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Whether it’s by choice or not, a stay at home Christmas can be so much fun (and so memorable!). Don’t miss these ingenius traditions this year.

This post was originally written for 2020, when many people were preparing for a stay at home Christmas.

That said, these ideas also work GREAT in a bad economy.

So even if you can’t afford to do all of your favorite Christmas time traditions this year, you can still TOTALLY do some very fun memory making things with the family.

All of these ideas are cheap or free, and most of them can be done from the comforts of your home.

Enjoy these great Christmas time traditions, without all of the expense.

How To Have A Stay At Home Christmas You Won’t Forget!

And don’t worry. I’m super frugal, so these ideas will stay in the budget!

1.  Hot Chocolate Bar

Set up a hot chocolate bar!  The kids will love adding their favorite toppings.

You can grab some soft peppermint sticks like these and use them as straws. (So much fun.)

Here’s some fun flavored syrup to add.

Marshmallows are a must, and you might even be able to find some in fun Christmas shapes.  Whipped cream will make some adorable little mustaches.

You can sprinkle mini chocolate chips or sprinkles over the whipped cream.

2.  Board Games

Board games are a fantastic gift idea.  (Here are some of our family favorite board games!)

And once someone opens a board game…well, it’s only natural that you should all play it!

3.  Scavenger Hunt For Lights

One of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions is to drive around and look at the local Christmas lights.

It’s even more fun when you make it into a scavenger hunt!  

My son decided that it was high time we make one of our own this year. So we decided to share it with you! Click the picture to download your own copy for personal use. 

4.  Secret Santa

This is something our family has been doing for years, and it really makes the whole season more fun.

If you haven’t had a Secret Santa before, you basically draw names from a hat to see who your “Secret Santa” will be. 

We’ve found a few ways to make this really special with just our family.  Learn more about how we do this here.

5.  Pig Out

Another of our family’s favorite traditions!

Usually on Christmas Eve, we spread the table full of delicious foods. Cookies we’ve made, cheese and crackers, salami rolls, candies, and more!

If someone gave us a special treat, we add it to the feast.

Sometimes we try homemade peanut brittle. Sometimes I buy a box on a grocery trip.

Our kids aren’t usually allowed to gorge themselves on endless junk food around here, so this is always a special treat for us!

While we eat, we enjoy our favorite…

6.  Christmas Movies

This one is kind of a given.  Of course you’re gonna watch your favorites.

But you could also recreate the best scenes!  Make a winter wonderland from paper while you eat spaghetti and syrup.  (Ok, maybe you can fudge the spaghetti part a little!)

via GIPHY

7.  Hide the Snowman

I was shocked to find out that this simple little game is one of my kids favorite memories.

This fun Christmas activity for kids takes hardly any effort, and with this freebie it’s easier than ever!

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8.  Build a Fort 

Use all those boxes and paper you have lying around after unwrapping gifts.  (This was always one of my favorite things to do as a kid on Christmas!)  

9.  Have A Christmas Themed Build Battle

Kids love to have what they call “Build Battles”.  They take turns creating something on Minecraft and then let everyone judge to see which creation was the best.

You can easily turn that into a Christmas theme by having them build a house and decorate it.  Or maybe make a giant Christmas tree and trim it out.

Don’t want to use Minecraft?  You can totally do this using Lego, too.

10. Karaoke Christmas Carols

There are tons of videos on YouTube so you can have a fun party in your living room!

Or have even more fun with an app. (Smule gets good reviews for Google Play.)

11. Follow The Yarn

Want to make opening presents last a little longer?

(Maybe you’re buying fewer gifts, but want the fun to last just as long!)

Hide the gift and attach a piece of string or yarn to it.  Then, loop the yarn all throughout the house.

The more you wrap the yarn around itself (and tons of objects), the trickier it will be.

If you are hiding multiple gifts, you can twist the strings around each other to make it even harder!

12. Crafting Time

Have the kids make handmade crafts for everyone.  The personal touch is more important this year than ever!

Here’s a great list of craft ideas from my friend, Elia.

13.  Bake Together

Surely you have some family favorite recipes that you haven’t made lately.

With so many things cancelled this year, now is the perfect time to try them again.

Especially if you can get ahold of Grandma’s old Christmas recipes!

14.  Make A New Tradition

There are millions of Christmas traditions out there. Find out something your friends do that you haven’t tried before.

Or do a little Googling to see what Christmas traditions people in other countries enjoy.  You just might find a new favorite!

15. Ding Dong Ditch Someone

If you don’t feel comfortable having your usual gatherings with family and friends, make a socially distanced call.

You can ding dong ditch them…in a good way. Leave treats on their porch. Or a small gift.

You can sing Christmas carols from their driveway.

Or give them a rating on their lights display.  (Our favorite thing about your display was…)

16. Facetime!

Don’t miss out on your favorite people this year.

If you have to spend time together via Facetime, FB Live, Zoom, or whatever you use, just do it.

Let the kids put on a concert for their grandparents. Show them some of your favorite gifts.  

Reminisce about some of your favorite Christmas memories together.

Make plans for a big Christmas bash next year!

Your stay at home Christmas will be so much fun, you might want to start a new tradition!

If you loooove fun ideas that fit the budget, you’ll definitely want to join the newsletter:

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What should we add to this list of fun?