8 Activities to do during Christmas ...

Building a snowman is one of the most popular activities to do during Christmas. However, this is going to be an activity that requires the right type of snow. However, if you live in an area where snow isn’t available at Christmas or if you seem to be enduring a green Christmas this year, then see if you can come up with some alternatives. Take an old tube sock – preferably a white one – and put some stuffing in the toe of the sock. Tie off this filled section of the sock and add some more stuffing. Once this part is tied off, add a bit more and place a tie at the top. You should now have a tube sock that looks like three white balls stacked on top of one another. The ribbed portion of the sock can be folded down to resemble a top hat and the rest of the snowman can be decorated with markers. You can sew on actual button eyes for a bit more detail too.

I've gotten together with my little sisters to wrap presents for the rest of the family and it always makes the task more enjoyable. It’s not that I mind wrapping gifts. In fact, I rather enjoy it. However, sitting in a room with my sisters, chatting away, and being surrounded by laughter is always more exciting than wrapping presents all on my own.

My dad would always be in charge of getting the tree when I was little. He would either go to the store and purchase one or cut one down off of our property, depending on if we lived in town or in the country. We would wait to decorate it though, until everyone in the family had arrived. It was great fun to pull out all the old ornaments and swap stories about who purchased which ornament or who gave a particular one to the family and when. Decorating the tree together is a great bonding experience, plus it’s hard to be cranky with all the laughter going on.

This is an excellent activity for kids of any age. My younger sisters had a gingerbread house decorating party every year until they graduated from school. All of their friends would look forward to the gathering each Christmas. I think adults would enjoy decorating gingerbread houses too. Who says you have to be a kid? Grab a box of graham crackers, a container of frosting, and few packages of assorted candies. Gingerbread houses are fun to build and they make a tasty snack later on too.

Having a musical family helps when it comes to singing carols. You don’t need someone to play the piano or some other instrument for carols to be sung though; records do nicely for a sing-along round of carols. Fire up the record or CD player or tune in to a Christmas station that is playing carols. Singing together really livens up the mood during any Christmas gathering.

I have quite the selection of cookies I bake each Christmas. My grandmother has always baked dozens and dozens of cookies during the holidays. She still bakes a few dozen, but my mom and I take care of the bulk nowadays. I fill up plates with cookies and drop them off at local businesses and deliver platefuls to friends. It’s a great feeling to see their faces light up whenever the plate of cookie arrives and the tinfoil is pulled off to reveal the assortment of cookies inside. My grandmother, mom, sisters, and I all enjoy our time baking together each Christmas.

My grandfather was the best at telling stories from his childhood. He would share tales of being in the military, living overseas, and working on the house he and my grandmother lived in for 65 years. There is so much a person can learn about family by listening to the stories of elders. My grandfather isn’t here this year to share stories of long ago with us, but his stories will always be remembered, just as he will always be in our hearts.

Every year my family all gathers around the dining room table to put the latest puzzle together. Sometimes these puzzles have a Christmas or winter theme. The puzzle is worked on until it is completely assembled. We may take the entire day or maybe even a couple of days to finish it, but it always gets completed. Once all the pieces are in their proper places, my grandmother turns it over, slathers the back with puzzle glue, and places sheets of newspaper over the wet back. When my grandfather was alive, he would build a frame for the puzzle and it would then be hung on the wall in the basement.

I hope some of these 8 activities to do during Christmas give you ideas for things to do with family or friends. Being able to enjoy Christmas together is always more memorable than having a Christmas where everyone is grouchy. What types of activities do you and your family partake in during Christmas?

Top Photo Credit: Nicole Choi