What are your favourite totally free christmassy activities?

[NeverTwerkNaked]

DC and I just played Christmas "heads bodies and legs" ... Same rules as the usual game but you could only draw festive people/animals. Was very funny. It got me thinking that some of our happiest Christmas activities are totally free...
Other things we like doing
-christingle and carol concerts

• making paper snowflakes
• walking in the evenings to look at the best roads for Christmas lights

Please inspire me with more it's a difficult Christmas for the DC this year and the temptation is to throw money at it to feel festive, but I am hoping to find lots of simpler solutions!

Going on a walk to find pine cones to put in a basket / string on the Christmas tree.

Have you got Spotify? Or You Tune Actually. We just did some crazy Christmas Karaoke-ing. Which was hilarious DD’s are 7 and 10. There are lots of instrumental /no singing versions of songs. Bit of an odd one I know 🤣

Bake and ice some biscuits? Or make those stained glass ones where you put a boiled sweet in a hole in the middle of the uncooked biscuit and then stick in the oven.

Cant beat having snacks and drinks on the sofa with Netflix xmas movies on the go whilst the xmas tree is all lit up x

Walk around the village to look at the lights.

Making christmas cards (maybe not totally free, but we make use of whatever craft stuff we have).

Making christmas scenes out of lego to use as decorations.

Decorating the dolls house.

Board games,, craft activities, sorting out things to donate to the less fortunate, baking Christmas treats (not entirely free but can be done cheaply), many Churches will have activities going on, informal get together with friends ‘bring & share tea’. Putting on a concert or pantomime for yourselves, learning magic tricks.

Decorate a paper plate on which to leave a mince pie or cookie for Santa
Write a letter to Santa.
Get Christmas books out of the library

Visit a church to see its crib.

Make mince pies (almost free).

Make paper chains or bunting from old wrapping paper or cards.

Cut up old Christmas cards to make gift tags, or use to make montage cards for this year.

Make wrapping paper from tissue or brown paper stamped with potato cut patterns.

Playing board games or card games (which you already own) or games like charades and pictonary which dont need any equipment

Look on pinterest there are loads of cheap craft ideas although you may have to buy glue and pens if you don't already have them.

Our local town has lots of free events on e.g. Carols in the square, late night shopping, light parade - have a look what's on near you.

Church services if you're religious, such as a cristingle service.

Make cloud dough "snow" from flour and oil and make a snowman.

Dance to Christmas tunes.

Have friends over for hot chocolate and mince pies.

Watch a Christmas film - lots coming up on TV soon or on netflix etc. If you have them.

Silly putty snowmen kits. We get the same one soit year after year, and we just love them so much!!!! And baking, making presents to give to people. DD loves making sugar scrubs using old jars. And board games/charades/reading poems

We buy a Xmas themed jigsaw from a charity shop every year and it is a family mission to complete it in the run up to the big day. It gets redonated back to charity.

The kids and I also make mince pies, Xmas biscuits, paper snowflakes and various other crafts.

DH loves to arrange a special movie night too, to watch Home Alone with popcorn and hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows etc.

We live in a big city where museum entry is free, their Christmas stuff is lovely but we do need to pay for parking or the bus fair. The tourist information website has a long list of activities which give us some inspiration and I think it was the local paper had a section with the best Christmas lights and where you can find them for a festive drive around.

Winter walk

Make a Christmas wreath for the door from evergreens and pine cones you've collected on your winter walk.

We have a favourite cafe (so not free as such, but there's no extra charge for it being Christmas*) which has huge windows overlooking Belfast Lough and you can see loads of lights on different buildings. The kids love it there anyway, but at Christmas they're over the moon about going!

• It's an honesty box cafe, so in theory you could go and get food without paying, or just go and sit (you can bring your own food) without getting anything, but obviously we normally treat them to something and pay for it!

On Boxing Day we go to a motorbike scramble near us and although that doesn't sound Christmassy it always feels like it is because everyone is out and about with family and friends wearing bits of holly or Santa hats sometimes and no one tries to sell you anything and there are no stalls or baked goods, just cold air and muddy motorbikes! You make a donation as you go in, but that's according to what you can afford or want to pay and no one forces you.

Wave at the Christmas train. We have a local steam train that is heavily decorated at Christmas and to be honest, it's more fun waving at the outside than sitting on the inside.

Making special hot chocolates.

Walk around Christmas markets. Ours have free magicians and entertainers for children.

Reading Christmas books next to the fire. Building a snuggly 'glamping' den next to the fire. Board games. Drawing, sticking and gluing festive themed pictures. Going out after dark to see all the lovely lights.