10 Magical Christmas Adventures to Experience with Your Kids
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The holiday season is a time of wonder, joy, and family traditions—some of which you want to keep alive and share with the family you’ve made.
But sometimes those traditions don’t work for your family, and you want to start some new traditions of your own.
Christmas adventures can be the perfect new tradition for families.
If you’re looking for fun, memorable experiences to have with your children this year, you’re in the right place!
This probably sounds a little daunting to you. That’s fair. The word adventure can make you think you have to do a lot of planning and preparation and make it a whole big thing.
But Christmas adventures don’t have to involve elaborate plans—they can be as simple as attending a festive market, exploring the great outdoors, or even a cozy evening drive to admire twinkling lights.
This list of Christmas adventures is packed with ideas that will create lasting memories for your family.
1. Attend a Local Christmas Market
One of the most magical Christmas adventures for families is visiting a local Christmas market.
With twinkling lights, the scent of mulled cider in the air, and handcrafted gifts, these markets are the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit.
A fun idea might be to have your kids help you pick out gifts for different family members. They will no doubt come up with some interesting suggestions!
Kids love to be involved in these things, and it helps take all the pressure off of you to come up with the perfect gift for everyone.
Your kids will also love the chance to meet Santa, sip hot chocolate, and maybe even pick up a new ornament for your Christmas tree.
Many Christmas markets also feature live entertainment, festive music, and fun festive foods to try.
2. Go Ice Skating at an Outdoor Rink
Ice skating is a classic Christmas adventure that promises fun for the whole family.
Many towns and cities set up seasonal outdoor rinks, making it easy to find a place nearby. Bundle up, lace up those skates, and glide across the ice hand-in-hand with your kids while holiday music plays in the background!
Don’t worry if your children have never skated before—many rinks offer skate aids for beginners. This experience is fun and great exercise, making it a win-win!
If you are lucky enough to have access to an outdoor rink, you’ll need to dress for the weather. Making sure your kids have a hat and mittens that fit will be key to making sure they have a good time. If they’re cold, they may not enjoy themselves.
3. Take a Christmas Lights Tour
This is my oldest son’s favorite Christmas activity! Ever since his first glimpse of Christmas lights when he was a year old, he’s been obsessed with them!
This one can feel tricky with the timing, but to make it work for us, we often have an early supper or have something to eat on the go. We get the kids dressed in their jammies before we go, so we don’t have to worry about rushing as much for bedtime when we get home.
This simple yet delightful Christmas adventure brings the holiday spirit to life. Whether your town is known for extravagant light shows or smaller-scale festive decorations, your kids will be wide-eyed with wonder as they take it all in.
Get a Christmas scavenger hunt from my Etsy shop to make it even more fun, and see if you can find everything!
So, grab some hot chocolate in travel mugs, jump into the car, and set out on a magical tour of your local neighborhood’s Christmas light displays.
4. Go Sledding or Have a Snow Day
If you’re lucky enough to have snow where you live, take advantage of it by sledding or having a snow day!
My kids would live outside if we let them, so they love these outdoor winter activities. My oldest son has loved sledding right from the start.
If you’ve got young children, it’s a good idea to have a sled that you can go on them with but that they can also ride on their own.
And our yard is littered with snowmen in the wintertime. You can use the things you have around your house or get a snowman kit.
These outdoor Christmas adventures are exciting and allow kids to enjoy the fresh winter air. There’s so much going on at Christmas, which can be challenging for little kids. But if you can get them out for some fresh air, it makes it easier for everyone to cope with the chaos.
5. Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
For a truly magical Christmas adventure, why not visit a Christmas tree farm and cut down your own tree?
My husband is allergic to real trees, so we have to use an artificial tree. But this is a tradition that I always loved growing up.
This was always a fantastic way to kick off our holiday season. And many tree farms offer additional activities, like hayrides, petting zoos, or even the chance to meet Santa.
Once you’ve picked the perfect tree, you can enjoy decorating it as a family, another fantastic holiday tradition. This part of the tradition is one that I’ve continued.
I love decorating the tree as a family. When my son was old enough to help decorate at just over a year old, we decided to switch to shatterproof ornaments. This has taken all the anxiety out of him helping with the tree. I no longer have to worry about him breaking an ornament and getting hurt.
We also had to let go of the idea of the perfectly decorated tree. I understand this can be difficult to do. It was for us, too.
