The Ultimate Christmas Activity Guide

Christmas time is finally here!! Everyone says this, but it genuinely is my most favorite time of the year. Everything about it makes me so happy. The beauty of the decorations, the coziness of all of the traditions, and the beautiful reflections on the birth of Jesus. Understandably, it’s a very busy time of the year for many people. The business makes it easy to let the season slip by without fully enjoying it. The best way to make the most of this time of year is to do something Christmassy every day to get you in the spirit of things. So, here is my complete bucket list of Christmas activities!

I would recommend putting an activity down on each day of your calendar, or drawing one out of a jar each day in December so that you can actually do the things you intend to do (a bit of an advent calendar of sorts.) Some of the activities on this list are big, and some are small, I hope you find inspiration!

Little Things To Do

Write a personal Christmas card to an older person in your community
I think it would be so sweet to write a card to someone who may not feel full of joy this time of year. There is something about a handwritten card that is so sweet and heartwarming. The letter or card you write doesn’t have to be to an older person specifically, it can be to anyone who may be lonely, anxious, or who needs a reason to slow down this holiday season.

Dance to Christmas music in your bedroom
You know how in all of those cheesy Christmas movies there is a ball? Or how in the old Christmas movies people are always dancing? Well, why not recreate this on a small level? Put on your favorite Christmas playlist (or record!) and dance! This would also be a fun activity to do with a friend.

Make an over-the-top hot chocolate and watch the Santa Clause
Okay, this one is super specific, but it’s so much fun! Make a hot chocolate (homemade or mix), top it with whipped cream, marshmallows, candy cane, sprinkles, cookies, whatever you like, then snuggle down and watch one of the Santa Clause movies. 
“Do you want some cocoa Santa? It’s my own special recipe, took me 1200 years to perfect it.”

Read Christmas literature by candlelight
This is something I started doing last year and I love it so much. I get a bunch of Christmas books from the library and read a chapter, a short story, or a poem by candlelight just before bed. (Scroll down to the bottom of this post for my Christmas book recommendations!)

Pick a Bouquet
In the spring and the summer, I love picking flower bouquets, I also love picking winter bouquets! Take a walk and pick different kinds of evergreen and holly, then tie them up with a ribbon and put them in a vase just like you would flowers.

Do a Christmas Devotional
I always start my day in the word of God, this time of year I love to read Advent and Christmas-related devotionals and Bible plans. It’s more than just reading Luke 2 on Christmas Eve, it’s digging into the account of Jesus’s birth in all four gospels and in Old Testament prophecy and letting the true meaning of the holiday penetrate your soul. 

Write a Christmas story or Poem
This is one of my favorite things to do! (okay maybe it’s because I’m a writer, but I still think it’s something everyone can enjoy.) I have so many Christmas WIP’s (writer language for work in progress) and I’m excited to revisit them this month. I also love writing poetry about the magic of Christmas on a cold December night. 

Make a cozy corner and re-read childhood favorite Christmas books
When I was a kid, my mom would keep our Christmas books in the top of the closet in my brother’s room, so, it was always a big deal when she brought them down. I think it would be so much fun to gather up your favorite childhood Christmas books, some blankets and maybe a snack and spend an afternoon reminiscing. 

Create Some Christmas Art
I have to be honest, I love art but am not very good at it. I have a friend though who loves to paint and someone who loves to teach us how, so a few years ago we painted a beautiful Christmas picture together. It’s also a lot of fun to use watercolors or colored pencils to create some handmade Christmas cards

Host a festive Tea Party
Last year I invited a few of my friends over for a Christmassy tea party! I made cookies, scones, sandwiches, a gingerbread cake, tea, and hot chocolate as well as soup and salad. It was such a fun time, having a tea party as the sun set.


Bake Christmas Cookies
Yes, this is something most of us do this time of year, but what if you dedicated an entire afternoon to baking. Turning your kitchen into a sort of holiday bakery. Make a few kinds of cookies, sip tea, blast your favorite Christmas music, and then when you’re done, cozy up to a Christmas movie that has to do with baking (I love The Princess Switch with Vanessa Hudgens).


