35 Fun Christmas Eve Activities to do with Family
Looking for some fun things to do on Christmas Eve? This list has tons of fun Christmas Eve activities for your family to choose from. Grab your crew and start planning the best Christmas Eve ever!
Christmas Eve is quite possible the most exciting day of the year.
Christmas Day is wonderful of course, but Christmas Eve is when all the anticipation hits its peak, just before the main event takes place.
All that excitement and build up usually leads to a lot of energy with a palpable buzz in the air. It’s only fitting that your Christmas Eve activities should be fun and and memorable, too!
These activities for Christmas Eve will help your family have so much fun, and create new Christmas traditions you can enjoy year after year.
Christmas Eve Traditions: Fun Activities for Families
1| Christmas Cookie Bake-Off
Have each family member choose a cookie recipe to enter into your own Christmas Cookie Competition. Younger kids can decorate pre-made cookies, while everyone else can enter a recipe of their choosing. Bonus: Everyone gets to taste all the cookies and vote on their favorite.
2| Christmas Karaoke
If Buddy the Elf taught us anything, it was, “The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” Grab your bluetooth microphone and belt out those Christmas tunes. It could be a lot of fun to see the generational diversity in which songs are chosen.
3| Sushi or Takeout
Give yourself the gift of not having to prepare every holiday meal! If you’ve been baking up a storm, wrapping presents, and attending chorus concerts, you might be more fun on Christmas Eve if you grab yummy takeout instead of a home cooked meal.
4| Holiday Photo Booth
Decorate an open wall to serve as a holiday photo booth. Make or buy some fun props and get silly. This is the perfect way to capture all the Christmas Eve fun.
5| Christmas Board Games
Spend an evening playing Christmas board games to pass the time and connect with each other!
6| Gingerbread House Contest
Having an in-home gingerbread house decorating contest is such a fun way to showcase everyone’s creative side!
You could post the decorated houses to Facebook or Instagram and have your friends vote up to a certain time. To up the ante, have a cool prize for the winner, like getting to pick which Christmas movie you watch or not having to clean up the decorating mess!
7| Ding Dong Ditch
Surprise your friends and neighbors with good-natured mischief and special gifts Christmas-ding-dong-ditch style! Have your kids take turns hopping out of the car and leaving treats and gifts on doorsteps. They’ll ring the doorbell, and run back into “the getaway vehicle” before being spotted. Guaranteed giggles!
8| S’mores by the fireplace
Everybody loves a s’more! If you have a fireplace, roast marshmallows over the fire and eat your s’mores on a blanket, picnic-style! You could also use a gas stove or non-toxic candle if you don’t have a fireplace.
9| Christmas Time Capsule
This idea would work great whether you’re at home with just your immediate family, or celebrating with extended family members and friends!
You could create a digital time capsule with some short videos, photos, and a playlist of everyone’s favorite Christmas songs. Or, you could create a physical time capsule with small mementos– wrapping paper, notes, and other trinkets!
10| Christmas Eve Service
Christmas Eve services are incredibly moving! Under the glow of candles and twinkling lights, hymns and worship songs feel extra special. Many churches offer multiple service times on Christmas Eve, so pick the best one for your family!
11| Decorate Stockings
Head to your favorite Dollar Store and pick up some stockings, glitter, and other craft supplies. Have fun decorating new stockings. Maybe each year could have a different theme, like “Ugly Christmas Sweater” or “Winter Animals”.
12| Christmas Soup
One of my favorite memories was the Christmas Eve soup my grandma made each year.
Now that she’s gone, we carry on this tradition by always serving soup on Christmas Eve. As our family has grown, it has turned into a potluck where everyone brings a crockpot of soup to share!
13| Christmas Puzzle
Winter is such a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things. A puzzle is a calm, cozy activity that can leave space for great conversation and connection.
With your family, work on a Christmas-themed puzzle. Or, have one of your favorite photos from Christmas seasons past turned into a puzzle! It’ll double as a fun activity and a sweet memory!
