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Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love to spend quality time with my friends and family and do fun activities with them.

I love buying presents, wrapping them, and giving them to the special people in my life.

I love decorating my home and putting up my Christmas tree. There are so many fun and special things to do during the holiday season with friends and family.

Do you ever make a Christmas bucket list? It can be filled with big and small fun Christmas ideas to do during the season. A bucket list is a great way to make sure you do the things that make you happy for the season.

It can include anything you want it to! It can have ideas for yourself, you and your partner, or for the whole family.

I love to add fun and unique things and also include family traditions.

Let’s take a look at some of my favorite Christmas bucket list ideas to get you inspired for the Christmas season!

Related Post: Magical Christmas Bucket List for the French Lover

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25 Days of Christmas Bucket List

Having 25 days of Christmas activities ensures that you have something festive to do each day before Christmas.

Some of these you may be able to do together in an evening, but overall, it gives you, your little kids, or your partner something to look forward to. 

1. Watch Your Favorite Christmas Movie

Grab some popcorn and watch your favorite Christmas movie. This is on my bucket list every year. My favorite Christmas movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!

Elf comes in a close second as my favorite Christmas movie. Even have a Christmas movie marathon is you have multiple favorites!

2. Make Christmas Cookies and fix Hot Cocoa or Egg Nog

Don’t you love making your own Christmas cookies and drinking an amazing cup of hot chocolate? I know I do! Sugar cookies are my favorite.

3. Visit Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights

This is one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season! It is so enchanting and will fill you with the magic of Christmas!

If you don’t live close to the Chattanooga area, find somewhere local that has Christmas lights, grab all your family members, and make some Christmas memories! 

4. Wrap Presents While Listening to Your Favorite Christmas Music.

Is there a better way to spend an evening during the holiday season? I love wrapping presents!

It’s so fun to me, especially while jamming to my favorite Christmas songs.

5. Go Look at Christmas Lights with Family or Friends.

There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than looking at Christmas lights. I love to ride around in local neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights with my family.

Grab your best buds or your family, and check out some Christmas lights around you!

6. Visit Santa!

Is it even Christmas without visiting Santa? A visit with Santa has to be on your holiday bucket list. Make sure to visit Santa and get your picture taken with him!

Related Post: How to Practice Sustainability During the Holiday Season

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7. Go to a Christmas Music Performance

For the last few years, we have gone to a large church in our area and watched their Christmas performance.

They sing many famous Christmas carols, dance, have lights, and more! We have such a great time and it really gets us in the Christmas spirit!

8. Learn to Make One of Your Favorite Christmas Desserts

Baking is one of my favorite hobbies! I love learning new recipes and love getting to make some of my favorite Christmas desserts!

Whether you do something simple like bake Christmas cookies, or you learn to make your grandma’s secret family recipe, make sure to have fun while doing it. 

9. Make a Gingerbread House

Christmas is the perfect time to get competitive and see who can decorate a better Gingerbread house!

Once you are finished you will also have something to snack on when you are craving something sweet. Have some holiday fun by making a Gingerbread house. 

10. Go to Your Local Christmas Parade or Festival

Don’t forget to visit your local Christmas parade or a festival in town. The Christmas countdown is on once you visit the Christmas parade. You’ll even get to see Santa! 

11. Make Homemade Christmas Crafts

Take some time to be crafty and make something fun this year! You could make a wreath or an ornament. One of my most favorite Christmas crafts is making name tags for my gifts! Get on Pinterest and see what you can find.

If you want to be even more crafty, make some homemade gifts for those special people in your life. 

12. Decorate for Christmas

If you haven’t already decorated your home, do it now! It’s time to enjoy the tree, the lights, and the beauty of all your Christmas decorations.

This is my favorite time of the year because I love the lights, scents, and decorations that come with Christmas time!

It’s relaxing to sit in your home after decorating and enjoy the lights. 

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13. Go Ice Skating

My town has an indoor ice skating rink, which is SO MUCH FUN!

It’s a great holiday activity for the entire family. 

14. Write Christmas Cards to Friends and Family

This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I love receiving Christmas cards and writing them to all the people who are very close to my heart!  

If the kids want to help, they can draw and make Christmas cards to send out. Everyone loves to receive a handwritten and drawn card!

15. Build a Snowman or Play in the Snow

If you are lucky enough to get snow or have a white Christmas where you live, make sure to enjoy it! Grab the kids and make a snowman, snow angel, or snowball fight!

16. Volunteer

Spend an evening volunteering at a soup kitchen, food bank, animal shelter, or somewhere else local.

Random acts of kindness will bring you and others Christmas joy!

17. Attend a Christmas Eve Service

Attending a Christmas Eve service can be powerful and remind us what the true reason is for celebrating on Christmas day. 

Sometimes we can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season we forget what it is truly about.

Related Post: Simple Guide to a Hygge-Inspired Cozy Winter at Home

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18. Start a New Family Tradition

Starting new traditions is so special! My husband and I have a wonderful family tradition that we started when we got married!

It can be something you do throughout the Christmas season or a new tradition for Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

19. Go to an Ugly Sweater Party

Ugly sweater parties are one of the most fun Christmas activities!

It gives you a chance to have fun with friends, laugh, and enjoy the company of others.

20. Do a Secret Santa Gift Exchange with Your Friends

Secret Santa is so much fun! Have all your friends over for a fun evening of Christmas cheer.

With Secret Santa, you can have fun and not have to buy gifts for everyone in your friend group. 

21. Read Your Favorite Christmas Story

Reading your favorite Christmas story or Christmas books is a great way to get the younger kids involved. Storytime can get them excited about Christmas.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is a must-read on Christmas Eve!

22. Take a Day Trip & Enjoy a Small Christmas Town Near You

Several mountain towns near me go all out for Christmas!

Enjoy some Christmas shopping, festive treats, and other fun things that will get you in the Christmas spirit.

23. Go Christmas Caroling

Grab some pals, or your church group, and go Christmas caroling! Surprise some neighbors or some elderly people in your neighborhood with some fun Christmas cheer.

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24. Donate a Toy or Do Something Charitable

One of my absolute favorite things to do this time of year is pack Operation Christmas Child boxes with my mom. We have done this together each year for a while. It’s one of the best ways to spend an evening during the holiday season.

It gives me so much joy knowing that we are making a few kids happy for Christmas and spreading the love of Christ to them.

​There are plenty of toy drives that go on this time of year, and also different ways to donate food to those in need.

Find a good cause and donate some of your time and money. You will be filled with the giving spirit of Christmas. 

25. Enjoy Time Spent with Family & Friends!

Spend time with the ones you love the most. Whether it’s having a family game night or creating new family Christmas traditions together, enjoy every minute of being with the ones you love.

Christmas is the perfect season to bring everyone together to make new memories. 

Related Post: 113 Fun, Cozy, + Romantic Date Ideas for the Winter Months

Be sure to create the ultimate Christmas bucket list with this free bucket list printable!

Write down all the exciting and fun holiday activities you want to do with your family this year. 

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I hope you make the best Christmas bucket list and can mark all the fun ideas off your list.

I would love to know what your favorite thing to do during the Christmas season!

Share all your fun ideas with me!

Until next time,

Catherine