2020 has been a year like no other.
For many families, social distancing has completely changed the type of activities they do together. Sadly, for some families, their favourite activities have come to a a halt altogether.
Christmas will be strange this year. Even if we are technically allowed to go certain places and do certain things, many of us will have to make our own decisions about what is wise and safe for us and the ones we love.
In spite of this, parents will want to make sure that we are still able to have special times with our children this Christmas, making memories together.
With that in mind, I have put together this list of 50 socially distant family activities for Christmas 2020.
Some are activities you might have done anyway, any other year.
Others are ones I have adapted to fit the current situation.
I hope you find something that inspires you to make special memories with your loved ones this Christmas.
Creative Ideas
Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get creative. Homemade items hold so much more meaning than anything bought from a shop. And the time spent together is even more precious than the finished product!
1. Make Christmas Decorations For Loved Ones
There are so many gorgeous ideas around for homemade Christmas decorations.
This year, you may not be able to spend time with family or friends you would usually see at Christmas.
Why not send them a special homemade decoration so that they think of your family every time they look at it?
2. Decorate The Garden
Depending on restrictions where you live, you may not be able to have the usual amount of visitors to your home this Christmas.
If you decorate your garden, you can bring a little joy to your whole neighbourhood, as well as anybody who passes. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.
Simple, homemade decorations can be just as effective.
3. Bake Together
We often associate Christmas with the yummy smells of home baking, and spices such as cinnamon. Mince pies and gingerbread men jump to mind immediately.
Baking is wonderful way to spend time together and a valuable skill for children to learn.
If you are baking produce to give away as presents, please remember to take extra health and safety precautions this year. The use of masks and gloves is recommended when preparing and packaging edible gifts.
4. Decorate Your Own Christmas Jumpers
Also known as Ugly Sweaters, Christmas Jumpers have become a huge phenomenon in recent years.
They’re really handy to have in the wardrobe as a fun and easy outfit to throw on for a Christmas party or event.
This year however, with less events to go to, they probably won’t be getting the same amount of wear as normal.
So, why not repurpose jumpers you already have, and dress them up for Christmas?
Add fairy lights, pom poms, felt cut outs; the sky’s the limit!
Just make sure to decide in advance if you want it to be a permanent or temporary change, and design accordingly!
5. Decorate Christmas Face Masks
In the same way, you could dress up fabric face masks for Christmas.
Be as creative as possible and add a bit of fun!
Remember though, that your customising might end up altering the level of protection your mask provides.
So it’s probably best to just wear these at home for fun, family photo shoots or to model them on video calls.
6. Write And Perform A Christmas Puppet Show
Children may not be having the same opportunities as usual to perform in Christmas plays this year.
Writing, planning and performing a family Christmas puppet show can provide an opportunity to flex those acting muscles.
In a puppet show, each person can take on multiple roles, so it’s the perfect idea for even the smallest of families.
The type of puppets you use is up to you. You could plan your show based around puppets you have already. Or you could easily make sock, stick or finger puppets to suit the story you would like to tell.
Best of all, film your finished show and send it to loved ones and friends to enjoy.
7. Make Your Own Christmas Movie
Everyone has a favourite film they associate with this time of year. In 2020, take it one step further and create your own!
You could make a mini version of a well-loved movie, or even start from scratch with your own bright idea.
All you need is a smartphone and your imagination!
8. Create A Family Christmas Playlist
Put together a playlist of your family’s favourite Christmas music to enjoy during the season.
Take some time to see if you can discover some new Christmas favourites you may not have come across before.
Think about including genres you may not normally listen to.
There are some lovely choral and classical Christmas pieces available, and you may be surprised by how much your kids enjoy them.
9. Write Your Own Christmas Song
Pick a song you love and change the words to Christmas ones. Have fun as a family coming up with ideas and rhymes that work and sound good.
Search online to see if you can find a wordless backing track, karaoke style, for the original song you chose.
Have fun singing along with your updated lyrics!
10. Make A Christmas Stocking
Work together to design and create personalised stockings for your whole family. Don’t worry, sewing skills are not essential!
11. Do Some Christmas Colouring
Colouring is a really relaxing activity for all ages. Its popularity has soared among adults looking for ways to relieve stress and unwind.
Gather a collection of colouring sheets, pencils and markers and settle in for a creative evening. You could listen to your Christmas playlist as you work!
12. Make Your Own Christmas Wrapping Paper
Homemade wrapping paper makes a gift seem extra-special before it’s even been opened.