14| Themed Gift Exchange
Pretty much every family does a holiday gift exchange right?. Consider sticking to a theme, like swapping favorite candies or silly socks. This list of Gift ExchangeThemes has so many fun ideas.
15| Family Talent Show
Have everybody put their talents to use with an entertaining show! Maybe Grandpa plays the guitar and Little Sister just learned how to whistle. Everyone is good at something!
16| Christmas Eve Box
Create Christmas Eve boxes for each family member with some special goodies. New Christmas pajamas, books, movies, candy, and popcorn are good places to start!
17| Hot Chocolate Bar
Build a delicious cocoa bar with delicious toppings. What a warm and tasty treat!
18| Christmas ‘Round the World
Look up how Christmas is celebrated in different parts of the world and bring some culture into your home. Make or buy some authentic cuisine, get an ornament or new decor item that goes with their celebrations, and bring in some other elements like an on-theme tablecloth or clothing item.
It would be extra fun to try a new country’s traditions each year!
19| Trivia Night
Let your competition flags fly high with some Christmas trivia!
20| Caroling
This sweet tradition never goes out of style, but it is a bit of a lost art. Older generations especially love when a caroling crew stops by. Grab a group of your children’s friends and head around the neighborhood, or contact a retirement home to see if you can schedule a time to visit the residents and bring some holiday cheer.
21| Track Santa
Your kids will enjoy watching Santa’s progress as he zips around the world with NORAD Santa Tracker.
22| Open House
Prepare an entree or set out some snacks and allow friends and neighbors to stop by during a set timeframe for some merry mingling.
23| Birthday Cake for Jesus
Celebrate the Birthday Boy by baking and decorating a yummy cake. Your kids would enjoy singing, “Happy Birthday”, blowing out candles, and especially the part where they get to eat a slice.
24| Secret Word of the Day
Decide on a secret Christmas word of the day and anytime you hear it, do something silly. For instance, if “present” is the secret word, anytime you hear it (at home or in public) you could ring a bell or clap three times. It’s sure to get a laugh no matter where you are.
25| Festive Bath
Kids will love a bath with a red or green bath bomb before bed.
26| Loved One Remembrance
Spend some time remembering a loved one. You could hang a stocking for them and write sweet notes to drop inside.
Another idea is to shop for a couple presents he or she would have liked and donate them to a shelter or underserved area.
You could also make their favorite Christmas dish and set a place for them at the table so you feel closer to them during the holiday.
27| Christmas Charades
Take turns acting out the different parts your favorite Christmas movies and see if anyone can guess the title.
28| Progressive Dinner
Get your neighbors or family members involved with a progressive dinner. Each participating home could offer a snack and festive drink, or go course-by-course. Nobody has to prepare an entire meal, and you’ll have fun hanging out together!
29| Christmas Bingo
Grab these free printable Christmas-Themed BINGO cards and gather everyone for an evening of fun!
30| Countdown Balloons
Blow up some balloons filled with small candies and trinkets. Pop one every hour until bedtime for a fun Christmas countdown.
31| Neighborhood Walk
Bundle up and take a walk around the neighborhood with a cup of something warm. Admire decorations and then come back home with rosie cheeks.
32| Dipsmas
Make all your favorite dips and crunch and munch your way through Christmas Eve!
33| At-Home Santa Visit
Rather than going to visit Santa, consider hiring an in-home Santa to read a story and let the kids know they’re on the Nice list.
34| Personal Pizzas
Everybody loves a pizza party! Making personal pizzas with favorite toppings could quickly become a favorite Christmas Eve activity. Maybe you can make them extra festive by using pepperoni, basil, and green peppers to create a wreath design!
35| Christmas Activity Mats
Keep the kiddos busy (and distracted) with these Free Printable Christmas Activity Placemats . Bonus- They can use them for Christmas Breakfast in the morning.
Family-Friendly Christmas Eve Activities
All of these fun Christmas Eve activities will bring so much joy into your home!
Just remember not to stress yourself out by trying to do too much. Pick one or two new things to try this year and see what you want to continue doing year after year.
