60 Fun Christmas Bucket List Ideas With A Free Printable

The holiday season always seems to arrive so quickly with so many good intentions of fitting in lots of family fun before it passes for another year. A Christmas bucket list can be a fun way to make the most of that special time with family and friends, aiming to tick off as many fun Christmas activities as possible!

Many of my favourite moments during the holiday season aren’t necessarily those on Christmas day, but also the fun little Christmas traditions we have or the spontaneous moments of doing something new together. It all adds to that Christmas spirit and gets everyone excited!

To help you make your Christmas season even more special this year, I’ve created a huge Christmas bucket list for families, including a free printable list that you can grab below too!

Why Create a Christmas Bucket List?

Christmas isn’t just a day – it’s a whole season filled with opportunities to create lasting memories, share joy with loved ones, and celebrate in your own unique way. A Christmas Bucket List helps you make the most of these special moments by making sure you don’t miss out on any of the festive fun.

It doesn’t mean trying to complete every item on the list (because that would be A LOT), but it is super satisfying checking off as many items as you can.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into your ultimate Christmas Bucket List, packed with 60 activities to make your holiday season extra magical!

The Ultimate Christmas Bucket List

These family Christmas bucket list ideas included plenty of fun activities for the holiday season as well as Christmas traditions and new things to try.

Note: I have tried to keep the ideas more Christmas-focused and not so focused around seasonal activities, such as snow-related activities, since not all of us have a White Christmas each year and many of us (like me) have a Summer Christmas instead. In saying that, the printable bucket list does have space for adding those extra activities so you don’t miss out on your favourites!

1. Decorate the Christmas Tree

Putting up the Christmas tree feels like the beginning of the Christmas season for me. Growing up, our tradition was always up 1st of December and down 1st of January, but these days I often put my tree up mid to late November just to enjoy a little longer!

Adorn it with lights, ornaments, garlands, ribbons, and a star or angel on top. Then sit back and admire the beauty of your tree together!

2. Bake Christmas Cookies

Christmas baking is always lots of fun, especially if you’ve got kids to help out! Decorate your cookies with festive icing and sprinkles. Don’t forget to save some cookies for Santa!

3. Build a Gingerbread House

Assemble and decorate a gingerbread masterpiece – just try not to eat all the walls before it’s built. You can get gingerbread house kits that have everything you need to make one. Or make your own gingerbread house from scratch.

4. Watch A Classic Christmas Movie

Cozy up with a Christmas movie classic like “Home Alone” or “Elf.” We often rewatch a couple of our favourites each year and those 2 almost always make the cut!

5. Write A Letter To Santa

Writing a letter to Santa is a fun Christmas tradition for kids. Get some festive paper to make it extra special and don’t forget to post it!

Here in Australia, you can send your Santa letter via Australia Post with these instructions and via USPS in the USA.

6. Listen to Christmas Tunes

Play your favourite holiday tunes throughout the season. Yes, Mariah Carey counts. There are plenty of modern and more classic playlists on Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music for instant festive tunes.

7. Read A Christmas Book

This one works no matter your age! Read a Christmas picture book with your kids or choose a holiday romance book for yourself to get into the festive spirit!

8. Get A Photo With Santa

Take your family for an annual Santa photo or take your pets. Or just take yourself if you want! A photo with Santa is a cute Christmas memento each season!

9. Go See Christmas Lights

Tour local neighbourhoods on foot or by car that are known for their dazzling light displays. This is a holiday tradition we never skip! I don’t think I will ever grow out of seeing beautiful Christmas light displays!

If you want to add a little extra fun to your night, grab my free printable Christmas light scavenger hunt and see how many you can tick off along your drive!

10. Take a Family Photo in Matching Outfits

Capture the moment in coordinated attire. Christmas PJs, matching family shirts or the full hog with festive onesies, this is a funny family Christmas tradition that none of you will ever forget.

11. Send Christmas Cards

Send heartfelt greetings to loved ones in the form of Christmas cards. This is a tradition that has disappeared in recent years compared to 10 years ago when everyone sent cards, so receiving a card now is extra special.

