Frugal Ways to Celebrate the Holidays & FREE Printable Game

Just hear those sleigh bells ring-a-ling! It's the holiday season and that means loads of holiday fun! Are you looking for some frugal ways to celebrate the holidays? Here are some fun activities that you, your family can enjoy — without stressing over the cost of some wintry fun! Family budgets are tight these days which is why I adore this series  Creating Family Memories on a Budget  that Kids Activities Blog has been working on for nearly 2 months now!  Just taking steps everyday to consciously make smarter decisions can have a positive impact on the entire family.

Frugal Ways to Celebrate the Holidays

Viewing Christmas lights. Does your city or town offer a Christmas lights show? Bundle up the kids and head on over for some memory-making views! If the price per vehicle is too much, considering driving around in your neighborhood checking out all the holiday displays. You can even make a fun contest out of it. Here's a fun game to play: Light Bright Contest! Click here to print:  Christmas Light Game Give each family member pen and a copy of the printable and head to the car after dark. Each member of the family will keep track of the light scenes they see with tally marks –  reindeer, snowmen, manger scenes etc. they saw on the trip. At the end of the trip, add up the points for each item they found. You can reward the winner with some Christmas candy at the end of the trip. Here is our point system:

• Manger scene: 10 points
• Santa Claus: 3 points
• Christmas Wreath: 5 points
• Christmas tree: 10 points
• Reindeer: 8 points
• Snowmen: 5 points

Younger kids can be buddied with older family members so everyone can play. Make Ornaments.  These printable geometric holiday ornaments are perfect for a unique activity with the whole family or check out all these ornaments that kids can make from things around the house. Caroling. Believe it or not, some people still do this fun activity! Practice some well-known carols with your family and then head out to visit some close friends and family. If you want to make if even more fun, invite some friends to come along! Surprise your listeners with a small hand-made gift or some candy treats. Don't forget to visit the elderly; they love to hear children sing! Ice-skating.   Large metropolitan cities often have large, outdoor skating rinks open to the public—for free! You have rent the skates though. An average outdoor skating rink may cost you $10-$14 to rent some skates, so hopefully you have your own! Visit a holiday craft fair. Holiday craft fairs are relatively cheap. They can be fun for the whole family as you enjoy musical shows, lots of food and drink samples and all the craft inspiration a mom could have! Sledding. Scope out the tallest hill around and grab your sled! If you don't have a sled, make your own. Large trash-can lids or anything plastic and round will get the job done.  Kids and adults get loads of fun and giggles out of sledding and rolling down a snowy hill.  Just try it and see! Have a gingerbread house party! Invite a few friends over and build gingerbread houses. You can purchase kits or make your own gingerbread and icing. Ask each person to bring five embellishments to share with the group, such as gumdrops, M & Ms, and peppermint candy. The more edible décor you have, the more masterpieces you can create! Put on a Christmas Play. Grab some props and costumes from around the house or make your own silly ones. Creativity is encouraged with this activity! Divide up into two groups; you have to have an audience. Re-enact some of your favorite Christmas movies or books. Give each act a huge round of applause! Simple Activities at Home.  You know us.  We can make a family activity out of just about anything.  Open the kitchen junk drawer and create a holiday tree ornament together or stop and print one of our many Christmas printables like the Christmas coloring pages, or Printable Christmas game! Make the holidays memorable and fun with your munchkins. Remember, you can have loads of fun without spending tons of money. Let the giggles begin! How does your family celebrate together?