50 Christmas Countdown Activity Ideas to Connect this Holiday Season |

Using a Christmas Countdown activity calendar is a great way to prioritize family time during the busy holiday season. It takes a little planning, but can be so beneficial to your family through the holidays. We have been doing it as a family tradition for years and it is one of our favorite ways to celebrate the season.

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I love celebrating the holidays. Often it can be stressful and overwhelming, but I try to focus on spending time with family and creating family memories and family traditions. I do this by using my Christmas Countdown Calendar.

This is a calendar full of Christmas countdown activities. Before you stop reading and think another thing to add to your “to-do list”, check out how easy and fun the Christmas countdown ideas really are. You will be surprised at how simple they can be and will start enjoying the holiday season with your family.

For the last 6 years we have been doing a Christmas Countdown. I really love it!! It is similar to an Advent calendar but it has my own little twists in it. It is also super easy!!

You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you want. It will take a little bit of energy in the beginning to list all of the activities, but from there it is a great way to connect with your family through this busy season.

How to Set Up Your Christmas Countdown Activity

We use a Christmas countdown calendar with numbers in it that I received years ago as a Christmas present. In the last few years I have seen some really amazing ones at Target and other stores. You can find your own here.

If you don’t have one you can make your own. Use white poster board have the kids draw out 24 shapes. It can be squares, circles or even Christmas Trees and Ornaments. Make it a fun project!

When you are ready put Post-It notes on top of the 24 spots. Each day you can remove one and have a new activity. I would suggest writing the activity on the back with pencil and the numbers on the front in marker. If you do not want to purchase supplies be creative and use what you have at home.

Where to Find Christmas Countdown Activity Ideas:

This is where a little bit of research comes in. Each town is different and has so many different activities and events. I would start searching the list below.

Local Library
Town Parks and Recreation Department
Barnes & Noble
City Tourism Website
Check Holiday TV show guide at ABC Family as well as on the local networks.
Pick up a few things from the dollar store/bin.

Start writing down any Christmas/Holiday activities that sound interesting to do with your family. Include the dates and times. After you have completed the list sit down with your family calendar. I have my calendar all set up in our Family Command Center and I sit down with my husband and go through the month.

Need Inspiration? Check out 52 Ways to Connect with Your Family

On a sheet of paper number 1-24 and start filing in things you want to do. I take into account kids after school activities, cost of things, and what works best on weekdays and weekends.

Some of the activities we do are not very elaborate. We watch a holiday movie(I usually do a few of these) or color a holiday picture. It is more about making family time.

The activities you pick do not have to be big crazy things. I will do a few larger activities that may cost money but I try to keep this list budget friendly.

The last few years we have added travel to our calendar. We traveled to Hersheypark and Gaylord National in one weekend! Another weekend we took a trip to Florida. The point is to do what your family loves and what works for you.