The holidays are in full swing. Sure there’s lots of joy and cheer. There’s also lots of hustle and bustle. While that’s all fun and merry, sometimes you just need some time to relax and spend time together with your family and friends. I’m sharing some family friendly Christmas activities that take just a little bit of work to bring a lot of Christmas magic to your days. You can do any of these things with families of any age or size and y’all will have fun giggling and talking while you’re making those memories.
Polar Express Movie Night
Reading and watching the Polar Express is a must do during the holiday season at our house. We curl up with our hot-hot-hot-hot chocolate and wait to hear the bell ring and see Santa. If you don’t already have your own copy of the Polar Express book or the Polar Express DVD, order your copy now so you’re ready for your own movie night. You can make your own magical bell for the kids to get at the end of the book or movie. And of course you’ll need some hot chocolate to enjoy while you read and watch.
Want to take your Polar Express night to the next level? Or maybe you’ll be hitting the road this holiday season. Make the journey a little more exciting by creating your own North Pole Express with the printables below.
First off, you’ll need to print these signs to put on the windows inside the car:
Make sure that you also print the tickets for everyone so they can board the “train”:
Riders can each get their own bell. Buy bells ahead of time and print these tags to attach to each of them:
While you’re out driving around, you’ll probably see a lot of magical sights. Print out this Christmas Eye Spy to keep the kids busy and looking for the things on the list:
Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt
Heading out to check out the Christmas lights around town? It’s the perfect way to wind down after a long day. Print off this Christmas light scavenger hunt checklist, then put some hot cocoa (or chocolate milk) into travel mugs, grab some Christmas cookies, and hit the road. If you don’t have the time to dedicate an entire night for Christmas light admiring, keep the checklist in the car and check things off during your normal errands and driving. If you’re feeling extra generous, grab a small gift for the person who completes their list first.
If you have a large light display in town, let your tweens and teens hang out and enjoy the lights. Divide them into teams and give each team a copy of the checklist. Have them explore the light display and meet back up at a predetermined location and time. They can take pictures of the different things on their phones for the “judge” to check off when they check back in to see which team is the winner.
Writing Letters to Santa
What’s Christmas without a letter to Santa? Spend some time with your kids helping them write a letter to Santa so he knows exactly what to bring them Christmas morning. They can even put them in envelopes and in the mailbox for your mail person to take them to the big guy himself. Here’s a printable letter in case you need one:
And of course because Santa’s elves are the best around, they make sure every single letter gets answered! Make sure this letter gets back to your kiddos:
Think Santa and his elves have something more specific to say? Well you’re in luck!! Here’s a blank copy so his elves can personalize it for your kiddos:
There’s even a Nice List certificate to confirm your kiddo’s spot (unless they’re too naughty before Santa comes…):
What are your favorite family friendly Christmas activities? Leave a comment to let us know!
Leave a Reply