Christmas Bucket List: 50 Things to Do This Season

A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and it's one of the 50 ideas.

What should be on a Christmas bucket list?

Start with what your family does every year, then add two or three new things. Most people already have the gathering covered: in Pew Research Center's survey on how Americans celebrate, 86% said they planned to get together with extended family and friends, and 79% planned to put up a tree. The bucket list is for the rest: the moments you mean to get to and somehow don't.

These 10 are the core of a Christmas season bucket list. Each takes one evening or less.

1. Take a Christmas lights tour

Pack the car with blankets, cocoa in travel mugs and a carol playlist, and drive the neighborhoods known for over-the-top displays. Let the kids rate each house on a scorecard. Many towns post a map of the best streets every December.

• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours
• Cost: Gas and cocoa

Best for: Every age, including grandparents who'd rather stay warm.

Why it works: It's a night out where nobody has to get out of the car.

2. Host a cookie decorating night

Bake plain sugar cookies ahead and set out bowls of icing, sprinkles and candy. Give everyone a plate and a challenge: best reindeer, worst snowman, most like Grandma. Send each guest home with a box.

• Time needed: 2 hours
• Cost: $15 to $25

Best for: Families with kids and friends with a sweet tooth.

Why it works: The ugly cookies get the biggest laughs.

3. Collect a group video from everyone you love (a Tribute group video)

Put the people on the list, not only the activities. Start a Tribute and invite family and friends to record a short Christmas message: a favorite memory from the year, a wish for the next, a bad joke. Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together.

Make it for your parents, for a grandparent who can't travel, or for the whole family to watch on Christmas Eve. Unlike a video call, nobody has to be online at the same time, and the video is there to watch again. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.

• Time needed: About an hour to set up; open it 2 to 3 weeks before so people have time to record
• Cost: Free to start a draft; you pay from $35 when you publish and start collecting videos

Best for: Families and friend groups spread across cities.

Why it works: It checks off "see everyone" even in a year when you can't.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute

4. Go ice skating

Find an outdoor rink, a frozen pond that's been cleared for skating, or a mall rink if that's what you've got. Hold hands, fall down, laugh, then get hot chocolate. Go on a weeknight to skip the crowds.

• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours
• Cost: $10 to $25 per person with skate rental

Best for: Active families and date nights.

Why it works: Nobody is good at it, so everyone has fun.

5. Have a holiday movie marathon

Pick five Christmas movies, one from each decade, and watch them in order over a weekend. Build a blanket fort, make a popcorn bar and pause for snacks between films.

• Time needed: A weekend
• Cost: Popcorn

Best for: Homebodies and cold weekends.

Why it works: It turns a lazy weekend into a tradition.

6. Throw an ugly sweater party

Invite friends to wear the worst sweater they own, or decorate one at the door. Hand out paper awards and play a few party games. Our guide to activities on Christmas has more ideas for the night itself.

• Time needed: An evening
• Cost: $20 to $50 to host

Best for: Friends, neighbors and coworkers.

Why it works: The sweater does the icebreaking.

7. Spend a day volunteering

Serve a meal at a shelter, wrap gifts for a toy drive, sort cans at a food bank or visit a nursing home. Call ahead in November, because December slots fill fast. Kids old enough to carry a box can help.

• Time needed: 2 to 4 hours
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Families and adults who want the season to mean more.

Why it works: Compared to buying another gift, giving time stays with kids longer.

8. Go caroling on your street

Gather a few neighbors, print song sheets and sing two carols at each door. End with cocoa at someone's house. Five singers is plenty.

• Time needed: 1 hour
• Cost: A few dollars for printing

Best for: Neighborhoods and families who like to sing.

Why it works: It's the kind of old tradition people say they miss, and almost nobody does anymore.

9. Cut your own tree

Visit a tree farm, walk the rows and let the youngest choose. Bring a saw if the farm doesn't provide one, and twine to tie it to the roof. Take a photo of the family with the tree before it goes on the car.

• Time needed: Half a day
• Cost: The tree

Best for: Outdoor families.

Why it works: The tree comes with a story.

10. Hold a gingerbread house contest

Give each team the same kit and 45 minutes. Grandparents judge. Prizes go to best design, best disaster and most candy used.

• Time needed: 1 hour
• Cost: $15 to $30 per kit

Best for: Competitive families.

