The holidays put many under the pressure of expectations. For those that are on a tight budget, a lot of stress can be created around not having enough money for the kind of holiday that you want to be able to give your family. You may have an idea of what the holidays should be but feel like you don’t have the resources to make it happen.
Oftentimes, the pressure we feel is something we’re only doing to ourselves. Irish Wish star Ayesha Curry told Parents that it’s the simple things her kids will remember, not what they got each year for Christmas. “It’s just the mere act of putting up the decorations, hanging the stockings, that’s what they’ll remember; they don’t even remember what was in the stockings,” she says. If you focus on the experience, it doesn’t cost a lot of money to give your children memories they’ll value for a lifetime.
Here are 12 holiday activities that won’t break the bank.
Deck the Halls
Involve your children in decorating for the holidays. You may spread the event out over a few days, digging into the holiday boxes together each night, or make an event out of it one weekend morning, playing carols or putting a favorite holiday movie on in the background.
Children love to be a part of the process. Decorating a home is a creative process, and by allowing them to make decisions on where some of the decor should go, you are giving them agency so that they take pride in the end result. Not only are you showing them love through the act of decorating, but you are allowing them to show you love in return.
Decorate the Tree
Whether you buy a fresh tree or have a reusable one, involving children in tree decorating may be the most fun they have all season. This is another thing that doesn’t have to happen in one day or night. You may find a place in the home for the tree one day, asking your children where they think it should go. Then, the next day, put on the lights.
By placing a few boxes of ornaments around the tree, decorating the tree can become a week-long process. Sometimes, decorating is hard work, but if you start the tradition of putting up some ornaments every day after school or each night after dinner, you can draw out the process and turn it into something to be savored. Plus, when you support their ornament placement decisions, you won’t just build memories. You’ll be building up their confidence, too.
Get Crafty
Sometimes, the best decorations are the ones our children have made in school or even the ones we made as children. If the house looks like it needs a little more decor, choose a craft to do with your kids each year, adding them to your collection of decorations.
Not only will you be spending time with your child, but the benefits of crafting are numerous. Crafts encourage creative thinking and imagination, increase concentration and patience, and explore self-expression. Plus, each year, when you both take those crafts out of the box, they’ll have the opportunity to see how much they’ve grown and changed, not to mention remember making them with you. Even something as simple as our construction paper Christmas stocking craft can be a fun activity for the youngest children in your family.
See a Light Show in Your Own Backyard
You don’t need to travel far or pay an entrance for a light show at this time of year. All you need to do is step outside into your neighborhood. Perhaps one of the most magical things that happens for the holidays is how the world comes alive at night in glittering lights.
Whether you take an evening walk around your block or hop in the car for a drive around nearby neighborhoods, walking or driving around just to see the lights might become you and your children’s favorite Christmas pastime. Make a game of it by voting for your favorites or playing your favorite Christmas songs while you drive around (or caroling as you stroll).
Get Outside and Enjoy the Cold
Many of us want to bundle up indoors when it gets cold outside, and while that’s nice sometimes too, show your kids how to appreciate whatever kind of weather life brings by bundling up and getting outside.
While snow offers unique activities like sledding, making snowmen, and snowball fights, you don’t need to live where it snows to enjoy the drop in temperature. Even Floridians get cold snaps! Wherever you live, get outside and play together in the colder weather.
Look To Your Community For Free Events
You don’t need to look far to find festive events in your community at no cost to attend. Many towns have free parades, and if you missed some of the tree lightings at the beginning of the season, why not simply make a trip out to visit the oversized spectacle? Community trees, such as those offered at the famous Rockefeller Center, really are sights to be seen.
Your local library might become your best friend when looking for holiday events on a budget. The libraries want to serve their communities and work hard to make the holidays merry and bright for everyone. Check their calendar of events, and you’ll likely find holiday-themed craft and story times. Many libraries even offer caroling shows and Santa visits.
Read A Holiday Favorite Together
Simply stopping by the library to pick up some books and take pictures in front of their tree can be an event. But carving out the time to read your and your child’s favorite stories at bedtime is not something to be skipped.
When you read with your children, you’re creating holiday memories and influencing their cognitive development and a lifelong love of reading. Plus, your normal bedtime routine suddenly becomes magical when you pair books with cocoa or in front of a tree or fire.
Count the Marshmallows
@mommywinetime reminds followers that it’s the memories you form with your kids that matter. “I don’t remember what I got for Christmas when I was 6 or 10. I do remember the smell of the kitchen on Christmas morning. I remember counting the marshmallows my dad put in hot cocoa,” they posted.
While every child loves marshmallows – or whipped cream – in their hot cocoa, you can form your own edible traditions. Maybe it’s cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning or clementines at the kitchen table. As long as you’re sharing something sweet with your kids and giving them a way to be involved, such as letting them ice the rolls when they cool or putting cloves in the oranges to make pomanders, you will give them a tradition to cherish long after the treats are gone.
Bring the Theater Home
There may be certain movies you already like to watch as a family each year, or you may still be introducing your favorite classic Christmas movies to your children. Whether sharing an old classic or finding a new holiday release, you’re forming a tie to togetherness and Christmas that your children will associate with that film forever.
Make movie time an event by pairing it with a seasonal dinner or treats. Don’t forget to set the ambiance by turning out the lights, getting a fire going or lighting candles, and of course, turning on all of the indoor Christmas lights. Your children will think it’s better than going to the theater!
Make and Deliver Christmas Cards
When you take the time to make cards for loved ones with your kids, you can show them that Christmas is not just about monetary giving but finding ways to express your love and gratitude for family and friends. Not only do kids get to be artistic, but they also get to be emotionally expressive and learn how to write thoughtful messages from the heart.
By attaching cards to gifts or bringing them to school to hand deliver to their teachers and friends, they get to participate in giving. If you have loved ones who live far away, showing your kids how to send cards in the mail is something that they will likely find both intriguing and magical.
Let Them Help With Wrapping
Show your kids how to wrap the gifts they’ve picked out for loved ones or help you wrap up all of the presents. Again, make something that can become a chore feel fun and festive by playing a favorite movie or carols while you wrap.
Not only will your kids feel like they are part of the giving process, but you will actually be teaching them a skill that they can employ for a lifetime. How many adults have you met who cannot wrap a gift to save their life? Show your kids at a young age that it’s an important part of the gift-giving process and that it’s easier than it looks.
Make Cookies From Scratch
By inviting your children into the kitchen when they’re young, you again provide them with invaluable life skills. Most of all, you can show them that cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be scary. It can be really fun.
Make a day of it by mixing up the dough, cutting out and baking holiday shapes, and decorating them. End the day by having your kids make plates of cookies for loved ones, again showing them the true spirit of Christmas: giving from the heart.
