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This Christmas Bucket List is full of holiday cheer and cozy memory-making activities!
It’s TIIIIMMEEE! *que the Christmas music* The Christmas season has begun.
Yes, it’s November 1, but we can’t help ourselves! We’ve already pulled out our Christmas decor boxes, and we’re ready for to start drinking Gingerbread lattes, making holiday treats, and making time for all the fun holiday activities.
As Christmas Day gets closer, our goal is to celebrate the festivities in a new and fun way. To get ourselves in the spirit, we creates this 12 Days of Christmas bucket list. Everything from making Christmas cookie boxes, to trying a new holiday drink or going Christmas light sightseeing.
If you’re on the hunt for some fun Christmas activities to do with friends and family this year, we’ve got you covered! Keep scrolling to find out how to add some holiday magic to the days leading up to Christmas.
12 Days of Christmas Bucket List
Disclaimer: This Christmas bucket list doesn’t have to be completed in this sequence. They are just fun ideas to take advantage of the holiday season in the days leading up to the special day. Have fun and enjoy the activities below!
Day 1: Bake a Holiday Sweet Treat
From cookies to candy to cake, there are so many different holiday treats you can make. If you’d like, try some of our favorite holiday recipes:
Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Brown Sugar Pecan Scones
Skillet Cranberry Orange Crisp Pie
Salted Toffee Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars
Red Velvet Bundt Cake
One Easy Cookie Dough, 5 Different Ways
Day 2: Make Homemade Orange Garland for Your Home
We make homemade orange garland every single year. It’s such a simple, affordable and gorgeous holiday decoration to add to your tree, hang on your fireplace mantle or adorn doorways and windows.
Learn how to make ORANGE GARLAND HERE.
Day 3: Host a Christmas Cookie Bake-Off
A Christmas cookie bake-off will quickly become your favorite holiday tradition. Invite all your friends to bake and bring their favorite holiday cookie to your home. Designate a few friends or non-bakers as the judges to vote on the winner.
Day 4: Try a New Holiday Drink at Starbucks
There’s nothing quite like a holiday drink from Starbucks this time of year. Here is their menu of holiday drinks:
- Salted Pretzel Cocoa Oat Milk Latte
- Salted Pretzel Cocoa Oat Milk Frappuccino
- Toffee Nut Crunch Latte
- Gingerbread Latte
- Peppermint Mocha
- Toffee Nut Crunch Cold Brew
- Caramel Brûlée Latte
- Sugar Cookie Latte
- Chestnut Praline Latte
Day 5: Host a Holiday Movie Night
We absolutely love hosting a movie night any time of year, but there’s something so cozy and magical about a holiday movie night. Pick one or two holiday movies to watch, bake some goodies, serve snacks and drinks and have fun!
Here’s a list of our favorite holiday movies:
- Last Christmas
- Christmas with the Kranks
- National Lampoons: Christmas Vacation
- Polar Express
- Santa Clause 1,2,3
- A Christmas Story
- Home Alone
- Elf
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Love Actually
- The Holiday
- The Family Stone
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Four Christmases
Day 6: Paint Christmas Mugs with Your Besties
Whether you got to a pottery place and paint a holiday mug, or opt for painting them at home, this is such a fun and creative activity that you’ll remember for years to come.
christmas mugs & paint set
Day 7: Go Christmas Light Sightseeing
Ever since we could remember we went Christmas light sightseeing with our family. It’s our favorite tradition that we still love to do with each other every year.
Day 8: Make a Hot Cocoa Bar
A hot cocoa bar is a great thing to make for a Christmas party or have access to all season long. Transform your coffee bar into a hot cocoa bar by adding jars of hot cocoa, syrups, topping sea cute marshmallows for everyone to enjoy.
hot cocoa packets
hot cocoa marshmallows
Day 9: Send a Christmas Card to a Friend
Sending cards to our friends is something we love to do. It’s such a sweet, unexpected surprise that everyone loves to receive. Whether you want to have a printing service print Christmas cards for your or you want to make your own, is totally up to what you prefer. Pro tip: send them in a festive red envelope to make the stand out in the mail!
chirstmas taxi card
janet hill holiday cards
Day 10: Make Cookie Boxes for Your Neighbors
Making and giving cookie boxes to our neighbors is something our mom always did growing up, and everywhere we’ve lived we’ve tried to continue the tradition. It’s so fun to gift them some of our favorite holiday sweets.
Day 11: Buy a New Christmas Ornament
Another tradition from childhood we never stopped participating in was buying a new ornament every year. It’s makes decorating your Christmas tree such a memorable experience, because you get to look back and remember when and where you were when you bought it. Sooner or later you’ll have a unique and eclectic ornament collection to fill your tree.
Aurelia gold monogram ornament
toaster pastry ornament
cat glass ornament
espresso glass ornament
Day 12: Host a Neighborhood Christmas Brunch
We saved the best (and our most favorite holiday activity) for the last day!
Hosting a neighborhood Christmas brunch was one of our favorite festive activities our mom planned every year. Everyone brought their favorite brunch foods and Christmas treats to share. It was such a sweet time to gather as neighbors and enjoy everyone’s company.
You can do the same this year. Send out a text to the neighbors on your street or apartment complex or drop an invite in their mailbox. Ask them to bring their favorite brunch recipe or holiday treat. Gather around, talk to each other and make new connections. It’s such a cozy activity that will fill your soul with holiday cheer.
one pan tomato basil croissant bake
the best breakfast pizza
bakery-style cream cheese danishes
