Creative Christmas Tree Activities For Happy Family Fun

By Mary Jennings

A familiar family tradition everyone looks forward to is decorating the Christmas tree. It is a contemplative time to remember and reflect as your look at each ornament and talk about where it came from. Decorating the Christmas tree really brings the holiday spirit into your home.

Oh Christmas Tree

Decorating is just one of the many activities that bring the festivity of the Christmas tree to your family. Caroling is a another timeless Christmas tradition. As the Christmas tree is carried into the house, many families sing "Oh Christmas Tree". Because few folks remember all the words of this song, make it fun by asking everyone to come up with their own original verse. While a couple of people work to get the Christmas tree to stand up straight, everyone else will have fun making up verses to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree".

Crafty Christmas Memories

Now that you have the Christmas tree securely in a stand, it's time to play games while you gather the ornaments. Start by putting all the crafty homemade ornaments aside to work with first. Ask the first family member who made the ornament. Once everyone knows where the ornament came from, ask the crafter if they remember making it. If a kid made it, the parents of the artistic child can share their feelings then they first saw the ornament. This ornament game is especially fun for children because it shows their crafts have meaning when their parents proudly save and remember them.

Christmas Hot Potato

Regardless of how many times you clean out your Christmas ornament collection, there is always one oddball. Find the silly or unattractive ornament in the bunch and use it to play hot potato. The person who gets stuck holding the ornament must say something nice about it, such as, "I like the ornament because it is red and green." This amusing game reminds children to find something good about everything. It also reminds children these items are simply things. Teaching two good lessons to the kids while you play this Christmas game is an added bonus.

Christmas Gifts That Keep On Giving

Why should gifts be given only on Christmas Day? Consider a gift-giving activity that will be a definite hit with the kids. Many people count down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar, a concept that originated in Germany. Another holiday tradition in Germany is giving a small gift to children every day until Christmas for several days. A fun variation of these ideas is giving a small gift to your children for each of the 24 days until Christmas.

Buy very small gift bags with handles at a craft store or dollar store. Have 1 bag for each child for 24 days. The children can decorate the bags and number them from 1 through 24. Decorate the tree with the tiny bags, hanging them from the branches by the handles. For a graceful swing, tie the bags to the branches with ribbon through the handles. Every night, fill the bag for the next day with a small gift such as an eraser or toy ring. Your children will run to the Christmas tree first thing in the morning to discover their gifts. Imagine how exciting it will be for your child to get a little treat everyday, building up to the ultimate excitement on Christmas morning.

One last thing -- Imagine the look on your child's face if they received a personalized letter from Santa Claus in the North Pole. You can also include extra goodies with the Santa letter like Reindeer food. It's a gift that makes a strong and lasting impression.

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