Make a special snack
You’ve already opened gifts and dinner isn’t ready yet, and everyone’s looking for something fun to do. Nobody will turn down a holiday snack, so why not whip up some eggnog and cook some fun Christmas cornflake wreath cookies? They’re quick, seasonal, and easy to make, and you can even get everyone involved!
What you’ll need
- ½ cup butter
- 4 cups of mini marshmallows
- 1 tsp. green food coloring
- ½ tsp. of almond extract
- ½ tsp. of vanilla extract
- 4 cups of cornflakes
- 1 package of red hots
Instructions
Put the marshmallows and butter in your microwave until they melt (for about 4 minutes, stirring when it reaches 2 minutes.) Combine the food coloring, almond and vanilla extract, and cornflakes with your butter/marshmallow mixture. While the mixture is still warm, you and your family and friends can design it into miniature Christmas wreaths or any other holiday-inspired shapes that you like. Decorate the cookies with red hot candies to create a seasonal look!
Clean up the house, but have fun with it
We’ve all experienced that moment of exhaustion upon noticing the amount of wrapping paper all over the floor. Yes, somebody has to clean it up, but why do it all yourself?
Get your kids involved
This is not only a good way to get your living room cleaned up faster, it’s also a way to keep the kids occupied. All you have to do is make a game out of it. Divide them into two teams and have them race to see who can clean up more wrapping paper, or tell them they can use the living room floor to play their favorite game after the paper gets cleaned up. With your help, the living room will look spotless in no time!
What about all the unused wrapping paper in your closet?
Like most of us, you probably have several partial rolls of leftover wrapping paper in your closet after wrapping gifts. So, here are some fun things you can do with it:
- Create festive envelopes
- Use a paper shredder to make confetti
- Make various decorations like party streamers or paper buntings
- Create book covers
Some of your DIY decor could end up being a big part of next year’s Christmas decorations, while some might be great for decorating a non-Christmas event, like a baby shower or a New Years party!
Have a Christmas scavenger hunt
This takes a little bit of preparation, but it’s worth it – your kids will be busy for hours, and they’ll be getting their exercise in, too. Simply create a trail of clues to your kids’ hidden gifts. An easy way to do this is to use scraps of paper that contain written clues to direct the kids to their gifts’ hiding spots. If you want to be extra creative, you can start the trail of clues indoors and end it outside. Your kids won’t be able to get enough of this game.
Adults can play games on Christmas day, too
With the kids well occupied, you’re going to need something fun to do, too. Maybe you feel like you’ve run out of options – after all, you’ve already played a Christmas movie trivia game and name that carol. But there might be some games you haven’t thought of yet.
Holiday icebreakers
This game is similar to a scavenger hunt but much more people-oriented. Rather than searching for a gift or object, you’ll be trying to match each person in the room with a specific fact about them.
To play this game, fill a box with slips of paper containing a fact about every person. The box then gets passed around, allowing each player to draw a slip of paper. If a slip of paper says, “Someone once threw up during her first date,” then the person who draws that slip must try to pick out the person in the room who threw up on her first date. Whether you’ve just met your guests or you’re all longtime friends, this game will be a lot of fun.
Holiday pictionary
Put a competitive spin on name that carol by playing what could easily be another version of the popular game – Christmas carol pictionary. Like a traditional pictionary game, you’ll be creating teams and racing time and each other to guess a topic based on drawings. For this one, of course, you’ll be attempting to guess common Christmas carols. The team who is able to guess the carol first will be the winner. If they want extra points, they’ll have to sing the carol as well!
Make it a merry Christmas for everyone
No matter what you decide to do on Christmas day, what really matters is that everyone enjoys the activities you’re offering. Try to find out what each person likes, and include a little something for everybody in your activities. That way, nobody feels left out!
Are you still working on your living room decorations on Christmas day? Check out our 5th blog of Christmas for some inspiration! And make sure to catch our next blog on how to wind down from all the festivities!