Try some potato printing on plain brown wrapping paper to create one-of-a-kind giftwrap for friends and family.
13. Make (And Pull) Christmas Crackers
Christmas crackers are usually the source of lots of chat and laughs around the dinner table on Christmas day.
Often though, the chat ends up focusing on how bad the jokes and gifts are. Especially for the high price that may have been paid for them!
Making your own gives you lots of opportunity to customise them to suit your family.
You can choose the gifts and include your best jokes.
If you would prefer the contents to be a big surprise on the day, you could ask another family to make some too and then swap in advance.
Ideas For Helping Others
Even though we may need to keep our social distance, there are lots of ways we can reach out to others this Christmas.
14. Make And Send Christmas Cards
Christmas cards are special at the best of times, but I think they will be all the more so this year.
There are likely to be people you haven’t been able to see for months due to the Pandemic.
Sending a homemade card is a special way of showing them how much they mean to you, even at a distance.
As well as this, there are lots of people who have done so much extra to help their communities this year.
Why not consider making cards and sending them to:
- Your family doctor
- The doctors and nurses in your local hospital
- Your post person (he or she has probably delivered lots of extra packages to your door this year!)
- The staff at your local shop
- The teachers, secretary, caretakers, cleaners etc. at your child’s school
Do you know of any elderly people living alone who would love to receive a card? Is there a nursing home near you?
15. Go Carol Singing
If your family enjoys singing, this might be a fun idea. If restrictions allow, doorstep carol singing (at a social distance) could cheer many people up.
Or depending on where you live, you could sing in your front garden to entertain the passers-by.
16. Donate To Charity
This can take lots of different forms. Depending on what suits your family, you might choose to:
- Take part in a Christmas shoebox appeal.
- Donate a toy to a toy collection.
- Sponsor a child.
- Collect money for a particular cause.
- Make and sell items for charity.
Discuss possible ideas with the children and choose something they are interested in and means a lot to them.
17. Do Some Random Acts Of Kindness
A quick search online will yield countless ideas for unexpected ways to brighten someone else’s day.
Not all are suitable for social distancing, but you’ll figure out very quickly which ones are. Some safe ideas include:
- Order a surprise online for someone. Get it delivered to their house.
- Pick up litter you see on the street.
- Buy something for your server in the shop, or for the person behind you in the queue. A surprise bar of chocolate always tastes better!
Things To Look At Online
The pandemic has caused us to turn to the web in order to enjoy lots of things we were able to enjoy freely in person before.
It’s a shame, but here are some ideas for things we can look at online, as socially distant family activities.
18. Watch A Carol Service Online
Here in Ireland, churches are currently closed for worship, and all services are taking place online. Hopefully they will be open in time for Christmas!
So it may still be possible to attend a carol service in person.
If not though, why not search for one from a church local to you and see what they have going on.
19. Watch A Pantomime Online
Where I live, the local amateur dramatic society is famous for their exciting annual pantomime performances in the run-up to Christmas.
It’s great fun to go along and see familiar faces and hear local in-jokes peppered into the script.
This is replicated in many communities, with large numbers of professional pantomimes being produced annually also.
For many families, it is one of the highlights of their Christmas season.
Sadly, there is little chance that any of these will be happening on stage this year.
But never fear. Online pantomimes are popping up, so you don’t have to miss out.
Oh yes they are!
20. Watch The Nutcracker Online
The Nutcracker is a beautiful Christmas ballet about a girl, a nutcracker and a mouse king. You’re probably familiar with its music without even realising it.
In the grand scheme of things, not that many people usually get the opportunity to watch it in person.
Make this the year you finally get to enjoy it, and settle in for a cosy, musical evening on the couch
21. Explore with Google Maps
Use Google Maps to explore some locations you associate with Christmas. For example, you could visit Bethlehem, or perhaps go on an expedition to Lapland!
Outdoor Activities
It’s so easy to stay stuck indoors at Christmas time, but before long everyone starts to feel a bit groggy!
We’ve found it’s a good idea to try and get outside a little bit each day to blow away the cobwebs and keep active.
Enjoying activities in the fresh air is also one of the best ways to get out of the house, while still keeping a social distance.
22. Go For A Dress-Up Walk
If you spot a spell of dry weather on the way, grab the opportunity to give your family’s legs a good stretch.
Dress up in your most Christmassy outfits and all the winter woollies you can find.
Perhaps this might be your chance to choose a walk you wouldn’t always have time to do normally.
