Small, Frugal Holiday Activities

[Tangled Hill]

I'm planning to make the envelope "advent calendar" from this thread to hang above our fireplace. Each envelope holds a surprise holiday activity to do with the family. It really puts the focus on doing, rather than on buying, and I'm all about that. I think it could really make our holidays special this year. So, I've started my own list of surprises to tuck inside the envelopes, but I'd love to hear suggestions from others. What fun, frugal, holiday-ish activities would you choose? Here are a few of the ones I've come up with (or that came off the original site - I can't remember which are which any more...).

• Make a popcorn chain for the tree
• Bake holiday treats for the dogs
• Have a present wrapping party with holiday music and movies
• Make hot chocolate with peppermint straws to drink while we look at the stars
• Write a letter to Santa
• Make tin can luminaries
• Start a fire in the fireplace (we're in TX, so this is kind of a treat)
• Make vegan Chex mix
• Write our annual (well, first annual) holiday letter
• Make and hang pine cone bird treats

That sort of thing. Any ideas? Thanks so much!!

[Limabean1975]

Find out about a neighbourhood in your city that goes wild with Christmas decorations (you know, the ones where one house puts up SO MUCH and then the neighbours get competitive?) and go for a drive/walk there.

Decorating the tree was a big event in my family growing up - early in December we made an evening of it. A light dinner followed by decorating while cookies bake in the oven, then munchmunchmunch. Cookies and maybe hot choc or milk. My Dad would put on the lights, my sister and I did (and fought over!) the ornaments, and my mom made the cookies and sat on the couch telling us which side of the tree needed more red, etc.

[mpchez]

decorate a gingerbread house/cookies

[akwifeandmomma]

Go ice skating
Go sledding
Go for a neighborhood walk with jingle bells
Think of as many holiday songs as possible and sing them together
Drive around looking at lights
Go to the annual tree lighting downtown
Decorate sugar cookies
Make fudge
Make Christmas mix (white chocolate covered chex mix)
Deliver Christmas mix to neighbors and friends

[SeekingJoy]

I like some of the other ones from the original blog post:

Quote:
17. Bake another batch of Christmas cookies and share with neighbors.
19. Make a list of ten things you are thankful for. Hang it where you can see it every day.
20. Make and hang edible gifts for the birds and squirrels.
21. Watch a Christmas movie in the fold out bed!

23. Check out the Christmas lights downtown. Don’t forget the hot chocolate!

I would add
* checking out the town parade if you have one,
* going caroling with friends,
* visiting elderly relatives or neighbors,
* painting decorations on the windows

[caiesmommy]

-salt dough ornaments-cheap, fun and great gifts!
-paper snowflakes out of recycled paper
-paper christmas trees-im cutting trees out of green construction paper and letting ds(2) draw and glue pom poms and sparkles onto them

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I so love these! I definitely want to start this tradition with DS. He won't be old enough to understand this year, and maybe not really next year, but I think I will start the tradition anyway, as it is just such a nice way to count down the days.

[MJ13]

Oh I think this is such a great idea! : My LOs are still to young to understand too but I'm going to do it anyways!!!

[madskye]

December 21 is the winter solstice-that might be a good night for a moon walk, or to make a fire outside and have cider and roast marshmallows.

[Kellie_MO4]

: GREAT ideas!

[limette]

I think I might have been the poster of that link. I finished mine yesterday but ended up making the envelopes out of felt because that's what I had on hand.

I'm still working on activities though. I'm going to print out little cards with a picture and title of each activity with some back up activities in case we don't get any snow.

Here's mine.

[Guinevere]

Read a different holiday book each night of December or watch a holiday movie, like

The Polar Express
The Night Before Christmas
Dream Snow by Eric Carle (one of our favs)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
and on it goes...

Guin

[mamamelia]

i hope it's okay to post this... our advent activity calendar..

i've tied our advent calendar activities to events we are going to attend and modified it as well because we have christmas in summer and can't do things like ice skating. just wanted to post my list for anyone in the southern hemisphere looking for inspiration.

30th November - Christmas parade in the city.

1st December – Bake Christmas cookies and decorate them. Give some to our neighbour with some candy canes. Save some for St Nick.

2nd December – Make hot chocolate with crushed peppermint candy canes.

3rd December – Write a letter to St Nick.

4th December – Make paper snowflakes and paper gingerbread to hang.

5th December – Put out letter and polished boots for St Nick, along with some Christmas cookies that were baked.

6th December – Receive surprise left at doorstep from St Nick and attend Christmas picnic at DH’s work.

7th December – Watch a new Christmas movie.

8th December – Make Christmas tree ornaments – beaded candy canes.

9th December – Read Christmas stories all day.

10th December – Make salt dough ornaments for the tree.

11th December – Bake Christmas cookies and decorate them to give to grandma and grandpa (DH’s parents).

12th December – Walk around the neighbourhood and have a look at Christmas displays.

13th December – Visit grandma and grandpa and give cookies.

14th December – Get our tree, trim and decorate it with all the handmade ornaments.

15th December – Make a popcorn chain for the tree.

16th December – Make Christmas card for daddy.

17th December – Make chocolate fudge apples and decorate as reindeer with marshmallows and DL smilies candy.

18th December – Go to the shops to pick up some holiday treats for us to share over the coming week.

19th December – Make Christmas card for grandparents.

20th December – Attend carols in the domain.

21st December – Go visit Santa at the magic cave or local DJ’s and have photo taken.

22nd December – Bake Christmas cookies for Christmas Eve dinner and some for St Nick’s Christmas Eve visit.

23rd December – Receive letter from North Pole with magic reindeer dust (glitter) to sprinkle on Christmas Eve to light the way for the reindeer (since we don’t have a chimney).

24th December – Have Christmas Eve dinner at home just us and grandma (my mum). Sprinkle reindeer dust, read a story about baby Jesus, leave treats out for St Nick and the reindeer and off to bed!

**this is all in addition to standard stuff like listening to holiday music everyday**

hope this helps!

[EmsMom]

Oh, these are great ideas! Can I add one more? A dinner picnic under the Christmas tree, complete with picnic tablecloth. Just provide something that is not too messy....

[boatbaby]

I am subbing in to steal ideas! Awsome!

[MizLiz]

:

I love some of the ideas here!

[sunanthem]

Another something frugal, sometimes churches and schools put on christmas music shows that are very cheap or free and fun for the family to hear the choirs.

[mpchez]

volunteer shift @ food pantry/holiday meal service/toy drive etc etc

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by limette

I think I might have been the poster of that link. I finished mine yesterday but ended up making the envelopes out of felt because that's what I had on hand.

I'm still working on activities though. I'm going to print out little cards with a picture and title of each activity with some back up activities in case we don't get any snow.

Here's mine.

That turned out SO cute!! These are all such great ideas :

[ollineeba]

What a fun idea!