Have a Little Women Chrismas Breakfast
Okay, maybe I’m the only person in the world who would think to do this, but seriously, it would be so fun! To those of you who don’t know, the first two chapters of Little Women take place on Christmas, and there are many later chapters set over the holiday. I think it would be so fun to make a breakfast similar to the one the girls are greeted with on Christmas morning, and it would also be really sweet to donate to a food pantry to remember the breakfast the girls bring to the Hummel family. 

Betsy-Tacy Inspired Christmas Shopping
In the Betsy-Tacy series Betsy, Tacy, Tib, (and sometimes Winona) go Christmas shopping together. They visit every store downtown, picking out what they would like to buy, but buying nothing. Then, at the end of their trip, each girl picks out a Christmas ornament to actually buy. I think this would be such a fun thing to do with a couple of friends at a mall or other shopping center.

Have a White Christmas gift wrapping session
If you know me, you know that my favorite Christmas movie of all time is Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. A couple of years ago I got the idea to wrap Christmas presents while watching White Christmas (this is partly because it’s so so good, and also partly because my family is sick of watching it lol).

Make a gingerbread house from scratch
Every year growing up, my siblings, cousins and I would get together to make gingerbread houses. We usually used pre-made houses from the store, but I have always wanted to make the entire house from scratch. Maybe this year will be the year I finally do it!

Christmas Music
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There is nothing quite like music to get you into the mood for Christmas, here are some favorite songs and albums!

Albums:
The Nutcracker Ballet
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Milk and Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas - Crowder

Playlists:

Vintage-
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal Version) - Vince Guaraldi Trio
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
Silver Bells (feat. Carol Richards) - Bing Crosby
Happy Holiday - Bing Crosby
Snow (feat. Trudy Stevens) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee
Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Rosemary Clooney
Joy to The World - Rosemary Clooney
The Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year - Andy Williams

Contemporary Christmas-
Little Drummer Boy - for KING & COUNTRY
Like It’s Christmas - Jonas Brothers
Carol of the Bells - Lindsey Sterling
We Three Kings - Tommee Profitt & We The Kingdom
Together This Christmas - Maisie Peters
The Elf Song - Crowder
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Riley Clemmons
Joy - Caroline Kole
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - Tauren Wells
Underneath The Tree - Kelly Clarkson
merry christmas darling - Christina Perri
I’ll Be Home - Meghan Trainor

Book Recommendations
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Obviously, I love books, and there are so many amazing Christmas books, here are a few recommendations.

A Vintage Christmas - Thomas Nelson Publishing
This is an incredible collection of short stories and poems by famous authors throughout history. It includes stories and poems by L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Alfred Tennyson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Anne Bronte, and more! This is my absolute favorite Christmas book.

The Little Book of Hygge - Meik Wiking
I recently read this book and love it so much! It’s about the Danish tradition of hygge which a slower way of living. Hygge is at its prime during Christmastime and the book has a whole chapter devoted to Chrismas Hygge, would highly recommend it.

Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury - Louisa May Alcott
If you are an Alcott fan like I am, this book is a must-read! It is all of Louisa’s best stories set at Christmastime. Cozy, wholesome, and totally Alcott.

Christmas With Anne - L.M. Montgomery
This is essentially the same as the Alcott Treasury except it’s about the work of L.M. Montogomery!

The Twelve Dares of Christa - Marissa Burt
Christa is a girl who loves Christmas, but when her parents get a divorce everything changes. Now she and her mom are off to Europe to celebrate Christmas, Christa’s Dad sets up a
scavenger hunt all over the continent and Christa and her new friends get to do different festive dares every day. This is kind of like a hallmark movie in the form of a middle-grade book. 

The Mother Daughter Book Club: Home for the Holidays - Heather Vogel Frederick
This is a book in one of my favorite middle-grade series of all time. It’s the holidays and the girls in the book club are anywhere but home for the holidays, and they're also reading the very festive Betsy-Tacy series (can you tell I can’t get enough?)

A Place to Hang the Moon - Kate Albus
This book is about three children during World War Two who are sent out of London to be safe from the Blitz. But they have a secret, they aren't just trying to find a family for the duration of the war, but forever. Bookish, cozy, and oh-so-sweet, this book culminates at Christmas.

So, there are my Christmas activity ideas! I hope you got some inspiration! If you did, please comment and share, it helps me out a lot.

Belle Thomas

​Belle is the writer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about Jesus, good books, and living a beautiful life.