Parents everywhere both love (and dread) the holiday season. Working parents are often scrambling for childcare while kids are off school and trying to fit in as much family entertainment into the off hours as possible. Stay at home parents can sometimes be at a loss for how to fill the day with meaningful activities.
This holiday season, strike a balance between “doing it all” and biding your time until school is back in session. Below you’ll find some unique holiday ideas that will work for families regardless of your time or budget constraints.
Family Entertainment for the Entire Family
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a vendor I have chosen to work with. I have received either paid compensation and/or free product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own based only on my own experience.
Holiday Movie Marathon
My son is finally old enough this year that I was able to take him to “Home Alone,” which was playing at our local theatre on the big screen. It was reminiscent for me to rewatch a classic family favourite, and he of course giggled through the slapstick comedy throughout the film.
There are so many movies that are great for all ages. Start a movie marathon with a mix of current titles and classics from your childhood. A few of my favourites:
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Christmas Carol
The Polar Express
Elf
Miracle on 34th Street
The Santa Claus
It’s a Wonderful Life
Hit a Community Skating Rink
We are very lucky to have a number of community skating rinks in our city run by hardworking volunteers. Dust off your skates and head out for some good ol’ fashioned winter fun. If you don’t happen to have a pair that fits, do a search on community Facebook swap groups or your local virtual garage sale site. Often you can find second hand skates for a reasonable price that won’t break the budget and cut into the fun. Warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows afterward!
Discover a New Podcast
I love the Dream Big Podcast! It features some wonderful life lessons and encouragement for kids to dream big dreams and explore their passions. I can stream it on my phone and listen during the commute between home and school. Since each episode is only 20-30 minutes long, it’s the perfect length for a car ride and a nice way to relax and listen to something new and inspiring.
Find the City’s Best Hot Chocolate
One of my favourite things to do during the holidays is to hunt for the best Hot Chocolate the city has to offer. We’ll often spend our weekends scouring hot spots around the city we haven’t tried before and order up a hot cup of steaming cocoa. We all have our personal favourites and yet it’s also fun to try something new as well. It’s the type of tradition you’ll never grow tired of.
Design Your Own Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt
Gather the kids together and create a list of criteria for your own Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt! Your list could include purple lights, icicle lights, a Santa Claus, reindeer, 5 candy canes, musical synchronization, etc!
Make a bingo sheet and have the kids draw a few pictures of each! Have a contest for who can spot each first!
Make Your Own Christmas Ornament
Some of my favorite memories as a kid involve making Christmas decorations for our family tree. To me, what makes Christmas special is the stories that lie beneath each individual ornament. I was so happy to find this Ornament Diffuser Recipe inside my Simply Earth box this month. Not only will my son enjoy decorating it, but it’ll smell just like Christmas. Use the code: GOODENUFMOMMYFREE to receive a big bonus box on your first order and a $20 coupon for future orders also.
What’s on your to do list this Christmas?
XO The Good Enuf Mommy
Definitely some pajamas and Christmas Movies!
I love these ideas!! My daughter would be all over finding the best hot chocolate! And last year, we watched Home Alone for the first time in probably 20 years. Tbh, as a mom, it was a little hard to watch! Lol! How did she forget her son? Who and how did he clean up all of those horrible messes? Hahaha!!
We always go ice skating!! So much fun! Love all these ideas!
Nathalie
http://apinchofaustria.com
All of those movies are an absolute must! We love getting or making hot chocolate on those chilly nights! 🙂
Absolutely! This is also my favorite thing to do at Christmas!
On Christmas Eve my hubby and I go to his parent’s to celebrate and we always end up watching a Christmas movie by the fire while sipping hot chocolate. It’s the perfect family get-together!! <3
I love Christmas movies so much. During December I don’t watch anything else!
Great suggestions – really excited to check out the podcast – we love the Wow in the World podcast at our house!
I love your idea for the Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt! My 4 year old would be all over that.
What fabulous fun ideas! I especially love the quest for the best hot chocolate. Happy holidays to you and your family!
You can always do crafts as well- make ornaments, etc! Great ideas and I always love ice skating! Never get sick of it…
Love this post! I’ve been trying to think of Christmas movies to watch in the run up to Christmas, I’m going to try and start watching one of a Sunday evening with my partner and our LO. Can’t wait to do things like scavenger hunts when he’s old enough. Beautiful read and full of fantastic ideas 🙂
Oh that’s wonderful!! Thank you and let me know how it works out!