A Country Christmas Bucket List to Bring Your Family Together

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It is officially the Christmas season, and I am so excited! I love Christmas and all the joy it brings!

This summer I made a Country Summer Bucket List and it was so fun.

So I wanted to make one for this wonderful time of year as well. I say country because it won’t include things you can only do in the city (like seeing the Nutcracker or going ice skating). We don’t have those things in my little town (unless the pond really freezes over).

This bucket list includes things you can do anywhere, no matter where you live.

I don’t want you to get hung up on doing one thing a day either! Some of these things you will do on the same day, and you may have a day or two when life gets in the way and you don’t get anything Christmasy done. No worries.

Just grab the PDF below and stick it up somewhere where you can see it everyday. Get the kids involved too so they can remind you what is on the list.

After all, Christmas time is about family and celebrating Jesus’ birth! Hopefully this list will help you do both of those things!

So, let’s get started!

• Make and send Christmas Cards- I try to send out Christmas cards each year (full disclosure: I still haven’t done them this year). I usually make them myself with a picture of the family.
• Decorate your Christmas Tree- We usually decorate the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. It is a family affair and you can see pictures of this year’s tree in Thursday’s post.
• Sing Christmas Carols- I’m not a great singer, but there is just something about Christmas carols that makes it more fun. Whether you go caroling or sing them in church, they will make you feel good.
• Participate in a Live Nativity- Each year we join in a live nativity for our church. To do one with your friends or family, just get a sheep or donkey (or both) and dress up as the characters of the nativity.
• Look at Christmas lights- We love to drive around our little town and look at the lights that people have put on their homes. Some neighborhoods really do it up big.
• Participate in a Secret Santa- Whether it is at the office, with family or wherever, it is always fun to give a secret gift and find one yourself. It will put you in the Christmas mood.
• Make a new ornament for your tree- When we lost our handmade ornaments in the fire a few years ago, it made us appreciate these special momentos. Make these with your family to make your tree look homey.
• Make Christmas cookies- My kids love decorating Christmas cookies, even as teenagers. They are actually pretty good at it. This is a great way to have family time and develop their talents.
• Watch a Christmas movie marathon- We have a few of our favorite Christmas movies we watch every year. I feel like we should be able to watch them all year long, but I guess that is what makes them special.
• Put up lights on your house- We decorate the porch and front of the house with lights each year. We don’t usually put lights on the roof because we never know how much snow we will get before it is time to take them down again. A metal roof gets slippery and dangerous fast!
• Make and give a treat to a neighbor- We love holiday baking, but we don’t really need all of those sweets. So get in the giving mood and take some of those treats to a neighbor or friend.
• Make hot cocoa- It gets cold here in Colorado and hot cocoa is a great way to warm up. I try to keep a hot cocoa bar set up so the kids can make their own when they come home from school or activities.
• Donate to a toy drive or angel tree- Donating to a worthy cause like a toy drive or angel tree can make us more appreciative of what we have and help teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas.
• Send a letter to Santa- Our kids are too old for this now, but when they were younger we loved having them make a list to send Santa. It is a fun tradition and it helps you know what they want for Christmas!
• Read the nativity story- We love to read the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke Chapter 2 for Christmas Eve. It brings a sweet spirit of Christmas into our home before the kids go to bed that night. It is good to remind your family why we celebrate this holiday.
• Buy a nativity- Since our fire, we had to replace our Christmas decor. This time around, since the kids are bigger, I tried to focus more on the nativity than Santa. Each year we buy a new nativity to add to our collection. You can do this too!
• Build a Gingerbread House- We get together with several other families and make gingerbread houses together. Our houses are actually made out of graham crackers, but you can make the real thing too. It is fun to decorate the houses and see the kids creativity come through.
• Give a teacher a gift- Teachers are so amazing to our children. I like to give them a gift each year to show how much we appreciate their hard work. I know they appreciate it.
• Read Twas the Night Before Christmas- This classic children’s book is a fun way to celebrate the season and the big man (Santa).
• Display the cards you have received- We love to get Christmas cards in the mail! It is so fun to see what our friends have been up to all year long and how much their families have changed. We display our cards on the wall (we pin them to a chicken wire frame). You can also hang them on your mantle to display.
• Take a picture in your Christmas pajamas- We have been doing this Christmas Eve ever since our kids were really little. They open pajamas as their only gift Christmas Eve and then we take a picture before bed.
• Wrap presents- This is an activity I usually do by myself as the main gift buyer. I like to try to fool the kids by wrapping things in different sized boxes just to throw them off. It’s the little things. . .
• Put out cookies and milk for Santa- My kids know that dad eats the cookies and drinks the milk. But that’s ok. It’s a tradition.
• Donate to a food bank- Go through your pantry and see if there is any food you can donate or go to the store and get some canned goods for the food bank. You will be glad you did.
• Wear Christmas socks- I love wearing Christmas socks. They are so festive and fun. They are great for a Christmas picture too!
• Wear an ugly Christmas sweater- Do you have an ugly Christmas sweater? Break it out and enjoy the comments you might get.
• Go to a Christmas party- Whether it is a school Christmas party or just for adults, it is always fun to spend extra time with friends and family during the holidays. Or you could throw a party and have a white elephant gift exchange.
• Drink eggnog- Eggnog is part of our Christmas tree decorating tradition, but I like to drink it all month long (the non-alcoholic version, of course!)

I hope these activities help your family enjoy the holiday season and bring you closer together. This is such a special time of year and we don’t want to waste a second of it!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

What Christmas traditions do you want to add to the list? Please let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!