23. Go On A Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great fun for keeping everybody busy and occupied when out and about. Try some Christmas-themed ones to keep your adventure in the festive spirit.
24. Make Christmas Cookies For The Birds
Why should the humans be the only ones to enjoy some Christmas treats?
Treat our feathered friends to some yummy bird seed biscuits in fun Christmas shapes. (Not for human consumption!)
25. Go For A Drive To See The Christmas Lights
Current restrictions will dictate how far you can travel with this one. However, even if you can only stay quite close to home, there are sure to be some pretty lights to check out and enjoy.
26. Gather Pine Cones
If you live near a forest, take a trip to gather fallen pine cones. It’s fun to search for them, and they look beautiful when laid out as natural decorations at home.
27. Decorate A Random Tree
Do you live near a park or a forest? Create some decorations from natural objects and decorate a tree as best you can.
Then stand back and watch the reactions of passers-by!
Make sure you don’t use regular decorations, or it could be classed as littering!
Snow Substitute Activities
Often, I see Christmas bucket lists with lovely ideas for things to do in the snow and on the ice. I really would love to go sledding and build a snowman every Christmas.
But snow showers are few and far between here in Ireland, and when they do come it seems to be closer to Valentine’s Day than Christmas!
It’s unlikely that the usual pop-up ice rinks will be open this year.
So here are some alternative ideas for making memories in the “snow”.
28. Have A Recycled Snowball Fight
For a while before Christmas, save up scraps and sheets of paper that would otherwise go straight into recycling or into the shredder.
On the day of the fight, spend some time squashing the paper into “snowballs”. Agree on an acceptable average size.
You could choose to make this a team fight, or every man for himself!
Just be sure to make ground rules, and a points system (if you choose one), clear before you start.
29. Make Some Fake Snow
Sensory activities aren’t just for toddlers!
Try making and playing with homemade fake snow. You’ll be surprised how much even you, the parent, enjoy it!
Make Use Of Video Chat
Most of us have got more familiar than we’d like recently with software such as Zoom and Facetime.
I’m sure we’d all much rather meet our friends and families in person this Christmas.
But if you can’t here are some ideas for socially distant activities you can try over a video call. I mention Zoom, but other options are available!
30. Organise A Secret Santa Zoom Party
Work colleagues, social groups and extended families often organise Secret Santa/Gift Swaps/Kris Kindle. It means that everyone buys a gift for one other person in the group, usually with an agreed budget in place.
People are usually paired secretly, and there are lots of laughs as everyone tries to figure out who bought their particular gift.
If you have a wider family network – such as lots of cousins – who haven’t been able to see each other much lately, this could be a fun idea to try.
Use this online secret santa organiser to plan it, post your gifts to each other, and then meet up online to unwrap the goodies!
31. Organise a Gingerbread House Zoom Party
Building gingerbread houses is a really exciting Christmas activity. It provides challenge and interest for all ages in the family.
Why not use Zoom to connect with some other families you are friendly with and all bake, build and design gingerbread houses at the same time.
If you are feeling competitive, you could turn it into a bake-off, with pre-determined ingredients, rules and prizes.
32. Read Christmas Stories Over Zoom
This idea would work particularly well if you have young children who can’t see family members (such as grandparents) for any reason.
Ask them to choose some Christmas books to read to your children during a video chat.
If they are not able to access these themselves, you could post them ahead of time.
This might work particularly well as a special treat on Christmas Eve, but is an idea that could be tried at any time of the year, with any stories.
33. Organise A Christmas Zoom Quiz
Designate a quiz master, and join up with some other families online for a festive quiz.
Include as much variety as possible (picture rounds, song rounds etc.), while keeping in mind the range of ages involved.
Christmas Family Night Ideas
Christmas often provides us with extra time to relax together as a family. It’s the perfect time to make some memories together and have fun.
34. Play A Board Game
Perhaps board games are something you enjoy all year round. But for many families, Christmas is the only chance we get to all settle down together and enjoy them.
There are so many more games to choose from now than there used to be; Monopoly is not the only option!
Make some yummy Christmas nibbles to enjoy while you play.
35. Design Your Own Christmas-Themed Board Game
Lots of fun, printable templates are available for designing board games.
Why not create your own family Christmas-themed one?
You could post it, along with rules, to family and friends to enjoy this Christmas too.
36. Play Christmas Party Games
Most children’s Christmas parties are sadly not going to happen this year. Recreate the fun as best you can at home, with some festive traditional party games.
