40 Free and Budget-Friendly Christmas Activities for Families

Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year — the twinkling lights, the festive cheer, the cosy evenings together as a family. But let’s be honest: Christmas has also become ridiculously expensive.

£90 for my husband and me to take a baby and toddler to see Father Christmas? At any other time of year under-threes go free, but in December they suddenly become the most expensive part of the day out.

This year has been especially tough. I was made redundant last month and spent most of the year on maternity leave, so we simply can’t afford to go all-out. And that’s okay.

Instead, I’ve put together this list of free Christmas activities for families — from classic at-home ideas to fun outdoor adventures. Hopefully, it helps anyone else feeling the pressure of Christmas costs this year.

🎅 At Home Festivities

Living in the UK there are going to be tonnes of rainy days and days where you just want to chill out and do nothing. Having a young family doesn't always make it possible, and young kids just want to constantly be on the go.

So here are some ways to entertain them in a festive way, on a budget, without leaving the house.

1. Decorate the Christmas tree
2. Make homemade ornaments
3. Bake Christmas cookies
4. Decorate a gingerbread house
5. Watch classic Christmas films
6. Read a Christmas book
7. Make paper snowflakes
8. Build a blanket fort and decorate it with fairy lights
9. Have a dance party to Christmas songs
10. Write letters to Santa
11. Make a family gratitude list
12. Do a Christmas puzzle
13. Have a board game marathon
14. Do a family Christmas photoshoot
15. Try a new holiday recipe together
16. Make your own Christmas cards
17. Do a Christmas scavenger hunt
18. Create an advent calendar
19. Make orange pomanders
20. Play with Christmas stickers
21. Make festive scenes using play-doh
22. Grab some printables and do some colouring in
23. Decorate the house
24. Make a wreath for the front door
25. Create your own family Christmas play
26. Write your own Christmas story
27. Play “pin the nose on Rudolph”
28. Record video messages for future Christmases

🌟 Outdoor Adventures

If you do want to leave the house and do something festive on a budget, there's still plenty of options.

1. See Christmas displays at a garden centre
2. Walk around your streets to find Christmas lights
3. Go into town at night to see the shop windows and lights
4. Go for a walk to find pinecones
5. Look for free local trails
6. Take a picnic and drive to roads with great light displays
7. Donate old toys and clothes
8. Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home or on your street
9. Leave positive notes around your town
10. Visit a church's carol concert
11. Play hide and seek with candy canes (or other sweets and chocolate) in the garden
12. Visit a Christmas shop or shopping centre and window shop

Final Thoughts

Christmas doesn’t have to be expensive — what really matters are the memories you make together. I hope these free Christmas activities for families help you enjoy a magical, meaningful season without worrying about the cost.