100 Holiday Bucket List Ideas for Families
Make the season magical with 100 holiday bucket list ideas for families – festive traditions, acts of kindness, keepsake crafts, and special adventures to share together.
Family-Friendly Holiday Bucket List
The holiday season goes by so fast — between school events, shopping, and everyday life, it’s easy to blink and realize you never got around to doing all the fun, festive things you planned. That’s why I love the idea of making a holiday bucket list each year! It’s a simple way to slow down, stay intentional, and make time for the traditions and little moments that make the season meaningful.
This family holiday bucket list is full of ideas that will bring everyone together, whether it’s a cozy night at home with hot cocoa and Christmas movies, or a festive outing like seeing lights or delivering homemade cookies to the neighbors. Whether you check off every single activity or just a few favorites, you’ll be creating lasting memories along the way.
So grab your calendar, print out your list, and get ready to make this holiday season the most joyful (and stress-free!) one yet. Because the best gift of all isn’t found under the tree… it’s the time spent together!
Holiday Traditions
- 1. Decorate the Christmas tree together
- 2. Hang stockings by the fireplace
- 3. Set up a Nativity scene or holiday village
- 4. Create a new family ornament each year
- 5. Make a holiday countdown calendar
- 6. Read “The Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve
- 7. Watch your favorite holiday movie as a family
- 8. Make homemade ornaments or garlands
- 9. Open one gift on Christmas Eve
- 10. Have a matching holiday pajama night
- 11. Leave cookies and milk for Santa
- 12. Sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn
- 13. Write letters to Santa (or make wish lists)
- 14. Attend a Christmas Eve or holiday service
- 15. Take a family holiday photo
- 16. Frame this year’s photo for next year’s décor
- 17. Choose a family theme color for your tree
- 18. Make a holiday playlist and dance to it
- 19. Create a “12 Days of Christmas” family challenge
- 20. Host a “favorite traditions” night and share memories
Acts of Kindness and Giving
- 21. Donate toys or clothes to a charity
- 22. Volunteer at a local food bank or shelter
- 23. Pay for someone’s coffee or meal
- 24. Write thank-you notes to teachers or essential workers
- 25. Deliver homemade treats to neighbors
- 26. Make holiday cards for a nursing home
- 27. Adopt a family for the holidays
- 28. Leave a kind note in a library book
- 29. Donate pet supplies to an animal shelter
- 30. Make “blessing bags” for people in need
- 31. Shovel snow or rake leaves for a neighbor
- 32. Support a local small business
- 33. Leave an extra-large tip for good service
- 34. Do a family “kindness advent calendar”
- 35. Compliment three people in one day
- 36. Write down acts of kindness and hang them on a “giving tree”
- 37. Help decorate a community space
- 38. Collect food donations for a local pantry
- 39. Bake cookies for the fire or police station
- 40. Call or video chat with relatives who live far away
Festive Food Fun
- 41. Bake and decorate sugar cookies
- 42. Make a gingerbread house
- 43. Try a new holiday recipe together
- 44. Host a cookie exchange
- 45. Make homemade fudge or candy
- 46. Have a hot cocoa bar with all the toppings
- 47. Try baking your family’s cultural holiday treats
- 48. Decorate cupcakes or cake pops with holiday themes
- 49. Make caramel popcorn and watch a movie
- 50. Host a fondue night with cheese or chocolate
- 51. Make snowman pancakes for breakfast
- 52. Prepare a big family breakfast on Christmas morning
- 53. Try a new holiday drink (non-alcoholic cider, punch, etc.)
- 54. Bake bread or rolls from scratch
- 55. Make homemade marshmallows
- 56. Cook a family meal together instead of takeout
- 57. Have a “treats from around the world” night
- 58. Make cinnamon rolls shaped like Christmas trees
- 59. Decorate the dining table together
- 60. End the season with a “favorites feast” night
Cozy Indoor Fun
- 61. Build a blanket fort and watch holiday movies
- 62. Have a family game night by the fire
- 63. Make paper snowflakes to hang in the windows
- 64. Craft a DIY wreath or centerpiece
- 65. Create a family holiday scrapbook
- 66. Make a popcorn garland for the tree
- 67. Host a family talent show
- 68. Do a holiday puzzle together
- 69. Make homemade candles or soaps as gifts
- 70. Write and perform a holiday skit
- 71. Try a new craft each weekend leading up to Christmas
- 72. Make a gratitude jar
- 73. Host a “no phones” evening for just family time
- 74. Try DIY snow globes or mason jar decorations
- 75. Read classic holiday stories aloud
- 76. Have a cozy pajama reading morning
- 77. Try indoor “snowball” fights with cotton balls or socks
- 78. Do holiday trivia or charades
- 79. Make salt dough ornaments
- 80. Create a family “memory jar” for next year
Outdoor & Community Fun
- 81. Go ice skating
- 82. Visit a Christmas market or holiday fair
- 83. Drive around to see holiday lights
- 84. Visit a tree farm and cut your own tree
- 85. Go sledding or play in the snow
- 86. Attend a holiday parade
- 87. Visit Santa (in person or virtually)
- 88. Go caroling or sing along at home
- 89. Attend a local holiday concert or play
- 90. Take a winter walk with thermoses of cocoa
- 91. Go to a light show or drive-through display
- 92. Visit a nearby winter festival
- 93. Explore a decorated downtown area
- 94. Take a sleigh or hayride
- 95. Visit an ice sculpture display
- 96. Go on a “holiday photo scavenger hunt”
- 97. Deliver gifts to family and friends
- 98. Take a scenic winter day trip
- 99. Visit a zoo or botanical garden’s light display
- 100. End the season with a cozy New Year’s Eve celebration
You might also like these family-friendly bucket list ideas:
- Fall Bucket List Ideas for Kids & Families
- Family-Friendly Halloween Bucket List
- Spring Bucket List for Families
Stacey is the creator of The Soccer Mom Blog, a Houston Texas mom blog that focuses on positive living for women and families. She loves to share real food recipes, money-saving tips, parenting encouragement, kids activities, DIY tutorials, home hacks, fitness, and so much more! To get to know Stacey even better, click here.
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