Last Updated on November 3, 2022 by Lori Geurin
Are you looking for things to do over the Christmas break? If so, you’ve come to the right place! In this week’s Friday Favorite’s I thought it would be fun to focus (mostly) on Christmas…but first a nod to my kind, amazing and hilarious daughter, Maddie who was born the week before Christmas.
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Celebrating Our Maddie’s Birthday
I fixed a birthday meal the evening before her birthday because she had plans to go to Silver Dollar City with her boyfriend on her actual b-day. Plus, it turned out to be a snow day that worked well with David’s schedule too.

Sometimes we go out to eat to celebrate birthdays but she wanted to stay home and asked me to make spaghetti and Ceasar salad so that’s what we did. Instead of a traditional cake, she wanted brownies. I bought coffee ice cream at the store because I knew it was one of her favorites and we enjoyed staying in on the cold, snowy night celebrating her 19th. (And me wondering how she could possibly be this old.)
All of our kids were there so it was a perfect night. And we ended the night with a couple of games of Scattegories which is always fun.
Favorite Christmas Books
There are so many wonderful Christmas books, but these are definitely some of my favorites.
- A Christmas Story, by Jean Shepherd
- The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, by Liz Curtis Higgs
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Dr. Seuss
- The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas, by Ann Voskamp
- The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Moore
- Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
- Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem, by Maya Angelou
- The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg
Favorite Christmas Movies
You might notice that many of the movie titles are from the books above. I like reading the book before I see the movie. How about you? I’m including some links to stream and/or purchase them below in case you’d like to watch your favorites over the holiday break. Enjoy.
- Home Alone
- Elf
- A Christmas Story
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- A Christmas Carol
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- The Chronicles Of Narnia
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Frozen
- The Polar Express
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (I’m including this one for my husband because he loves the Muppets.)
- Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Frosty The Snowman
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Things To Do Over The Christmas Break
Do you have special plans for Christmas break? Now that our kids are older we have to be more intentional about making plans together because everyone is so busy. Here are some fun and (mostly) free activities to do during Christmas break.
- decorate your Christmas tree together
- play board games
- attend a Christmas concert
- bake Christmas cookies then deliver them
- go ice skating
- make homemade Christmas cards
- go for a drive to see the Christmas lights
- watch a Christmas movie
- drink eggnog or hot chocolate around a fireplace
- have an ugly Christmas sweater contest
- decorate a gingerbread house
- listen to Christmas music
- go caroling
- serve a meal at a homeless shelter
- cut out snowflakes
Check out these 20 easy ways to express gratitude.
Last-Minute Amazon Prime Gifts Everyone Loves
Here are some gift ideas most everyone loves. All available on Amazon…hello Prime shipping.
- portable waterproof speaker
- milk frother for coffee drinks or hot cocoa
- cast iron skillet (with 17,000 Amazon reviews)
- candle
- travel pillow
- gourmet chocolates and caramels gift basket
- reliable earbuds
- stainless steel travel mug
- windproof umbrella
- reusable shopping bag

Holiday Gift Guides
If you’re looking for more ideas be sure to check out these gift guides:
- Holiday Gift Guides 2019
- 16 Best Fitness Gifts For Her
- The Ultimate Gift Guide For People With Chronic Illness
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! X, Lori
This is a great list. We love Home alone. I have never thought to gift re usable shopping bags but its such a great idea.
I love this comprehensive list of fun things to do and keep your family active during the holiday. And happy birthday to your little one!
I still need to do many of these things on the list to get into the winter spirit. 🙂