What to Do on Christmas Day – Activities for the Family

Christmas Day

There are several activities that most families are expected to do on Christmas Day. These activities include:

  • Opening gifts in the morning around the Christmas tree
  • Eating Christmas dinner
  • Watching a Christmas movie and listening to Christmas carols

Although these activities are always a good time and may represent traditions in your family, sometimes it can be fun to switch things up and try out a new Christmas tradition. This may lead to your family adopting new traditions and learning more about what Christmas is all about.

If you’re wondering what to do with your family on December 25th, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to discover several family activities that you can do to make sure that you have a memorable Christmas.

What to Consider on Christmas Day

Before you decide on what to do on Christmas, you should first think about what the day will generally look like. You don’t want to plan any new activities that get in the way of something that you’ve already planned or something that your family was looking forward to. You also want to make sure that everyone is on board with your potential new activities – like going to a market or baking a new type of Christmas cookie – and get the opinions of everyone involved.

Here are some things to consider before planning your Christmas.

Who’s Coming Over?

Is Christmas Day just an intimate gathering of your immediate family? Or do your extended relatives and friends come over as well? Are there a lot of people just “dropping by” to deliver or pick up gifts? Do people come over in the morning to spend the entire day, or does everyone just show up for dinner?

These are questions you should ask yourself when planning your activities for Christmas. This is because you want to know who is coming over and when in order to plan your activities accordingly.

You don’t want to plan an activity that only a certain number of people can do, and some people are left out, such as the scenario of going sledding and not having enough sleds for the number of kids who come over. At the same time, you also want to plan activities that you know all of your guests will enjoy.

Does Everyone Celebrate Christmas?

Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean that everything you do that day has to be holiday related. It might be worth including activities that take into account other holidays, or those that aren’t so Christmas-focused.

For example, you can turn your evening into a simple game night. It’s also a good day for a movie marathon, and it doesn’t have to be a Christmas-themed movie marathon. What’s more is that your friends and loved ones might have their own traditions that they’d love to share with you, making this day a great time to try something new.

What Time is Dinner?

The two biggest activities that most people take part in are opening gifts and eating Christmas Dinner. But if you have nothing to do between these activities, it can make for a very boring day.

Figure out how much time you plan on having between opening gifts and having dinner ready, and plan some activities to keep your family occupied in between, whether this be activities at home or outdoors. This way, they’ll stay busy and build up an appetite for your delicious feast.

Let’s check out some of the best activities that your family can do.

What to Do on Christmas Day – New Activities to Try Out

There’s really no limit to the activities you can do; it just depends on you and your family’s interests. However, thinking of new activities that you haven’t tried before can be a challenge.

To help you out, here are some ideas of what to do to have a festive blast with your loved ones.

Cook Something Different

You may look forward to your Christmas dinner every year because it’s consistent. Whether you make a turkey and stuffing or make Christmas ham that has you famous in your family, there’s no doubt that everyone looks forward to Christmas dinner. Even though your favorite Christmas dishes never fail, sometimes it’s a good idea to try something different.

Something fun to do is to come up with a new, creative dinner. Step out of your comfort zone and make something that you’ve never made before. Look online to see what others make for Christmas dinner, and you can even find inspiration from other cultures and what they traditionally eat on Christmas. You can even make it a family activity and get everyone involved, from coming up with an idea for dinner to actually making the dinner.

Another option is to order Christmas dinner. Not only is it an easy way to try something new and delicious, but this option will also save you time as you won’t have to make dinner or clean up as many dishes. In the end, you’ll have more time to spend with your family and do other Christmas activities throughout the day.

Watch a Movie in Theaters

Have you ever noticed that every year there are a handful of movies that open on Christmas? What’s more is that these films are never Christmas movies. For some, that may seem perplexing as you may have never thought of going to the movie theater, but this has been the norm for decades.

First of all, Christmas is a day that most people tend to be off from work and school, meaning that they have an abundance of time for leisure and other activities. Moreover, not everyone celebrates Christmas, and for a good number of people, Christmas is strictly just another day off. Lastly, almost everything else is closed, such as malls and other places for leisurely activity, which leaves the movies as one of the only places to go if you want to get out of the house that day. Essentially, this system was designed to have people come to the movies.

So, if you’re looking for a new activity to do, consider hitting your local theater to catch the latest blockbuster or Oscar-bait film before anyone else has the chance to!

Small movie theater

Christmas Show and Tell

Another idea for what to do is to have a Christmas show and tell.

This is a great activity if you have friends come over on Christmas. Have everyone share their favorite family traditions. They can tell stories of what their family used to do on Christmas when they were a kid, or what Christmas activities are traditional to their culture.

To emphasize the “show” part of these activities, everyone can bring something holiday-related that’s meaningful to them. This could be a photo, a piece of clothing, or their favorite Christmas tune. Take it one step further and have people bring their favorite Christmas dish. Not only does this turn dinner into a potluck, but it also lets everyone get a taste of different flavors.

Go Ice Skating

Ice skating is a popular Christmas activity. If you live somewhere that generally gets snow on Christmas, chances are that you have a nearby ice rink that you can escape to for a quick skate with your friends and family.

These rinks are often beautifully decorated for the season with twinkling lights, making this activity even more magical. Just make sure that everyone knows how to skate before planning this activity, or at least ensure that everyone is willing to try it out!

Kids ice skating in winter. Ice skates for child.

Deliver Gifts to Children In Need

Unfortunately, not every kid is lucky enough to open gifts on Christmas morning. For families who can’t afford it, Christmas can be a painful reminder of misfortunes. It’s an opportunity to help out these families in any way that you can.

There’s probably a local program that can help you connect with families in need. Purchase age-appropriate toys for the children of these families, and spend Christmas delivering the toys and watching children’s faces light up. Depending on the organization you work with you may also be able to deliver other gifts to these families, such as food and toiletries.

Give Your Time to Nonprofit Organizations

Another good way to spend your holiday is to volunteer your time. There are a number of organizations that are open to vulnerable people on Thanksgiving and Christmas and can use extra hands to get things done. If you plan on volunteering with a large group of friends and family members, make sure to call the organization in advance so they can plan their day and the tasks they need you to help with.

Some volunteer opportunities you might find include:

  • Serving a Christmas meal to homeless people at a soup kitchen
  • Volunteering in the children’s ward of a hospital
  • Volunteering at a women’s shelter
  • Spending time with homeless dogs at the animal shelter

This is an incredibly fulfilling option that your friends and family will find memorable. Even if you don’t think you can fit this into your day, it’s worth swapping out another activity or adding it to your Christmas Eve plans.

The Endless Possibilities

While everyone has their own Christmas traditions that they can’t go through the holidays without, many people end up on a strict schedule on Christmas, or think that they’re limited to doing what they’ve always done. It is a good time to switch things up and try out some new activities with your friends and families.

To recap, some interesting activities that you should consider this year are:

  • Trying to cook something new
  • Going to the theater
  • Exploring different Christmas traditions
  • Going ice skating
  • Delivering gifts to children
  • Volunteering your time

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