You can make some handmade Christmas cards for a chance to do some fun Christmas craft, make a personalised card with a family photo wearing matching Christmas outfits or just grab a packet of ready to write cards from the store!

For something different, these photo candy cane cards were a hit for classmates when my girls were younger.

12. Host a Christmas Party

Invite friends and family for a festive gathering. This can be a pre-Christmas celebration with friends or extended family you won’t see on Christmas day or a kids’ Christmas party with their friends and schoolmates. It doesn’t need to be anything huge or extravagant. It’s all about good company (and some yummy food)!

13. Donate To A Toy Drive Or Gift Drive

Spread the cheer by giving to those in need. Nothing warms the heart like giving back. Many local department stores, charities and supermarkets have an annual giving drive before Christmas where you can drop off items for a family less fortunate than yourself. This is money well spent!

14. Wear Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Have fun donning the tackiest sweaters you can find. The uglier, the merrier!

This is a tradition we don’t get to enjoy here during an Aussie Summer Christmas because it’s just wayyyyy too hot but many companies release ugly rash vests instead so you can be sun-safe in the pool or at the beach with a festive twist!

15. Create A Handmade Ornament

Craft unique decorations for your tree or home by creating a new ornament each holiday season. Try out a handmade Christmas decoration tutorial, dust off your Cricut or attend a DIY Christmas crafting class for something unique and special.

16. Create A Christmas Playlist

Go a step further than listening to Christmas music by creating your own Christmas playlist of songs you actually love! Fill it with your favourite holiday songs. And this way it’s ready to go for next year too!

17. Try A New Christmas Recipe

18. Enjoy A Christmas Concert

Attend a local choir or symphony performance with Christmas-themed songs.

19. Host A Secret Santa Exchange

Organise a fun gift exchange among friends or family. We do a family Secret Santa with our extended family each year to keep costs down for Christmas gifts, instead buying one larger gift, rather than something for each person.

A Secret Santa gift exchange is great fun at work with coworkers or with a friend group too.

20. Do A Random Act of Kindness

Spread joy by doing something kind for someone else. Bring baked treats to a neighbour, pay for a stranger’s coffee or leave an uplifting note for someone to find. Random acts of kindness are the ultimate way to embrace the holiday season of giving and they make you feel pretty darn awesome!

21. Attend A Local Christmas Festival

Check the local events pages and see if there’s a Christmas festival happening near you. It might be a Christmas food truck festival or a Christmas fair with rides, treats and a concert. Often they are free or only cost a small entry fee too.

22. Make A Christmas Wreath

Use natural or artificial materials to create a wreath to hang on your front door. A natural wreath made from pine branches will smell divine too! Try this no glue bauble wreath for something different.

23. Plan A Festive Family Game Night

Play Christmas party games like Christmas bingo or trivia, Christmas charades or the left right game. Add a festive twist to some minute to win it games or you can grab my huge printable Christmas game bundle for plenty of different Christmas games for all ages.

24. Sing Christmas Carols

Gather around and sing your favourite carols at home or head to your local Christmas carols night and sing with your community.

25. Host a Cookie Exchange

Swap homemade cookies with friends and family. Calories don’t count at Christmas, right?

26. Make A Homemade Advent Calendar

Make your own DIY advent calendar with little advent gifts to open each day. Or make an advent activity calendar instead with these fun advent activity ideas. You can get my free advent activity cards to make it even easier!

27. Make A Handmade Gift

Handmade Christmas gifts are made with love (and are usually kinder on your wallet too). A gift that is unique from anything else is special to receive and fun to make.

28. Create a Holiday Photo Booth

Set up props and backdrops for fun photos to take with family and friends. Capture the laughter and the memories, either just as a fun stay-at-home activity or as a little extra fun for your Christmas party or Christmas day celebrations.

29. Make Christmas Crackers

Create your own fun handmade Christmas crackers filled with small gifts and Christmas jokes. Who doesn’t love a cheesy joke and a surprise?

