Get together with your neighbors and plan a neighborhood Christmas party for your kids. Consider having different themes set up at different houses while the children go house to house and have a great time at each one.
One house could have an ornament making station set up with all kinds of craft activities and supplies. Each child can make an ornament to take home and put on their tree. Another one may have something similar but also include magnetic backgrounds where they can design their own photo frame to be used as a decoration or as a gift to their parents.
The next house might start in the backyard where they can make snowmen, castles or whatever they can imagine. Have several extra items out so that they can pick different things to decorate their creations. After those chilly activities have the next house be a warm up spot that can include hot chocolate and other snacks to refuel their energy.
Now that they are warmed up and ready to go have the next house or next few houses have games to play outside. They can be variations on more traditional games, such as Pin the Carrot on the snowman, or Find Rudolph’s nose which can be done by having a cutout of a reindeer or even a wooden one and hiding a red nose somewhere for kids to find. You can hand out prizes for the fastest, slowest, etc. How about everyone making snow angels and then decorating them with fabric scraps, you may be surprised at what their imaginations come up with.
If the adults feel like getting into the fun a little, plan a Christmas scavenger hunt. You can do this in teams, family versus family, boys against girls, etc. Come up with a list of Christmas related items and let them start scavenging.
By this time another warm-up pit stop will probably be needed at one house. Also at this one have everyone pick up a packet of Christmas songs and gather everyone together to do some Christmas caroling. If your neighborhood is not going to work since you are the ones caroling you can pick another neighborhood or even a retirement or children’s home and spread some Christmas cheer.
Ok, the final stop should be another warm up too since you have been trekking out in the cold and snow singing your hearts out. Have a roaring fire in one of the neighbor’s fireplaces, or if the group is extra large have some of the adults start and supervise a big bonfire. Then have everyone gather around to roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate. If you have enough energy left you can sing a few more Christmas songs or you can just talk about how great it was and start planning for the next year.
