Ideas for Family Holidays and Celebrations

The holidays are a wonderful time to volunteer as a family. Not only is it a perfect expression of the meaning behind the season, but there are also so many more opportunities to volunteer as a family than at other times during the year, such as buying, wrapping or delivering gifts to those in need, serving holiday meals, or helping out or performing at nursing home holiday parties.

Baking and decorating cookies! I love to make Christmas cookies by myself or with my kids throughout the season, but when we gather with extended family members we also make it a point to set out a decorating station for anyone to frost and design pre-baked sugar cookies. Often, there is a bit of a competition involved in who can make the "best" decorated cookie.

My kids probably most look forward to our Advent Calendar. For a long time, I had a reusable one that I just filled with little chocolates, and that by itself was fun. Then a few years ago I experimented with creating a DIY "punch board" advent calendar, gluing 24 disposable cups onto a big piece of cardboard, filling each with a little candy, snack or other small gift, and then covering it with gift tissue paper secured by a rubber band. It has been THE biggest hit!! My kids wake up early just to go punch their advent calendar all season long :)

Opening a present on Christmas Eve. We usually do our big family gathering on Christmas Eve, and then before we turn in for the night, all the kids get to pick one present each to open.

What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? Quack quack quack.

Why did the police arrest the turkey? They suspected it of fowl play.

What do you get when you cross an octopus with a turkey? Finally enough drumsticks for everyone at Thanksgiving!

What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? Squash.

Customization stations like make-your-own pizza or a top-your-own ice cream sundae bar.

I love the idea of an outdoor movie night. Project a movie on a screen outside, lounge around on sleeping bags and pillows, and pass around the snacks!

Inflatables are always a hit, though renting one can be pricy. We've done the giant slides in the past, and they are tons of fun for kids and adults!

We did a Minute to Win It game tournament when my son turned 8, and the boys loved it. Stacking pennies, balloon bounce, toilet paper mummies, stacking solo cups, etc.

With a white tablecloth or runner on your table, have everyone present for the Thanksgiving dinner write something they are thankful for in Sharpie or fabric marker and sign their name. Carefully launder the tablecloth, and you can bring it out again each year to repeat as an annual Thanksgiving activity and enjoy looking back on past years!

I like to get the kids involved in making dessert for Thanksgiving because it can usually be done ahead of time or earlier in the morning before there's too much going on in the kitchen.

For preschoolers and toddlers, have a mini pumpkin "egg" hunt! Buy a dozen of those adorable mini pumpkins and hide them throughout your home for a fun thing to do on Thanksgiving. Kids can also take turns hiding them for each other. Later, use the pumpkins as dinner table décor!

A centerpiece, name card or placemat craft is a fun way to keep kids busy on Thanksgiving, and makes something useful for the dinner table. I've also seen coloring placemats that could come in handy during the dinner itself, for kids who get antsy during a long meal.

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? Because he didn't have any guts.

What's the scariest pasta to eat? Fettuccine "afraid-o"

Why do vampires have no friends? Because they are a pain in the neck.

Why don't mummies take vacations? They're afraid to unwind.

A murder mystery dinner is a fun thing for teens to do for Halloween with friends. You can use a kit that sets it all up for you, and everyone can dress in costume that matches the time period or setting of the game.

Volunteer to participate in a trunk or treat event! This is a fun Halloween activity for high school kids who have a car. They can pick a theme, decorate the car and dress up in costume, and hand out candy to kids.

Teens can do an escape room for Halloween. Many have spooky themes that are perfect for the holiday.

Halloween movie marathon! Teens might be excited to "graduate" to scary movies from the spooky little kid ones they grew up with.

Rosie the Riveter with jeans, blue button up shirt with sleeves rolled up, red bandana around the head, red lipstick.

Scarecrow is an easy diy costume. Jeans, button down plaid shirt, floppy hat. Use makeup or facepaint for a brown nose and red circles on cheeks.

Wednesday Addams. Wear a black dress/skirt with a white collared shirt. If you can, put on a black long sleeve shirt over the collared shirt, and add white knee socks, black shoes, dark makeup, and braid your hair for the finishing touch!

A black cat is pretty easy to throw together using stuff you already have at home. Just wear all black, and draw whiskers and a nose on your face with eye liner. Add kitty ears using black triangles cut out of construction paper (tape them on a headband or pin them on with bobby pins), and if possible, find something to use as a tail, like a black belt, tie or sash.

Make a Halloween playlist (or find a ready-made one), and listen to it throughout October. We have a few streets around us that really go all out with Halloween decorations, and we like to listen to a playlist in the car while we drive around and check them out.

There are so many great Halloween movies for kids, you can easily pick a new one each week for a whole month of spooky family movie nights. Lean into the theme by mixing some candy into your popcorn.

In our last neighborhood, one of our neighbors had a casual Halloween party every year. On Halloween before trick-or-treating, the neighbors would all hang out in their driveway for dinner and to check out everyone's costumes. It was always one of my favorite parts of the holiday!

Find a local pumpkin patch or corn maze to explore as a family. Many really go all out with fun Halloween activities for kids.