December is one of those tricky months that people absolutely love and thrive in, or feel completely overwhelmed. It brings cold, dark nights and occasional kid sickness, too. Since many of us tend to fall into both camps of wanting to go out and wanting to stay in, this list is focused just on those days we simply just want to be as a family at home and enjoy the magic of the season.
{If you want to get out, be sure to check out this post of the best local Christmas events and be sure to follow my Instagram where I share lots of ideas in my stories!}
31 Things To Do in December 2022 At Home
December 1
Gather as a family and make a Christmas bucket list. {Ours is included below!}
December 2
Write letters to Santa and deliver it to a local mailbox. {If you’re local to Brighton, try delivering them to this really cool house!}
December 3
Make jingle bell hiking sticks and go for a walk around your neighborhood. {Or go on a wintertime night hike! See list here.}
December 4
Create blessing bags for the homeless {with essentials such as warm socks, hand heaters, dry snacks, water and a gift card to an inexpensive place such as McDonalds}.
December 5
Send some happy mail to relatives you may not see over the holidays. {Decorated cards, cute kid drawings, etc.}
December 6
Make “fancy” French toast and hot cocoa for dinner followed by a movie {we like this super simple recipe}.
December 7
Make Christmas art with Art Hub For Kids. Or try these cork Christmas tree paintings!
December 8
Make salt dough ornaments {just salt, flour and warm water needed} or cinnamon ornaments. My kids love painting them and giving them away too!
December 9
Rent Christmas books and movies from the library, or check out what holiday-inspired movies are streaming.
December 10
Make gingerbread houses {We have had the best luck and creativity with graham crackers and hot glue. I love getting affordable supplies from Aldi.}
December 11
Make a Christmas tree craft out of recycled Christmas cards. {See inspiration here.}
December 12
Find Christmas karaoke on YouTube to sing with.
December 13
Have the kids go through old toys to donate to others in need. {If you have a surplus of books, go through your collection and donate them to Little Free Libraries near you while out looking at Christmas lights!}
December 14
Bake cookies {or go the cheating route like I do and get the frozen sugar cookies from GFS and just decorate them}. Or, if you have younger children, try these Christmas tree treats with ice cream cones!
December 15
Watch a story time with Santa, or watch him feed his reindeer on the ReindeerCam website.
December 16
Sick of answering “how many days until Christmas?” Make a paper chain countdown!
December 17
Work on a Christmas puzzle as a family.
December 18
Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate! If you are not Jewish, take some time to research the holiday and share about it with the kids. {This short video explains it in kid-friendly terms}
December 19
Take a walk around your neighborhood to admire Christmas lights in the evening. Try doing a scavenger hunt — this one is super fun!
December 20
Pop your family’s faces into ElfYourself and let the laughs ensue!
December 21
Have the kids help wrap presents! If you’re feeling extra crafty, buy the plain brown package wrapping and have them decorate it with stickers or small drawings.
December 22
Make paper snowflakes {our neighbor made us one of these from 5-Minute Crafts and it’s AMAZING!!!}
December 23
Make cookies and reindeer food {oatmeal, carrots and glitter so they can find it} for Santa.
December 24
Have a candlelight dinner {or floor picnic!} and talk about your favorite Christmas memories or read a special story such as The Polar Express or The Night Before Christmas. The movie The Star is one of our favorites highlighting the birth of Jesus.
December 25
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your day with those you love the most. Fun idea: Take a video or a photo of your child and the favorite gift they received.
December 26
Happy Kwanzaa to those who celebrate! Take some time to learn about this holiday with the kids today. {Here’s a fun article on the different things to celebrate}
December 27
Have a snowman building contest as a family and have outsiders judge on social media or via FaceTime.
December 28
Turn off all the lights but your Christmas lights and play hide and seek in the dark with flashlights. This is a huge hit here!
December 29
Make snow ice cream — it’s actually delicious! {Obviously if the weather cooperates}.
December 30
Tie dye shirts with ice and snow using this tutorial! {Or do snow painting with little ones}
December 31
Happy New Year’s Eve! Sit down as a family and create a list of goals for 2023. {I always set a reading goal for myself each year!}
Leave a Reply