Putting Family Time Back in Christmas

December is a very full month. It can be down right exhausting and, somewhere in the month, we suddenly realize that we have not really spent any quality family time together. Every year I say I am going to do things differently, and every year I realize that I.failed.again. So, this year I am determined we will be putting family time back in Christmas. Would you like to join me?!

There are three things that we will need to do to accomplish this goal.

Make a plan
Set a limit on other activities and say no
Put it on the calendar

Make a plan

I’m not talking an extravagant event planning spreadsheet of details. Simply decide what are the top things you want to do as a family during the month of December. Just a simple list of at least one activity per week. Something that involves your family being together, interacting, and having fun together.

Set a Limit and Say No

Oh, this is a hard one! We have invitations to do one activity or another coming at us from all directions…schools, work, churches, community, and even extended family. Your goal this year is to set a limit on how many of these you are going to allow on your calendar. Believe it or not, you are the authority of your own calendar. You get to decide what goes on it and what doesn’t make the cut.

Put it on the Calendar

In our house, if it is not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen. Simply because I won’t remember! Take the list you have created, have everyone pull out their calendars, and enter your family nights into the calendar before December even gets underway. Those “appointments” become non-negotiable. It is easier to say no, when you already have something (or someone) you have already said yes to.

You are now putting family time back into Christmas!

The hardest part of all this may be making your list of options. Either you will have more ideas than you could ever do or you will struggle to figure enough options to choose from. If you need help, you can look all over Pinterest to find different ideas of family activities.

The key is deciding as a family what you all want to do together.

In those families with multiple children and wide age ranges, mom and dad may have to be the deciding votes so that everyone is able to participate in some way in all the activities. The age range between our boys and our daughter is 7-11 years. Trying to find a movie that did not completely bore them to death, while keeping our daughter somewhat entertained was not an easy feat for many years. Remember, this is your family time. Make the choices that best fit for your family.

I did come up with 10 ideas I thought would be fun to do as a family this December. I’m planning to have a time this weekend for our family to decide on what activities we want to do and get them on our calendars. I’ll share these ideas with you to get you started on your own family list.

10 Family Fun Activity Ideas This Christmas

Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt – you can find lots of ideas for these on Pinterest
A Cookie Decorating Extravaganza – bake the cookies (or simply buy some), lay out all kinds of icing & topping options, and go to town decorating
Christmas Popcorn & Movie Night – choose a family favorite or one you haven’t seen, snuggle up together and enjoy the show
Family Service Activity – decide as a family how you are going to give to others this Christmas – Christmas cards or caroling for those in nursing homes, working in a homeless shelter, sponsoring a foster child for gifts – what is your family passionate about?
Learn all the verses of your favorite Christmas carol or hymn – decide on a hymn and sing each evening until you know all the words
Play Pictionary with only Christmas related items – you can find ideas on Pinterest or just make some up on your own
Make a Christmas Craft – find something on Pinterest and get hands deep in glue sticks and glitter
Read a Christmas novel as a family read-aloud – if you would like some ideas visit Read Aloud Revival
Have a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” Party – bake a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus – you can even tie this in with your service activity by bringing “gifts” to Jesus (canned goods, handmade cards, etc)
Take silly Christmas family photos – be creative and take some non-traditional family photos this Christmas

Whatever your family decides to do this December, simply take time to enjoy each other.

I also have created a family Advent Hymn Study using the Christmas hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” This is a great tool to use as a daily family devotional time. You can read more about it here.