Fun and cozy Christmas activities to bring Holiday cheer home
From the most beloved Christmas traditions to winter-themed cozy activities, here are some delightful ideas to enjoy Holiday season safely at home.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”
– Clark More
10 Christmas Activities to Try at Home this Holiday Season
‘Tis the season to build everlasting memories. And 2020 calls for an especially good one!
Opportunities to celebrate Christmas at home are endless, really. But here I share with you some of my favorite Holiday-themed activities to try this year.
From America’s most beloved Christmas traditions to winter-inspired inviting activities to enjoy with friends and family, discover 10 fun ideas to celebrate Holiday season at home.
Dig into this post, make your own Christmas bucket list and dive into the Christmas spirit from the comfort of your own living room!
Looking for safe and sound things to do outside as well? Check this post for social distancing approved Christmas things to do in Dallas and surroundings.
1. Start an Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are a great Christmas tradition and a sure way to make the Christmas joy present every day throughout December. You can make your own, or choose a beautiful reusable one to be added to your annual Christmas decor.
Here are some of my favorite options. You can personalize them all, adding daily Christmas-themed small gifts, actions and activities, and bring Holiday joy to every single day of the month!
2. Decorate Gingerbread Houses and Cookies
Kids go crazy with this one! (me too, I confess)
This is a fun way to spend a cold December afternoon doing something different and that screams Christmas to me.
If you are (really) talented in the kitchen, you can dive head first into this one and make your own gingerbread houses and cookies.
As cooking skills are not exactly one of my strengths, I usually (ok, always) go for the pre-made kits. These are my favorites:
3. Light a fire on the backyard and make s'mores under the stars listening to Christmas songs...
Making s’mores under the stars wintertime is a must. Pair it with Christmas songs (and a good glass of wine, I won’t tell anyone) and you have the best Holiday activity ever!
No firepit? No problem? This inexpensive portable firepit will do the trick. I’ve had it for about a year know and it more than does the job – great memories are being made around it!
I also recommend you getting extendable marshmallow sticks. I didn’t even know they existed until recently (shame on me) and they were a game changer in my s’mores skills 
.
4. ...or take the fun indoors and do the same in front of the fireplace!
If all you want for Christmas is to stay cozy and warm INSIDE the house, lit your firepit and make some s’mores in the comfort of your living room.
Go mess free with this electric s’mores maker from Nostalgia.
I also prefer to use ceramic logs indoors. They give you the look and the heat without the toxic fumes and are my newest Holiday season inversion – I would say it is a pretty good one!
5. Have the best Christmas decor ever
Because IMHO 2020 simply asks for that!
But no need to go bankrupt to do so. Being creative and doing a lot of research, you can find inexpensive ways to give your home a Holiday facelift on a budget.
You can find a lot of cool basic stuff on discount stores. For more elaborated – and usually expensive – items, Amazon offers some excellent Christmas decor deals.
Here are some of my favorite findings for this season:
6. Have a small fondue and wine gathering.
This is another winter favorite: fondue. If you have never tried it, it is time to fix this huge anomaly lol.
Here you can find some simple recipes (WARNING: don’t click on them if you are hungry 
. Just did. Big big mistake):
Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe
Coq Au Vin Meat Fondue Recipe
Chocolate Fondue Recipe
You can go mess-free and try an electric fondue set. What is a great option specially if you have little ones around. You cannot go wrong with this one from Cuisinart, I’ve actually worked with this brand eaons ago and it is super high quality:
But I really LOVE the traditional fondue sets. I love the cast iron look and there is something mesmerizing about the flame under the pan, it brings me some very good old memories:
Tip: we are in the era of small gatherings. But if you have more people coming, you can always buy inexpensive extra fondue forks to increase the capacity of your fondue set:
Invest in good wine tumblers for the perfect fondue and wine gathering. If you know a little about wine, Riedel is a brand that needs no introduction:
7. Welcome the Elf on the Shelf home.
This is one of my favorite American Christmas traditions. And one that I really make a point in doing every single year for my kiddos.
Because well, you are only a kid once, and the look in their faces when they wake up and see something silly “the Elf” did the night before truly pays off EVERY effort (yes, I eventually always run out of creative ideas and get sick of the poor little Elf by the end of the season lol).
You find the original Elf on the Self in many retail stores, and it comes with a book telling his whole story, prefect to read to the kids and get them into the fairytale vibe.
It usually sells out virtually every year before Christmas. So, if you cannot find it around, you mind consider this kit from Amazon that comes with some cute extras and, at least in the day I wrote this post, was the only one still available for next day delivery:
If the Elf on the Shelf tradition is something new to you, here is the whole story and how it works.
8. Write a letter to Santa and hang Christmas stockings
Here is the deal: Santa will need to know WHAT you want for Christmas to decide wether you deserve it or not according to the Elf reports…
And then he will need a PLACE to leave these presents on Christmas night!
Keep the magic going by writing Christmas letters with the little ones and leaving them by the Elf – without touching him or he will loose his magic – to be delivered to Santa.
Then get yourself some beautiful stockings and stocking holders to complete your already awesome Christmas decor.
9. Have a Christmas Movie Marathon in your xmas jammies
Watching Rudolph in your jammies, eating popcorn and drinking hot cocoa, is a must during Holiday season. And probably one of the easiest ways around to get into the Christmas spirits.
For all-time classics, make sure to include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A Christmas Carol (1938), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), and Miracle on 34th Street (1947) in your list.
For the “new-classics”, A Christmas Story (1983), Home Alone (1990), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and Elf (2003) are musts.
I also absolutely love the much more recent Klaus (2019) and The Christmas Chronicles 1(2018) and 2 (2020).
And new titles abound and will be available in every stream platform starting right now!
10. Read Christmas stories to your kids every night in December
Have little ones who love to hear a story before going to bed? Transform it into a Christmas activity reading Holiday-inspired tales, sure to bring Christmas joy every night in December.
This is an easy yet meaningful Christmas activity, and a great way of assuring sweet dreams and keeping the spirits high from sunrise to dawn.
You can get one book with several short stories like this one:
Or invest in a small Christmas library. Here are some of the recommended Holiday-themed books to consider:
Summing Up
The Grinch will NOT steal Christmas!
This year things are a little different. But it doesn’t mean we cannot have fun and a heartwarming Holiday Season. It is actually quite the opposite: we need that now more than ever!
Being creative it is still absolutely possible to have the time of your life while keeping safe, by engaging in fun Christmas activities at home or in outdoor social-distancing approved activities.
Here you found 10 cheerful ideas on how to enjoy Christmas Season in your house and have a blast in the upcoming weeks.
Choose your favorites and go create memories with your loved ones to be cherished forever!
Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition not mentioned here? Share your fun ideas in the comments section below.