37. Make A Jigsaw Puzzle
For this activity, choose carefully, depending on the age and interests of your family. If you have older children, you can enjoy a really challenging puzzle together.
1000 piece puzzles provide a distraction that can be enjoyed over a period of time, while 500 piece ones can be finished more quickly.
As well as having times when you all work at the puzzle together, see if you can leave it set up somewhere safe for people to add to when they have a minute to spare.
I find that a large cork pinboard is a good base to build puzzles on. I move it from place to place as necessary, since I don’t have anywhere to permanently leave my puzzles as I’m working on them.
38. Have A Picnic Under The Christmas Tree
Lay out a blanket, gather some of your favourite Christmas treats, and tuck in.
For small children, teddies and dolls could join the fun.
A special Christmas morning pancake picnic sounds ideal to me!
39. Have A Sleepover Under The Christmas Tree
Christmas Eve probably isn’t the night to choose to do this one!
But perhaps it would be an exciting activity for the week before or after Christmas.
For a true family memory-making experience, parents and older siblings need to make sure to join in too!
40. Light A Cosy Fire
If you have a fireplace in your house, this is possibly something you do regularly anyway.
However, you could make it extra special by gathering round to toast marshmallows, or to make smores or toast.
Just make sure the fuel you are using is safe for cooking with.
Having stockings hung safely near the fireplace adds to the Christmassy feel.
If you don’t have a fireplace, you could always plan a small outdoor fire (always adhering to local bye-laws).
Or you could simply search Youtube for one of the many open fire videos available and leave it playing on a laptop while you enjoy some other Christmas activity.
41. Family Photo Shoot
Spend an hour dressing up and taking photos. For some extra-special shots, print out some photobooth props and get snapping!
42. Have A Pyjama Day
This is one that might happen easily without any planning!
However, like with the sleepover under the tree, parents need to get involved too – no excuses!
This could be a fun day for including some of the other memory-making activities on the list.
43. Dance To Christmas Music
No further explanation needed – turn the music up and show off your moves!
44. Try Some Christmas Traditions From Around The World
Has your family got connections with other countries around the world?
Perhaps some friends have moved away, or a grandparent emigrated many years ago.
It can be fun to research the traditions that different cultures have at this time of year.
If you’re looking for a more random approach, spin a globe or point at a map to choose a country.
Did you know that in Caracas, Venezuela, many worshippers roller skate to church on Christmas Eve?
45. Read The Christmas Story
Reading the Christmas Story from the Bible is the perfect reminder of why we celebrate. Luke Chapter 2 is a good place to start.
46. Make Your Own Nativity Set
Following on from reading the Christmas story, your family could make your own nativity set. There are lots of ways to do this; almost anything could be used if you stretched your imagination!
Sets like these, even if just made from recycled materials, can be treasured and cherished in a household for years.
47. Clean The House
This is definitely the most mundane activity on the list.
However, a clean and tidy house is a nice way to start the Christmas period and help everybody to feel relaxed and ready to have fun.
Share the load with all the family, perhaps providing fun incentives, prizes and challenges to keep everyone engaged and busy.
48. Do An Online Shop
At the moment, we’re being told that it is wisest to limit (if possible) the amount of people doing the grocery shopping. Many shops recommend “one trolley, one person”.
So that everyone gets a say in the Christmas treats, book a slot for online shopping from your local supermarket.
Sit down together and agree on an order to cover you for the Christmas period.
49. Have A Christmas Movie Night
Curl up with your favourite Christmas films, or discover a new favourite. Here are some of the top kid’s Christmas movies to consider:
50. Make A 2020 Time Capsule
2020 has been one of the strangest years in living memory.
A great way to use some of your family’s free time over the Christmas period would be to put together a time capsule.
You could use it to record what life, including this different Christmas time, has been like for you this year.
Agree together on the items to include. Some ideas might be:
- Newspaper cuttings, or printouts from news websites
- Examples of work that children did at home during school closures
- Screenshots of Zoom calls
- Photos of life during the pandemic
- Short diary entries
- Items such as face masks, hand sanitiser etc.
Put them together in some form of container and hide it away, not to be opened for a set period of time. Perhaps five years might be a reasonable length to wait.
The Best Socially Distant Family Activities For Christmas 2020
So there you have it: 50 fun family activities to enjoy, even while social distancing.
I hope that this Christmas is a safe and happy one for your family, and a time to make special memories together at the end of a very unusual year.
If you’re feeling excited about trying any of these out, please leave a comment and let me know.
And please pin to share the ideas with other families this Christmas!