Why it works: Everyone builds, and the judges get the best seats.

What goes on a family Christmas bucket list?

These family Christmas bucket list ideas work with toddlers, teens and grandparents in the same group.

1. Read a Christmas story aloud on the night the tree goes up.
2. Make paper snowflakes for every window.
3. Write a family letter to someone who lives alone.
4. String popcorn and cranberries for the tree.
5. Recreate an old family Christmas photo.
6. Make a time capsule to open next December.
7. Visit a live nativity or a Christmas market.
8. Have a pajama breakfast for dinner.
9. Play a board game tournament, with a trophy.
10. Pick one new ornament together and write the year on it.

What's on a Christmas bucket list for adults?

A Christmas bucket list for adults leaves room for a quiet night and a fancy one.

1. See a live performance of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol.
2. Take a winter hike and pack a thermos of mulled cider.
3. Host a cookie swap where everyone brings a dozen of their best.
4. Go to a candlelight service, even if you don't go every week.
5. Book a dinner out somewhere with a fireplace.
6. Wrap every gift with real ribbon, one evening, with music on.
7. Write handwritten cards to five people who made your year better.
8. Try a new holiday recipe from your family's heritage.
9. Spend one night with no phones, only candles and a book.
10. Plan a New Year's Eve that's worth staying up for.

Which Christmas season bucket list ideas give back?

Giving fits the season. Pick one or two of these for the whole family.

1. Shop for a family through a giving tree at church or school.
2. Bake cookies for the fire station or police station.
3. Leave a thank-you note and a treat for the mail carrier.
4. Donate coats, hats and gloves you've outgrown.
5. Shovel a neighbor's driveway before they wake up.
6. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you.
7. Record a video message for a relative in a care home.
8. Make cards for patients at a children's hospital.

What's on a Christmas break bucket list for kids?

School's out and energy is high. A Christmas break bucket list keeps the days between Christmas and New Year's full.

1. Build a snowman, or a sand snowman if you live somewhere warm.
2. Go sledding on the biggest hill in town.
3. Have a hot cocoa taste test with five kinds.
4. Write thank-you notes for every gift.
5. Make a fort and sleep in it one night.
6. Visit the library and pick a winter book.
7. Throw a living room dance party.
8. Count down to midnight at noon for little ones.

Which cozy at-home ideas finish the list?

1. Light a fire or a candle and tell stories about Christmases past.
2. Open one small gift on Christmas Eve, a tradition many families keep.
3. Leave the tree lights on all night once.
4. Watch the family group video together on Christmas morning.

For the night before Christmas, our Christmas Eve traditions guide has more ideas, and our Christmas list ideas help with the gift side of the season.

How do you make a DIY Christmas bucket list?

Turn the list into something you can see. Write each idea on a paper strip, fold it and drop it in a small bucket or jar on the kitchen counter. Pull one each weekend, or one a day in December. Unlike a printed list on the fridge, a DIY Christmas bucket lets the kids feel the surprise of drawing the next one.

Be honest about time. Holiday weeks fill up, and the National Retail Federation's 2025 holiday survey found 42% of shoppers planned to start holiday shopping before November. Get gifts out of the way and the weekends open up for the fun part. For the full season plan, see our Christmas ideas guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Christmas bucket list?

A Christmas bucket list is a list of holiday activities you want to do before the season ends, such as a lights tour, cookie decorating or ice skating. It helps you plan the fun parts of December before the calendar fills.

How many things should be on a Christmas bucket list?

Pick 10 to 15 for a busy family, or up to 25 if you start in late November. Choose a few big outings and fill the rest with small things you can do at home.

What can you put on a Christmas bucket list on a tight budget?

Some ideas cost almost nothing: a lights tour, caroling, a library trip, sledding, paper snowflakes, volunteering and a movie marathon with films you own.

What are good Christmas bucket list ideas for adults?

See a live holiday performance, host a cookie swap, go to a candlelight service, take a winter hike or spend one evening with no phones. Adults enjoy the list most when it includes one fancy night and one quiet one.

How do you include family far away in a Christmas bucket list?

Ask them to record a short video message and combine the clips into one group video. You can watch it together on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, even if they live across the country.

When should you start a Christmas bucket list?

Write it after Thanksgiving so you have four weeks of December weekends to plan around. Book anything with tickets, such as shows or skating, early in the month.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute and add everyone you love to this year's list.