The holidays are a great time to spend time with family and friends while spreading the warmth of the season. The only problem is, with gifts and feasts being planned, the budget often tends to be too strapped to pay for entertainment. Luckily, there’s lots of great ways to celebrate the season when you don’t want to stretch your budget even further. In fact, you may even be able to find a lot of activities that are totally free. Now, you can enjoy the holiday season with a little less stress because you’ll be able to keep the kids busy over the holiday break while having a bit of fun yourself!
1. Caroling
If you can’t find anything to do during the holiday break or on the weekends, then you may want to try your hand at caroling. You can go as a family or recruit a list of people to go along with you. You’ll have a blast organizing your favorite songs and sharing a bit of joy with your neighbors. Of course, you may want to plan out a route before you go, especially if you live in an area that doesn’t like to be disturbed. If you don’t want to go from door to door then you can easily do some caroling in a local park. Of course, if spending time singing outside isn’t your idea of fun then you can always talk to a church about singing there when there aren’t any services. This activity shouldn’t cost you thing either. You can even download sheet music, which will help everyone know the notes and lyrics that they should be singing.
2. Donate to Charity
Although you may get a few eye rolls, asking the family to go through their things for charity is a great way to spread holiday cheer. This will really help the family understand the holiday isn’t just about getting new things, but also that you should be giving too. Plus, if you explain to the family that some people won’t get anything for the holidays, they may be more willing to part with items they don’t wear or play with anymore. You may even want to donate items like old ornaments and holiday décor to help those who want to decorate but can’t. Of course, you can also spend a bit of money buying new items for charity too. For instance, Toys for Tots is a great way to donate, but it only accepts new toys as donations. You don’t have to spend a lot to make a difference here. Another great thing to give during the season is food. Canned food is important for many families that have so little, so make sure to go through your pantry to see if you can spare anything. Finally, hair donations are appreciated all year long, but you could make a child happy for the holidays if you choose to donate your hair for a wig during the giving season.
3. Make Holiday Ornaments
This is a great way to keep the kids busy while also decorating your tree. You can make ornaments out of just about anything, so let your imagination soar. One of the more common ideas is to use foam plates. You can have the kids draw on them and then shrink them down in the oven. If you have lots of pinecones outside of the home then you can also use those to make an assortment of holiday ornaments. Simply add glitter to the cones or place them on the tree as is. Of course, one of the more common ideas is the snowman ornament. All you need is a plain bulb and some paint to complete this activity. Simply add white paint to one of your child’s hands and then place the bulb in their palm. Then slowly rest the fingers on the bulb. Once you remove the hand, let the paint dry and then return to paint the details of the five little snowmen you just made on the bulb. Of course, you can dress up old bulbs in a variety of ways, so browse around to see if there’s any craft ideas that are up your alley.
4. Holiday Show Marathon
If the weather outside is truly frightful then you might want to keep everyone indoors and enjoy some quality time. One way to keep everyone entertained during this time is to have a holiday show marathon. You can have each person pick out a holiday show or movie to watch, which is sure to warm up the cold day. If you don’t already own some holiday movies then you might want to check and see if your streaming service has any to pick from. During this time of the year, most will have a wide variety of films to keep the whole family entertained. Of course, cable also has a lot of options and you may even be able to get some of the shows on On Demand, so you won’t have to catch them when they air on the specific channel. You can make hot chocolate, popcorn and other holiday treats to enjoy while you watch the films too!
5. Visit Hospital/Nursing Home
When it comes to making the most out of the season, one of the best things you can do is simply spend some time visiting a nursing home or a hospital. During this time of the year, many people who are sick or elderly often don’t get a lot of visitors for one reason or another. This can cause severe loneliness which can often make health issues worse. So, rather than spending money on holiday activities, you may want to consider spending a bit of time at a nursing home or hospital. You can simply sit around and talk with the patients if you want. You bring along some books to read to them. You may even bring a group with you so you can organize a play, caroling or other activities to bring a little joy to these people. Most of the time, the patients are happy just to have someone stop by to see them, so don’t feel like you need to bring gifts or food if your budget doesn’t allow it.
6. Bake Cookies
Nothing says holiday fun quite like baking some of your favorite cookies. During this season you may want to spend some time in the kitchen helping the kids develop an extra special cookie for Santa Claus. Kids can come up with the ingredients they’d like to use and decorate them to show off their creative side. You can try out a whole bunch of different recipes too, which will help you create frugal snacks for the holidays and it keep the house warmer by using the oven. Apart from that, you can have the kids write down their recipes in special books, so they can recreate the cookies next year. If the kids are pleased with the recipe they choose then it can become your traditional cookie, or you can try a little something new next year. This could also be a great memory that your kids may pass down to their own children in the future.
7. Hot Cocoa Party
If you want to spend a little time with friends, family and neighbors but you don’t have the money for a huge holiday bash, then you may want to consider a hot cocoa party. This is probably one of the most frugal parties you can have. The best thing is, you can make a variety of hot cocoa to suit all of your guests. Some will want theirs’s made with milk, while others prefer the lower calorie option with water. You can use simple packets to make your hot cocoa or you can whip it up from your favorite recipe. The options are endless. Of course, you shouldn’t forget the toppings, such as whipped cream or marshmallows, either as these will please your guests. Usually, most people won’t drink more than a mug or two of hot chocolate, so you won’t have to splurge too much. It will also make people feel warm as the holiday spirit shows. If you want to go even more in depth, you might ask people to bring their favorite snacks to pair with the warm beverage.
8. Make Cards
Sending out cards to those you love is a great way to show you care during the seasons. No matter if your loved ones are near or far, a simple card is a great way to share your feelings while promoting your holiday cheer. However, if you’re on a budget then you may not want to spend a lot of money on cards that are already made. So, fight the kid’s boredom by having them make up a variety of cards to send out to your loved ones. You can use simple printing paper or construction paper to add to the look. You shouldn’t have to splurge on supplies for this project either, as you can usually use what you already have in your craft area. The kids will love doing their part for the holiday and your loved ones will admire getting an original work of art from your family. If you still have time to kill, then you might consider hand delivering some of the cards to nearby friends and family.
9. Story Time
It doesn’t matter if your kids are young or old, story time is a great way to help pass the time during the holiday season. Younger kids will love hearing the classic stories we all grew up on, which won’t cost you a penny. If you don’t already have the stories memorized then you can print out copies of most of the classics for free, in most cases. Others can be purchased for mere cents on an e-reader, which may even provide you with pictures to share with the kids. If the group is more mature then you could read a bit of some of the classis, like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Of course, you can also have a bit of fun by having everyone come up with their own holiday story. Before you know it, you’ll have some family favorites that will impress you. You can also share memories of the holidays from the past, which are sure to bring smiles and lots of warmth to your holiday experience.
10. DIY Gifts
Of course, if all else fails and you want to save a bit of money on your holiday shopping then you might want to consider working on some DIY gifts. Some popular options are items like mason jar cookies, which are so easy to make even the little ones can join in on the fun. Younger kids will especially love making special snowflakes, which only require paper and scissors to make. Wreathes, ornaments and even color sheets are other crafts that will help keep everyone busy while making someone in your life smile. You can easily come up with gifts for teachers, grandparents, friends and neighbors without having to spend a whole lot of money.
With these ten activities, your holiday should be filled with the warmth you desire without forcing you to spend a lot more money. Now, you can easily forget about the financial burdens of the holiday, so you can enjoy the time with your family and friends. After all, the season is best spent without troubles and these ten activities should help you forget all yours!
