45 Christmas Bucket List Ideas (and Printables) to Do From the Comfort of Your Kitchen

By: Andrew Saladino | 5 min

You know Christmas is approaching quickly once there's a chill in the air, peppermint drinks pop up in your local coffee shops, and your neighborhood is lit up with string lights. Once December hits it also means you can start to indulge in your favorite holiday activities. If you're looking for fun inspiration this holiday season then you've come to the right place.

We've created the ultimate Christmas bucket list of festive ideas so you can make the most of the season this year. To help you along the way, we've also added fun holiday printables that include everything you need to elevate your holiday experience.

1. Gingerbread House

There is nothing better than filling your home with the sweet scents of gingerbread and vanilla icing. Purchase a gingerbread house kit along with candy canes, gumdrops, colored icing, and whatever else you need to build the house of your dreams.

2. Create a Refrigerator Tree

Most of us have a Christmas tree in our main living area during the holiday season, but why not add a creative tree to your kitchen? Design one on your refrigerator by arranging holiday cards, pictures, and printables in the shape of a Christmas tree for a unique decoration.

3. Bake Cookies for Santa

Keep the Christmas magic alive by baking fresh chocolate chip cookies in preparation for Santa's arrival. Bonus points if you leave out carrots and celery as a snack for the reindeer as well.

4. Make a Christmas Playlist

The day after Thanksgiving, it's time to play your holiday playlist and turn your home into a winter wonderland. Nail the perfect music list by including a range of songs, from kid-friendly classics like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" to modern favorites by Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé.

5. Create a Christmas Village

Constructing a miniature Christmas village to your home is a charming way to add some festive decor that will bring back nostalgic memories for many adults and become a holiday favorite for kids. Make it a tradition to add a new building or accessory to it each Christmas so it can continue to grow year after year.

6. Hang an Advent Calendar

Hang an advent calendar on your refrigerator to help build excitement and count down the days until Santa arrives. Fill your advent calendar with chocolates, candy, or small trinkets to enjoy each day leading up to Christmas.

7. Decorate Your Countertop

While it's easy to remember to add lights, decorations, and inflatables to the outside of your house along with the rest of the neighborhood, it's also easy to accidentally neglect the interior of your home. Since your kitchen is a central gathering place during the holidays, it's important to make your kitchen island feel inviting with garland, ornaments, lights, or decorative trinkets.

8. Elf on the Shelf

Elf on the shelf is a tradition where an adorable elf is sent from the North Pole to encourage kids to behave during the holiday season. The elf is said to return to the North Pole each night to report on if they were naughty or nice, then come back each morning to a new location in the home.

Print out and try our letter from your elf template to give your kids an extra special surprise each year when your elf has to go back to the north pole.

9. Display Holiday Cards

Turn holiday cards from your friends and family into decorations this year by putting them on display. Get creative with how you show off the cards by adding them to your Christmas tree, filling a wall, or attaching them to garland.

10. Whip Up Some Festive Cocktails

There's a Christmas spin you can take on almost any cocktail. Try making cocktails with hints of eggnog, peppermint, cranberry, or gingerbread to create the perfect signature drink for your next holiday party.

11. Decorate With Candy Jars

If you're looking for an easy way to decorate your kitchen island without breaking the bank, look no further. Fill large glass jars with colorful candy to create a festive ambiance and have easy access to a sweet treat.

12. Make Holiday Crafts

Let your little ones get creative with a holiday craft day that the whole family will enjoy. Set up shop at your dining room table and let your kids create their own paper Christmas trees, tissue wreaths, or a DIY snow globe.

13. Throw a Christmas Dinner Party

Celebrate the holidays with all of your favorite people by throwing a delicious Christmas dinner party. Choose a theme and decorate your home, plan your food, and make signature cocktails to match.

14. Write Letters to Santa

Grab your red paper and a sparkly gold pen to get ready to write down your Christmas list for Santa. Follow these instructions to write and receive a letter from Santa according to the USPS Letters to Santa Program.

15. Do a Neighborhood Cookie Exchange

Get your whole neighborhood involved by putting their baking skills to the test with a neighborhood cookie exchange. Have each family choose a different type of cookie to bake so you each get to try a myriad of flavors and recipes.

16. DIY Holiday Magnets

Why purchase holiday magnets when you can make your own? Cut out snowmen, Christmas trees, and reindeer from glitter paper, decorate with glitter glue, and finally glue them to a magnetic strip to create your own refrigerator magnets.

17. Serve Festive Hot Chocolate

Nothing makes the perfect winter night quite like having a hot chocolate by the fireplace. Make your hot chocolate experience more festive by using a candy cane stirrer, mini marshmallows, and our adorable hot chocolate labels.

19. Decorate A Christmas Tree

One of the biggest Christmas traditions is decorating a Christmas tree. Whether you go to a lot and pick out a real tree or have a faux tree that you use every year, decorate it with lights and ornaments while listening to your custom December playlist.

20. Roast Marshmallows By The Fireplace

While it might be too cold in the winter to roast marshmallows outside, you can still make s'mores by the fireplace. Put on your favorite Christmas pajamas, then grab graham crackers and chocolate bars to have a fun indoor experience.

21. Cut Out Paper Snowflakes

You can still have beautiful snowflakes in your home even if you don't get the opportunity to see a white Christmas this year. Cut out paper snowflakes and hang them in your window to turn your home into a winter wonderland.