And you can fill them with different items depending on who will be popping them. Little toys or treats to make them family friendly or liqueur chocolates, rude jokes and trinkets for the adults.

30. Make Hot Chocolate

Enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream or try these white chocolate hot cocoa bombs for an extra indulgent treat. They also make great edible Christmas gifts! Add a splash of something extra for the adults.

If you’re celebrating a Summer Christmas, go with an in iced chocolate or milk shake with dollops of ice cream instead!

31. Attend a Christmas Parade

Watch festive floats and performances pass you by at a local Christmas parade.

32. Make A Handmade Garland

Decorate your tree, mantel or shelves with a homemade Christmas garland. I love making these so much. They make the tree look so much prettier and more full of decorations but they also look fab on other surfaces too!

33. Declutter Something

There’s no doubt that Christmas time can mean a lot of new stuff coming into the house, even if you have good intentions to minimise the amount of gifts you each receive. Especially if you have kids!

Consider an area of your home that is already cluttered, like overflowing toy boxes or your wardrobe and declutter this area before Christmas. Make sure you donate or sell the items ASAP to get them out of your house!

34. Volunteer at a Local Charity

Give your time to help those in need. ‘Tis the season to spread goodwill and cheer.

35. Do Christmas Crafts

Make ornaments, decorations, or gifts. Help the kids with some fun Christmas crafts and let the festive creativity flow!

36. Watch A New Holiday Movie

Each year there are always a few new Christmas movies released at the cinema or on streaming so pick one (or more) new release holiday movies to watch together for a December movie night. You might end up finding a new favourite to watch each year alongside your classic faves!

37. Hang Stockings

Decorate the mantel or shelf with personalised stockings. They can be large stockings that fit all the gifts Santa brings or cute little stockings that only fit small trinkets or treats.

Ever since I was a child, the Christmas stocking has been a part of our decorating tradition and we’ve continued this on with our own kids.

38. Make Rum Balls

Rum balls are one of those Christmas treats that are on our menu every year. They are a family favourite and this is our family rum ball recipe that we make each year.

Tip: You can leave the rum out of a batch if you don’t like the taste or what some non boozy rum balls to share.

39. Send A Care Package

Mail a box of holiday goodies to someone far away who you won’t see this Christmas. Distance can be difficult during the holiday season if someone you love is away from family and friends. A care package is a special way of reminding them that they are still very much a part of your celebrations.

40. Make A Festive Cocktail

Mix up a new cocktail or mocktail with festive ingredients like cranberry, mint or cinnamon. Yum!

41. Host A Virtual Christmas Party

Celebrate with distant friends and family online. Zoom parties can be a creative way to celebrate with loved ones who are too far away to see on Christmas day! You can play some virtual games together just enjoy a chat and a drink together virtually.

42. Write A Christmas Wish List

You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy writing a Christmas wish list! This is a fun tradition that kids are experts at!

But let’s be real, do you even know the answer if someone asks you “What do you want for Christmas?”. It drives my husband crazy that I never know, so writing a wish list might solve that question next time someone asks. If they’re going to get you something either way, you might as well give them some ideas on things you actually want and will use!

It can even just be a wishlist of things you want to treat yourself with!

43. Visit A Christmas Market

If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with beautiful Christmas markets throughout December, there’s a good chance this was on your list anyway. While nothing really compares to European Christmas markets, with delicious treats, mulled wine and handmade gifts galore, the local Christmas market in your home town might be pretty special too!

44. Start A New Family Christmas Tradition

Start a new tradition that you can continue each year with your family. Traditions are the heartbeat of the holidays and there are so many unique ideas that you can bring into your own family traditions.

Some popular traditions are having an Elf On The Shelf visit each December, looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, or putting together a 1st of December box.

45. Decorate the Front Yard

Hang lights and set up outdoor decorations in your front yard to add some extra magic to your home during December.

47. Have a Real Christmas Tree

There’s no doubt that an artificial Christmas tree is an easy option and can look beautiful. We have a pre-lit tree with built in twinkling lights and I love it to pieces, but nothing really compares to the scent of a live pine tree in your home.

