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- 25 Of The Best Christmas Activities For FamiliesDecember 6, 2018Get everyone into the holiday spirit with these fun Christmas activities for families. Includes crafts, decorations, DIY gifts, acts of kindness, fun Christmas games, crafts, and loads of free printables. Want to make memories that will last a lifetime? Click through for the best ideas on the web. I love the holidays. Bring on cheesy music, The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, and eating way too much homemade Almond Roca. The countdown to the holidays is the perfect time to enjoy some special Christmas activities with your family. Well it was in our house. Once I figured out how to simplify our holidays I finally had time to enjoy the days leading up to Christmas.25 Christmas Activities For Families SO becauseI love Christmas I want to see you having loads of fun with your kidsI’ve scoured the internet to find the best Christmas activities for families. If you are feeling overwhelmed, It doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you do it together. If you are looking for really simple Christmas activities try these 24 Simple Christmas Traditions for Families. Make Ornaments Every year my boys and I would make ornaments together. It was a lovely afternoon activity and we still hang many of these decorations on our tree. The trick is to keep it simple. Try theseFelt And Button Christmas Tree Ornament |Teaching 2 and 3 year oldsEasy Kid Made Wreath Ornaments With Paper Straws |Projects with kidsPipe cleaner Christmas tree ornaments| Red Ted Art jingle bell wreath ornament | Jinxy Kids Cinnamon Stick Tree |Crafts UnleashedGingerbread houses Making gingerbread was one of our favorite Christmas activities. This is something that continued for many years, even when the boys grew older. Sometimes we would have a party and each boy got to invite a friend. We used the recipe and instructions from Canadian Living Magazine. If you want to make things easy on yourself skip the gingerbread and use Graham Crackers or even pretzels. For more reading: How To Host A Kid Friendly Gingerbread Decorating Party Make gifts Making gifts together is a wonderful Christmas activity. One year we made cinnamon sugar to give to the boy’s teachers. It is super easy to do and was very much appreciated by the recipients. You can find an easy recipe here. For more ideas check out my Pinterest board Gifts That Kids Can Make Try some new Christmas Activities Kids are always open to new ideas and activities. Try some of theseChristmas Light Scavenger Hunt |Layers of Learning Christmas Finger Puppets |One Creative Mommy Easy Christmas Elf Paper Puppet With Templates| Red Ted Art Bending Candy Canes|Artful parent Christmas Cards to Color |Planes and Balloons Host a game night I know this isn’t the most original idea. Still most kids love board games and the Christmas break is the perfect time to dig them out. Let each family member choose their favorite. Alternatively try some of these fun Christmas gamesGingerbread Scavenger Hunt | Edventures with Kids Christmas I Spy Ornament Game| Joy in the Works Roll a Reindeer | Kiddy Charts Christmas Matching Game| Simple Everyday Mom Minute to Win It Christmas Games| The Chaos and the CLutter Pin The Star On The Tree |The Art Kit Christmas Bingo| Artsy Fartsy Mama Do Something KindChristmas can so easily become a gimme holiday. Some simple acts of kindness help shift the focus from getting to giving. YES! Check out these Christmas Acts of Kindness For Families Have a Movie NightSomething a little special: The Dating Divas have created a special movie night inspired by the movie The Polar Express—complete with (free!) printable “train tickets,” games, and yummy snacks and beverages. Get the details here. Make it super easy: Make some popcorn and put on your favorite holiday movies. Honestly your kids will enjoy it just the same either way.Try some Christmas Inspired Playdoh Grab/make some playdoh and a few supplies and let your kids go wild. Make a Tree kit | A Dab of Glue Will Do Reindeer Playdough |Picklebums Invitation to Create a wreath| Fun Learning For Kids Listen to a Christmas story at bedtime Choose a Christmas audiobook and listen to it each night. My boys loved snuggling under blankets by the Christmas tree to hear the story. Audio books are a busy parent’s best friend. Your kids get to hear a wonderful story and you get to relax by the twinkling lights of the tree and cuddle with your kids. FANTASTIC.Bonus Activity: Make some really scrumptious hot chocolate or set up a hot chocolate bar. Get some AMAZING recipes here.I’d love to hear from you What is your favorite activity at this time of year? Do you have any fun Christmas activities for families? What special family traditions do you enjoy? Looking for More Ideas? Follow My Christmas Pinterest Board Christmas Did you enjoy this post? Was it helpful? Please share and tell a friend! Drop me a comment if you’re going to try some of these tips. Bonus points if you leave a comment!...