22. Decorate a Holiday Wreath

Give your guests a warm welcome as they enter your home by putting a beautiful wreath on your front door. Elevate your traditional green wreath by adding bows, ornaments, or fake snow.

23. Make a Garland

While we've all seen traditional garland made from greenery and faux pine, why not think out of the box to make your own unique creation? Make a garland by stringing popcorn, candy canes, or tassels to hang on your Christmas tree or staircase.

24. Hang Stockings

Get your fireplace ready to impress Santa Claus when he comes down the chimney by hanging stockings. Stockings will create a cozy atmosphere as you sip on hot chocolate by the fire this holiday season.

25. Wrap Christmas Gifts

After you've chosen the perfect gifts, it's time to wrap your presents before delivering them to your loved ones. Pick out your favorite wrapping paper and your favorite Christmas movie to make wrapping presents feel fun instead of like a chore.

26. Drink Eggnog

Eggnog is a holiday classic that people love to enjoy every winter season. Mix milk, whipped eggs, cream, spices, and sugar with an option to add alcohol.

27. Watch a Christmas Movie Marathon

Grab the popcorn and some comfy pajamas to get ready for the ultimate Christmas movie marathon. Choose from classics like "It's a Wonderful Life," comedy favorites like "Elf," family-friendly animations like "Rudolph," or a combination of all three.

28. Take a Family Christmas Card Photo

Get dressed up and capture memories each year by taking family Christmas photos. Go the traditional route with classy attire or choose a funny theme like ugly Christmas sweaters.

29. Organize a Secret Santa

Organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange is a great way to celebrate Christmas with coworkers or friends. Set a spending limit and let everyone choose a name from a hat so they can tailor their gift to meet that person's interests.

30. Create an At-Home Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Start a new tradition by creating an at-home scavenger hunt this year. Simply print out holiday-themed riddles, hide them around the house, and give whoever reaches the end first a prize.

31. Read Christmas Bedtime Stories

Get your favorite fuzzy pajamas on and cuddle up with your little ones for a Christmas bedtime story. Regularly reading bedtime stories with your kids can enhance your bond and increase creativity.

32. Make Your Own Christmas Centerpiece

Brighten up your dining room table with a Christmas centerpiece you can make in minutes. Fill a vase with ornaments or marbles and top it with flowers for a quick and easy holiday decoration.

33. Hang Some Mistletoe

Hanging mistletoe in your doorways is the perfect excuse to get a smooch from your loved one all holiday season. Not to mention the fact that it'll bring some beautiful greenery into your home as well.

34. Wear Matching Pajamas

Find a pair of adorable holiday pajamas and purchase enough for the whole family to enjoy. Wear them during a movie night, bedtime story, or Christmas card photo.

35. Have a Family Sleepover Next to The Christmas Tree

There's no better way to get in the Christmas spirit than having a family sleepover next to your tree. Get your sleeping bags together and spend the night looking up at your twinkling lights and ornaments.

36. Bake Candy Cane Desserts

Give your favorite desserts a holiday twist by adding candy cane or gingerbread flavors to cakes, brownies, and cookies. Try our holiday dessert toppers to add an extra special touch to your dessert.

37. Make Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Simply mix 1 cup of smooth applesauce with 1 ¼ cup of cinnamon to make cinnamon applesauce ornaments. Divide up the dough and form it into desired shapes before baking them at 200 degrees fahrenheit for two hours.

38. Do a Christmas Puzzle

A puzzle is a great activity to get the whole family involved. Choose a seasonal puzzle with a winter village, Santa Claus, or a snowman to go with the December themes.

39. Plan Out Your New Year's Resolutions

The holiday season is a time to spend time with friends and family, indulge in delicious treats, and reflect on the past year. Planning out your resolutions in advance can help you have a better mindset and set yourself up for a better upcoming year.

40. Create Your Own Snow Globe

Why purchase a snowglobe when you can make your own using a mason jar, figurines, water, glitter, glycerin, and hot glue? Follow this online tutorial to create the perfect homemade snowglobe.

41. Make a Christmas Scrapbook

Christmas is the perfect time to take pictures and make memories. Put those memories all in one place by making a scrapbook so you can always look back on those joyous moments.

42. Host an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Get all your friends together for a hilarious ugly Christmas sweater party. Go to a secondhand shop and gather some sweaters, art supplies, and a hot glue gun to let your guests make creative sweaters.

43. Have a Christmas Family Game Night

The holiday season is all about spending quality time with your family and usually many of those hours together are spent at your dining room table. Pull out a deck of cards or your favorite board games to make your time together even more enjoyable.

44. Dress Up Your Pets For Christmas

Get an Instagram-worthy picture of your pet by dressing them up on Christmas morning. Whether you get them cozy in some Christmas pajamas or in a full reindeer suit, you're sure to get some smiles from your loved ones visiting for the holidays.

45. Start a New Tradition

Christmas is the perfect time to start a new tradition -- it's great to reflect on the past year while you're surrounded by friends and family. Try hosting an ornament exchange, adding a new holiday delicacy to your annual Christmas dinner, or including whatever tradition you want to have for years to come.

Try out these Christmas bucket list ideas to have your best holiday season yet from the comfort of your own home.

Download: Letter From Your Elf Template | Hot Cocoa Labels | Scavenger Hunt Checklist | Printable Dessert Toppers