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Grinches aside, just about everybody loves Christmas! Grab the kids, get in the spirit and enjoy the cheeriest time of year with this ultimate list for Christmas-themed school holiday fun! Sure to get you feeling super merry in no time!
Go Christmas light hunting!
This is one of our favourite traditions! Take some travel-ready easy-to-eat dinner in the car (or lash out and let the kids have a happy meal) and hunt for Christmas lights! Grab your local newspaper – they normally run Christmas light competitions and will often print a handy map of participating streets!
But don’t leave this one too late – these Christmas light competitions often start pretty early and some people turn their displays off after the judging finishes.
Outdoor Christmas fun
We don’t get the postcard-worthy ‘white Christmas’ in Australia. But we do get awesome sunny weather, and this means we can enjoy Christmas fun outside! Yay!
- Does your neighbourhood do Christmas lights and decorations? Go for a walk with the kids to check it out! During the day you could even do a family bike ride around the area if you’re feeling adventurous!
- Crack out the slip n slide – an Aussie favourite. Add some reindeer ears to turn it into reindeer gliding fun – make sure you film it!
- Make natural decorations outside and attach them around your backyard! Like Christmas stars made out of sticks tied together!
- Present hide and seek! Wrap up a fake ‘present’ and take turns hiding it outside!
- Use any old decorations (that you’re not attached to) and let the kids go crazy decorating the backyard! Weave ribbon through fences & hang plastic baubles. Choose cheapies or old decorations that you don’t mind getting rained on or fading in the sun (and that won’t go soggy). Making outside festive will encourage them to get some fresh air more often!
- Christmas chalk drawings! Set the kids up with some chalk on your Springfree or on the cement and let them go crazy! If they’re stuck for ideas, get them to create a Christmas wonderland or Santa’s village at the North Pole!
- Cooling off with Christmas family water fights is the best. It’s not technically Christmas-themed, but definitely a staple activity for many families during the silly season’s heat! Still want that festive element? Split up into teams – team ‘elf’ and team ‘Rudolf’.
- You can also set the kids up outside in the shade on an old sheet or tarp for any of the below arts & crafts to minimize the clean-up effort after!
Christmas arts & crafts
A school holiday favourite everywhere! Here are some great school holiday craft ideas!
- Make paper garlands to decorate the house with! Paper men make great gingerbread men!
- Cut out paper snowflakes – string them together for another cute Christmas garland!
- Cardboard roll reindeer! You’ll be amazed how many different Christmas crafts you can make with cardboard rolls! And you can turn them into a tree decoration by adding a bit of string! Intrigued? Check out this awesome guide by Crafty Morning.
- Let the kids paint butcher’s paper or a roll of plain brown or white paper for super cute DIY wrapping paper! Set them up outside with paper, paints and a bunch of potato stamps or foam shapes and they’re good to go!
- DIY Christmas kits – buy some cheap baubles & let the kids decorate them, or but some DIY decoration kits.
- DIY Christmas bonbons! Use cardboard tubes for a ‘handmade’ look, or you can also buy DIY bonbon kits too!
- Homemade Christmas cards! Buy some blank cards from a craft store, or cut up some cardboard and do post-card style Christmas cards – sure to have that personal touch!
Gifts made with love!
You can also keep the kids occupied with these crafty DIY gifts! They’ll also help you tick off that Christmas list!
- Paint some terracotta plant pots!
- ‘Christmas in a jar’ scented potpourri! Check out this DIY blog by Nest of Posies.
- Cute button Christmas ornaments! Check out this guide by Martha Stewart!
- You can also pick up some cool DIY gift items from several big chain stores – gifts like paint-your-own frames, DIY jewelry boxes – the list goes on!
Family sleepover around the Christmas tree!
This is the cutest idea we’ve ever heard of and one that is sure to get everyone in the spirit! A great idea to do when you first set up the Christmas tree, or any you want to feel those warm fuzzies and get the kids REALLY excited for Christmas!
Grab sleeping bags, pillows and snuggle in around the Christmas tree! Watch a Christmas movie or read a Christmas story! Turn on some Christmas music, switch on the Christmas tree lights and just quietly turn it all off when the kids fall asleep! Awww!
Why not do it outside? If you go all out with your outdoor Christmas lights and decorations, set up the tent! Enjoy an at-home camping experience and admire your efforts!
Christmas movie marathon!
Christmas just isn’t the same without watching those corny festive movies! Enjoy a Christmas movie marathon – or a family movie marathon with one Christmas movie thrown in!
Get in the giving spirit!
Enjoy the spirit of giving together by going through old clothes, books and toys to see what you can donate to a toy drive. Just add Christmas music for a fun Christmas touch! Your kids will love knowing they are helping someone in need enjoy Christmas.
And if you feel up to it, you could also go shopping for a Christmas tree gift appeal. Nothing gets you in the Christmas Spirit more than giving!
We hope you love doing many of these Christmas activities with your family! After all, ‘tis the season!
Enjoy reading this article? You can learn more about Springfree Trampoline – the ultimate Christmas gift – on the Springfree website!
You may also like to read:
How to Get Christmas Sorted Early, Stress-Free!
How to teach your kids the gift of giving.
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