- cooking
- nature walks
- decorating
- shopping (online or in-store)
- special holiday-themed trips
7. Go Caroling
Another great way to have fun at Christmas is to give back to your community. You can do this by caroling in your neighborhood or at select places, like your local nursing homes.
Before you do this, call the nursing home to set up your time, as other groups might be doing the same. You might have to carol outside, so dress for the occasion. When you call, ask if it is acceptable to sing religious songs. Some places might ask that you stick to the secular pieces like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Jingle Bells.
If you have fun doing that, why not carol at other places? Get your family and friends together, then go to a popular park to sing or share your voices outside of hospitals to lighten the mood.
Then, when you finish singing, celebrate your fun time together with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies 🙂
What type of frugal & fun Christmas activities for families have you enjoyed
(or are you planning for this year)?
Ava Adams writes for Little Bundle