I know it's epic, but I am short on time so just copy and pasting the long list of ideas I have culled from various sources over the years in my pc file (which I imaginatively called "Kiddie Occupation ideas" :
Write a letter to Santa
Colour in some Christmas pictures (free printables)
Design a Christmas Card
Make some Christmas Cookies
Make and decorate some salt dough decorations.
Making a decoration for the tree together which we can add to our special Christmas Eve box,
Watching Christmas Dvds
Making mince pies and cookies for all the family who help us throughout the year
Making and decorating a gingerbread house
Visiting Santa at a department store
Making a gift for DS - also going to get DS to make DD a handmade gift
Listening to Christmas Cds
Make our 4 cats some toys by sewing material together and adding catnip if I can find somewhere who stocks it in tubes or similar?
make cards,
do potato print wrapping paper,
write to FC (the little ones rip out pics from an old argos catalogue stick them on a bit of paper then write their name),
go out and look at all the christmas lights then home for hot chocolate,
we have a charity day - sort out all their toys and take the extras to the charity shop,
we bake biscuits to take to the local fire station to say thanks for working to keep us safe over christmas while we are busy having fun,
we take each child out on their own to choose a new decoration for the tree - that is their decoration and goes in their own box after christmas so when they leave home they'll have a box of memories to take with them!
we decorate the tree out the front with strings of dried fruit and popcorn for the birds,
we do christmas camping where we all sleep in sleeping bags in the lounge and watch christmas movies, play games and eat mince pies,
we visit our neighbours with homemade biscuits and the kids sing carols,
on christmas eve the kids each decorate a pillowcase to leave out for FC
stick cloves in oranges
make xmas decorations
cook some fudge/coconut ice for rellys
decorate xmas biscuits
put xmas decs up
choose xmas tree
write a letter
make a Christmas present for dad
go out and collect holly and fir
Make some reindeer food (porridge oats and glitter in a little jar).
put on Christmas Carols/Music and have a dance
bake mince pies
fill a shoebox for a xmas shoebox appeal
learn about how another country celebrate xmas (depends how old your dc are)
visit santa
drink hot chocolate and watch a film (polar express)
fly kites
make wreath or spray
Do a Christmas kindness each - just aim to do something for someone else that is just kind. Like buy the person behind you in the queue their coffee or help someone to carry their shopping or something else similar.
Make non-alcoholic mulled wine, lots of recipes online.
Email Santa (!)
Make paperchains
"See if you can go for a whole day without asking how many days it is till we put the Christmas tree up"
make card for Nanna
make card for Daddy
Make some crackers?
Learn a new christmas song
Learn a christmas joke
Go for a walk with a torch
Go to Carol service
wrap presents
decorate christmas tree
buy present for local children's xmas appeal
watch christmassy film
make fudge
go shopping for christmas food
make christmas decorations
Decorate Xmas cake.
Tidy bedroom
learn the words to a Christmas song or poem and recite to Dad when he gets home
Make mum a cup of tea
Make a bookmark
send a Christmas card to someone who has not found any room at the inn (e.g. via The Revd. Sarah Parkinson, The Chaplain, Campsfield House, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxon OX5 1RE tel: 01865 233637 but you will of course know of loads more possibilities)
make paper snowflakes (one of the few crafty things I know how to do!)
Make gingerbread house. (GLTC do a good kit)
Collect pinecones, leaves and twigs to paint and turn into a centrepiece.
Go shopping for a tree decoration each.
Ice skating
Track Santa (for Christmas Eve)
Read a Christmas book (How the Grinch stole Christmas)
Go door to door and sing Carols
Smithagain does your church have a toy service to donate new/as new toys to families who can't afford xmas presents? Your local council probably do something like this, find out if they do and have a 'choose one of your toys to make another child's christmas' day.
bake stained glass biscuits to decorate the tree with
put baby jesus in the nativity scene if you have a nativity scene
make mince pies for santa
have a fashion show and pick the outfits that everyone should wear on christmas day
Make salt dough decorations
here is a tip though-only put stuff in the night before. This way you can chance plans at the last minute. So if it snows...you can put in, "build a snowman". If you are shattered, you can put in "snuggle up in a duvet and watch the Snowman".
Make a Christmas crown to wear
Decorate a tree outside with nuts an d fat and toast for the birds, plus a star on top
What did the three wise men bring?
What do you think the Wise men would bring today?
Name three things you need to make christmas pudding?
Sing jingle bells backwards?
Name three things that glitter?
Imitate a turkey?
Do 5 star jumps
Think of 3 words that rhyme with "Yule"?
Think up the next line of this poem:
At Christmas time the thing I like the best
Name 3 plants or trees associated with Christmas?
Name 3 animals or birds associated with Christmas?
Name 4 reindeer?
Sing a Christmas Song
Name 5 carols?
4 3-letter words from Christmas?
4 3-letter words from stocking?
Name a carol with someone's name in the title?
Name a song with Santa in the title?
What was given on the 9th day of christmas?
In the 12 days of Christmas - how many birds altogether were given?
Name two animals in the traditional nativity scene?
Make a snowflake out of paper?
Tell the story of the first christmas in less than a minute?
Name 5 christmas foods?
Make something to hang on the christmas tree?
Think of 3 names for father Christmas?
Reindeer food is basically a mix of porridge oats and glitter, the idea is that the reindeer will see it twinkling from the sky and come down and stand nicely for Santa to do his thing whilst filling their tums! A lot of people spread it outside, I find a bowl is easier as the DC can see just how much the reindeer have eaten in the morning.
Write list of things needed for Christmas crafts
Buy things for Christmas Crafts
Make glittery tree decorations using cookie cutters as templates to draw round on card. Cover in glue, add glitter and thread on a red ribbon to hang.
what about putting things on like if weather is fine go to park and feed ducks (how old are your DCS?), if its raining/cold, have carpet picnic?
making some place cards/ a decoration with names for Christmas lunch guests?
and i suppose you could just have a day when you do something you know dcs love and you rarely get to do. for us that would be going to see daddy for lunch in town or spend the day playing dress up with her bf
Go and buy cat/dog/rabbit etc. a small gift (in order to help out the big man, of course)
Paint your own mug for Grandma/Grandad/Great Auntie Thingy
Choose Christmas charity
Visit ducks in the park to wish them a very Happy Christmas and give them some bread
Make secret den in order to discuss secret Christmassy stuff and wrap presents
Plan Christmas show for Daddy/Grandma/Grandad etc.
watch a christmas book under the duvet
Read a christmassy book
do some Christmassy puzzles (will find some online to print off I'm sure)
Write cards to school friends
write & post a letter to the big man
Sing carols or Christmas songs while you do the washing up (or some other chore)
Have a Christmas-sy bath. Use "Christmas scented" bubble bath/bath oil/essential oils or Lush bath bombs. Think orange, tangerine, cinnamon...
Get some of the pre-glued strips to lick and stick paper chains (don't think it is advanced enough to count as a craft)
Actually some little housework-type things for children might not be a bad idea. Polishing something, for example