But we decided that seeing my kids happy and excited to decorate (and redecorate) the tree was more important. So, we embrace the chaos that small children bring with this kind of thing. We know we’ll miss the crazy tree decorations when they’re older.
We have some breakable ornaments that are special to us up high on the tree that the kids can’t reach. This way, we don’t have to give up all the ornaments we love.
Letting go of our expectations also means we’re less stressed, so everyone’s holiday season is easier, which is definitely a bonus.
6. Plan a Polar Express Train Ride
Several towns and cities nationwide offer Polar Express-themed train rides during the holiday season. These rides are designed to bring the magic of the beloved Christmas story to life.
Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas and enjoy a festive ride complete with hot cocoa, holiday songs, and maybe even a visit from Santa himself!
If you’re lucky enough to have this kind of thing near you, this Christmas adventure will surely fill your family with holiday cheer.
You can even consider getting a copy of the Polar Express book and making it a part of your Christmas traditions to read it throughout the Christmas season.
7. Volunteer for a Christmas Charity
Teaching kids the value of giving back is one of the most important Christmas adventures you can experience together. Many local organizations host toy drives, food bank donations, or opportunities to help others during the holiday season.
Here are some ideas for giving back with your kids this Christmas:
Volunteer or donate to a community kitchen. Which you choose will likely depend on the age of your children. Toddlers may not be well suited to volunteering in this way, but they can help you shop for the items you donate.
Donate to a toy drive or choose an angel from an angel tree. There are many kids in need whose parents can’t afford to give them much for Christmas. Donating to a cause that helps these children is a great way to teach your kids to help others. And they’ll enjoy picking out the toys for your donation.
They may get upset seeing all the toys and not being able to get a toy for themselves. I like to take a picture of my child with the toy and tell them it’s so I can remember what they want. This almost always works, and it gives me plenty of ideas for things to get them, so it’s less work for me.
Bake cookies or write Christmas cards and bring them to an assisted care facility. Older folks often don’t have a lot of visitors or excitement in their day, and they can get lonely. Bringing them some baked goods or Christmas cards made by children is a great way to brighten their day.
Decorating Christmas cookies is something my oldest son loves to do. I wish I’d taken photos of his creations in past years—they were so messy! But he had so much fun, and they still tasted great.
Christmas is an exciting time for kids, but reminding them of Christmas’s true spirit is beneficial. Volunteering in one way or another is a great way to do this.
8. Have a Christmas Movie Marathon Night
Not all Christmas adventures need to happen outside! Create a cozy night at home by hosting a Christmas movie marathon.
You can have holiday-themed treats or even just make some popcorn.
If you’d like to do something a little more special but still relatively simple, you could make a hot chocolate bar. You can include things like marshmallows, candy canes, and whipped cream.
Get movies like Home Alone, Elf, and The Polar Express. Snuggle under cozy blankets, grab your treats, and enjoy those holiday favorites!
9. Go on a Winter Nature Hike
Christmas can be busy and stressful for the whole family. Getting some dedicated outdoor time in can be a huge help.
Bundle up and head out for a winter nature hike with your family to relieve some of that holiday stress.
It doesn’t matter whether you visit a local park or explore nearby trails—this outdoor Christmas adventure offers a peaceful way to enjoy the beauty of winter. You could even turn it into a nature scavenger hunt, looking for animal tracks in the snow, pine cones, or frozen ponds.
It’s also a great way to get some physical activity during a time of year when it’s easy to forgo the workouts.
Tie up your hiking boots and visit a local trail!
10. Take a Christmas Road Trip
If you’re feeling really adventurous, why not plan a Christmas road trip?
Whether you’re heading to visit family, checking out nearby holiday festivals, or simply exploring new places, a road trip during the holiday season is the perfect way to create new memories.
Plan for plenty of fun stops along the way, like checking out roadside attractions or visiting small-town Christmas events. If you’d like more tips on traveling with kids over the holiday season, read this post for some great ideas.
Pack the car, load up some holiday music, and hit the road for an unforgettable Christmas adventure!
Make This Holiday Season Magical with Christmas Adventures
These Christmas adventures are (mostly) easy, fun, and accessible ways to create magical holiday memories with your kids.
From exploring Christmas markets to snuggling up for a movie marathon, there’s something for every family to enjoy.
The best part? These Christmas adventures often don’t require extensive planning or expensive trips—just a bit of time, a sense of adventure, and some holiday spirit!
