Looking to add a bit of extra magic to Christmas this year? Here are our 15 FREE or Low-Cost Christmas Traditions to try.
- Sing Christmas Carols – why not set aside a time to carol yourself!
COST: FREE
- Christmas Decorations Day – make a family day out of getting the decorations up, indoor and out! Get everyone involved, play some Christmas songs and enjoy spending time together!
COST: FREE
- Elf on the Shelf – what better year to start your Elf on the Shelf journey or ramp it up a gear and let those little Elves get up to some real mischief! Click here for some inspiration.
COST: The price of the Elf – we have found one online for just £3.99
- Christmas Light Spotting – Take a stroll or drive around your local town and go Christmas light spotting. I have a feeling people will be going ALL OUT again this year!
COST: FREE
- Decorate a Gingerbread House – my Mini-Mumblers love decorating (and eating) a gingerbread house at Christmas, I’m more supermarket chic than Mary Berry baker so we buy one with the groceries. Don’t fancy decorating the whole house? Try gingerbread men instead!
COST: The cost of the ingredients or around £7 for the kit.
- Donate to a local Food Bank – Teach the kids that Christmas is as much about giving as it is receiving. This can be done by simply adding an extra can or box of cereal to your weekly shop and leaving it in the Food Bank collection trolley at the exit to most local Supermarkets or you can go one step further and do a Reverse Advent Calendar. Find out more about that here.
COST: from £1
- Watch a Christmas Movie – get the whole family in the Christmas spirit with a family cinema afternoon! There are plenty of films scheduled on TV in the upcoming weeks and loads of movies perfect for the occasion on Prime and Netflix.
COST: FREE
- Make Festive Hot Chocolate – what better than snuggling up with a festive hot chocolate on a winters evening with the Christmas lights on? We love this Spiced Hot Chocolate, it’s like a Chocolate Christmas Cake in a mug! Go all out with whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles!
COST: Cost of the ingredients
- Read or tell a Christmas Story – whether that be the story of the nativity or something else nothing beats a good Christmas storytime to get you all in the festive spirit! You could even get the kids to act out the story…
COST: FREE (if you already have a book or know the story)
- Create your own Christmas Crackers – we started this last year and the children loved seeing our families faces when they saw their very own unique crackers! We used a set purchased online that came with the card, crown, joke & snappy sticks but there are some great printable templates you can download and print yourself here. You could even make some for all the family who are not visiting you this year and post or deliver them in advance.
COST: Around £7 for an online kit or the cost of ink & paper if you create your own.
- Create your own Christmas Wreath – will you opt for one to hang on your door or one as a centrepiece for your Christmas table? Festive wreaths are inexpensive and fun-to-make, wreaths made from live greenery can last throughout the festive period with a bit of care. You could create a wreath out of old baubles, a mixture of baubles and greenery or simply forage for interesting sticks, greenery and holly on a local walk or from the garden. Add rosemary from your herb garden or cinnamon sticks for a lovely scent when the door is opened! All you need to start is either flower arranging foam or wire, poke in or wire on your choice of decorations and away you go! There are some great alternative ideas here too! Don’t fancy a wreath? Try a stick tree instead!
COST: Circular flower arranging foam for around £7.
- Make your own Christingle – A Christingle usually consists of An orange, to represent the world. A candle pushed into the centre of the orange, then lit, representing Jesus. A red ribbon wrapped around the orange, which represents the blood of Christ. Then add sweets and dried fruit to represent all of God’s creations.
COST: The price of the ingredients
- Hold a North Pole Breakfast – this is a new one for us but I cannot wait to try it out on 1st December – sorry in advance to the kids teachers for sending them to school hyped up!! Find out what exactly a North Pole Breakfast is and some great ideas on what to serve in a North Pole Breakfast here!
COST: The price of the ingredients
14. Create your own Christmas Countdown Calendar – Create a tree or Santa head shape and cover it with the numbers 1 – 25. Each day stick a pop pom or sticker over the correct number to decorate the tree or add a cotton wool ball to Santa’s beard!
15. Hold your own Christmas Jumper Day – it seems such a waste to only get to wear your Christmas Jumper once a year so have your very own family Christmas jumper day! You could even play some of our favourite Family Christmas games!
COST: FREE if you already have the jumpers