- The Best Christmas Acts of Kindness For FamiliesNovember 30, 2018Want to include some Christmas acts of kindness as part of your holiday celebrations? Here are 22 ideas to help your family reach out to help others. Round up your children and join our conspiracy of kindness. Includes a fun printable to post during the holidays.Oh how I enjoy the few weeks before Christmas. I delight in the decorated houses, the joy of the young children, the music, and the cheerful greetings. I love hearing from family and friends across the world. This Christmas we shall be traveling to meet up with my boys for a Christmas celebration. What a marvelous time of year! And yet what a challenge! All that commercialism. The pressure and the expectations. It all seems so greedy. I must confess that there are times when I feel like muttering some of my own, “Bah humbugs!” What can we do? Here’s an idea! Let’s turn Christmas around and upside down! We can make the season about GIVING rather than getting. Reaching out doesn’t have to be hard, but a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference. I know this is a busy time of year for most families, so many of these suggestions are SIMPLE activities that are really EASY to do. There are a few that might take longer, so make sure you have room in your schedule before committing. Related: Acts of Kindness For Families – An Age By Age Guide22 of the Best Christmas Acts of Kindness Help a local charityDonate food to your food pantry. Take some time to explain why families might need to use a food bank and then go shopping together. Let the children pick out most of the items. Explain that you want to buy healthy food, but encourage your children to include a few treats as well. If possible have your children accompany you when you drop the food off at the food bank. Take supplies to an animal shelter. Save up some change and put it in the Salvation Army bucket. Give to your favorite charity. Choose one as a family and find a simple ways to raise the money. There are some suggestions here. Take part in a local charitable service such as Santa’s Anonymous or Toys For Tots. Deliver or donate blankets to those who sleep in the cold Alternately assemble blessing bags for the homeless – – If you don’t feel safe or comfortable delivering them yourself, take them to a shelter that helps the homeless.Saying thank youLeave a gift for your mail carrier. How about these cute elf kisses or these treat bags. Have a family baking party and make your favorite treats. Then give them to people that work for the community, such as nurses, police, and fire-fighters. Write thank you notes to people who go all out to decorate their yard and house with lights. Thank them for lighting up the neighborhood.Giving the gift of timeVolunteer to help someone wrap gifts, perhaps an elderly neighbor who has stiff hands or a young parent that could use the help. Do yard work or shovel snow for a neighbor. If your family attends a religious service at Christmas you might also offer to drive others. There are many people without cars who would appreciate a warm ride to and from these events. Call the leaders of your religious institution to find out if they know of anyone who needs a ride. Invite a single person for a meal. The holiday season can be hard time of year for those who are alone. These might include international students, seniors with no family, or singles that can’t get home. Approach your church leaders, university chaplains, or student services groups to find out who might be facing the prospect of a lonely Christmas. Take a Christmas plant to someone who doesn’t get outside very much. Sing Christmas carols/songs for your neighbors. Offer Babysitting to young families. This time of year can be challenging for young parents. An afternoon of free baby-sitting can be godsend. You can do this as a family as most children enjoy looking after little ones for a short period of time.Caring for the EarthMake or buy a bird feeder and start to feed to birds in the garden each day. If you have time, why not decorate a tree with edible treats for the birds? Make Christmas cards out of recycled art work and use them to write some notes to nursing home residents.Random Acts of KindnessCandy cane bomb a parking lot. It’s simple! Just go around sticking candy canes and a note on car windshields for people to discover. Coffee Cups and Crayons has a free printable to help. Want something even simpler? Candy cane bomb your immediate neighbors! Make some adorable Penguin kindness rocks. Put together coloring book and crayons for children visiting the emergency room at the hospital.Free Printable List Here’s a sneak preview Download the list. You’ll get the free printable, plus join my bi-weekly newsletter! Just click here to subscribe and enter the library. Print out the list and keep it on your fridge as a reminder to include some kindness this December. You could also read it through with your kids and ask them to choose a couple of ideas. The countdown to Christmas can be a wonderful time for families. It is a chance to make memories and have fun together. Adding in some acts of kindness will turn this holiday into a time of giving and that is a powerful way to ward off the gimme monsters.Your Turn How will your family give to others this December? Have you found ways to make this holiday into a time of giving? Please share your ideas in the comments below. Did you enjoy this post? Was it helpful? Please share and tell a friend! Drop me a comment if you’re going to try some of these tips. Bonus points if you leave a comment!...

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