If you’ve ever had a live Christmas tree before, maybe this is your year to have one! It’s a Christmas bucket list item that everyone needs to do at least once! There are Christmas tree farms in a lot of cities where you can go and choose your perfect live Christmas tree.

48. Make A Christmas Scrapbook

Document your festive activities and memories into a scrapbook keepsake you can cherish forever.

There is a popular scrapbooking tradition of December Daily, started by Ali Edwards, where you create a mini scrapbook with a daily photo for each day in Dece

mber. You can do this as a traditional scrapbook, a small photo album or as a digital scrapbook. It’s a lot of fun to join in!

49. Wrap Christmas Gifts

Use pretty wrapping paper, ribbons, personalised gift tags and bows for your presents.

TIP: Turn your gift-wrapping session into a fun event by hosting a gift-wrapping party with friends where you all bring your own paper, gifts and tape and get busy wrapping while gossiping and sipping yummy drinks! If you dread wrapping your Christmas presents each year, this will definitely make it something to look forward to!

50. Go Ice Skating

You don’t need to have a white Christmas to enjoy an ice skating session. Head to your local indoor ice skating rink for some active fun. Or if you are lucky enough to have an outdoor rink, enjoy skating under the stars on a chilly December night, in all your winter warmers!

51. Decorate Gingerbread Men

Bake a batch of gingerbread men and decorate them with icing, sprinkles and lollies for a cute festive treat that doubles as a gift!

52. Make Paper Snowflakes

Cut paper snowflake shapes out of white paper and use them to decorate your windows. This is a simple Christmas paper craft that will remind you of school days.

53. Drink Eggnog

If you’ve never had eggnog before, this is your reason to try! This Christmas drink is something you’ve got to try at least once, although it might become a new Christmas favourite!

54. Have A Sleepover Under The Christmas Tree

You know what’s more fun than a family sleepover? A family sleepover beneath the Christmas tree. Bring mattresses, sleeping bags and pillows into your lounge room and cosy up for a festive slumber party. Tell silly Christmas jokes, share yummy snacks and share your favourite holiday memories beneath the twinkling lights before drifting off happy.

55. Light A Christmas Candle

Get a scented candle that smells like Christmas to light during a family meal or relaxing evening at home. Think cinnamon, nutmeg, mint and pine. Or mix up your own festive oil blend for your oil diffuser.

56. Attend A Theme Park Holiday Event

If you’ve ever been to a Disney park during the holiday season, you know what magic it can be! Epic decorations, holiday parades and seasonal treats galore. It doesn’t need to be Disneyland though for this type of fun.

Most amusement parks have a Christmas event on close to Christmas that guaranteed a whole lot of family fun!

57. Do A Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? There are so many fun variations for how you can do this, like the Christmas lights scavenger hunt I mentioned above or a gift scavenger hunt, a general Christmas-themed item hunt or a planned scavenger hunt where you set up clues or hide pictures to be found around the house or yard.

Try this free printable elf scavenger hunt for the kids.

58. Watch The Nutcracker

Attend The Nutcracker ballet in person or watch a version of it on TV.

59. Wear Something Festive

Wear a Christmas shirt, cute festive earrings or get your nails done with a cool holiday design. Wear your Santa hat to work or a pair of silly knee-high candy cane stripe socks. Express your love of all things Christmas with your personal style!

60. Eat A Candy Cane

Is it even Christmas if you haven’t eaten a candy cane? Ok, so they aren’t my favourite but they are definitely a treat that goes hand in hand with Christmas. I love to use them in festive desserts. You can find plenty of recipes using candy canes, if you prefer not to eat them as is.

There you have it – 60 festive Christmas activities that will fill your holiday season with joy, no matter where you are in the world. Merry Christmas! 🎄

I hope you have a great time ticking off these December bucket list ideas with your family and friends! See how many you can fit into your holiday season but don’t forget to leave some time for rest too!

What are your favourite Christmas activities and traditions?