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Ready for some free family fun?

It's time to switch gears and go from shopping for the family to spending time with them.

Today's episode is filled with 12 days worth of fun and free activities the whole family will enjoy.

Action Task

Download the 12 Days of Free Christmas Fun printable!

Resources

>> The Original Christmas Light Finder

>> Help a child for Christmas

>> Hoopla

>> 12 Days of Free Christmas Fun

Products mentioned in this episode:

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Below is the transcript from today's show. Or you can download the full transcript as a PDF.

Welcome to the Go From Broke podcast where you'll learn how to take control of your money so you can stress less and save more. If you're tired of living paycheck to paycheck or constantly wondering where your money is going, you are in the right place. This podcast is all about giving you actionable tips and advice so you can get started improving your finances today.

As Christmas approaches, I thought it'd be a good time to shift the focus from spending money on gifts to spending time with your family.

So here are 12 days of free Christmas fun to have with your family.

Day one, write letters to Santa.

It's always fun to see what your kids have to say to Santa. As much as we may expect them to ask for certain gifts, I'm constantly surprised with the level of charity and compassion that comes out as well. In my son's first handwritten letter to Santa, he simply said, thanks for sending him Mickey, his Elf on the Shelf.

How cute is that?

For day two make hot chocolate together.

I love making hot chocolate because it's so simple, but to create a truly memorable holiday moment, jazz it up a bit by creating a hot chocolate bar.

Set up several toppings your family enjoys and let everyone create their own masterpiece. Some of my favorite toppings are marshmallows, whipped cream, peppermint sticks, and cinnamon.

Okay, for day three, make your own ornament.

Handmade ornaments aren't just a fun family activity; they make fantastic DIY gifts. Or, if you're the nostalgic type, save them for yourself so you can enjoy all the memories each year as you decorate your tree.

Day four, take a drive to see the Christmas displays.

Driving around neighborhoods to see all the Christmas displays was always one of my favorite things to do as a kid.

Check with your local newspaper to see if there are any businesses or colleges or neighborhoods that go all out with decorations you can't miss.

You can also check out the website, The Original Christmas Light Finder, to find displays based off of your zip code. This might be helpful if you travel around during the holidays. I'll put the link in the show notes.

Day five, make Christmas cards.

Homemade Christmas cards can be both super fun and super economical. Raid your craft supplies for cardstock, stickers, glitter, glue. Then let your kids get creative.

You can also check Pinterest for some fun and festive ideas. To save a bit more money and make it even more of an event, consider delivering your cards in person if you can.

Day six, have a family game night.

If you're like us, family game nights might be pretty routine. But see if you can't put a holiday spin on things.

Try a Christmas themed round of Pictionary or play checkers with red and green M&Ms.

Day seven, donate some toys or clothing to charity.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with consumerism around the holidays, so put the focus on others by donating some old toys or clothes to charity.

Or consider donating a new gift to a child in need and helping make their Christmas special. I'll put a link in the show notes that explains more on this and gives you more options.

Day eight, have a snowball fight. If you've been blessed with a winter Wonderland, go out and enjoy a fun snowball fight with your family. We live in the desert so snowball fights aren't typically an option for us. Unless you have a snowball fight in a tin.

We got one as a gift years ago, and it's literally the gift that keeps on giving. It's just a small tin filled with plush snowballs, but we leave it out all year and randomly just start snowball fights around the house. Even the dogs love it, which is also why we've had to replace a few snowballs over the years.

Day nine, visit Santa.

No Christmas is complete without a visit to Santa. I haven't visited a mall Santa in years, but our local Walmart had pictures with Santa for free. There was a fee for the photo package, but they were totally fine with letting people just take their own pictures on their phones.

If your town does any winter festivals or parades, that may be another way to see Santa for free.

Day ten bake some Christmas cookies or desserts.

One of the best ways to make memories and teach skills is to spend time together in the kitchen. Traditional sugar cookies are super simple to make and decorate.

Or you can take things up a notch and make your own special dessert recipes for the season.

Growing up my brothers and I couldn't wait for the special fudge and chocolate truffles my grandma would send with her Christmas packages. Now we try to recreate those sweet treats with our own kids. It's become a fun family tradition.

Day eleven, watch a Christmas movie.

Some of my most enduring memories revolve around watching Christmas classics, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

There's no shortage of Christmas movies to watch, but here are some that make our marathon list every year.

A Christmas Story

Elf

A Charlie Brown Christmas

The Polar Express

of course Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman

Miracle on 34th Street

Home Alone

and my favorite, The Muppet Christmas Carol

Pro tip - you can use hoopla to find free movies that you can stream from your local library. I'll put a link to that in the show notes.

Day 12, read your favorite Christmas story.

No Christmas Eve is complete in our house without a reading of The Night Before Christmas.

Whether you're looking to make a tradition or just turn off the electronics for a bit, there's no shortage of good Christmas books out there.

Some of my favorites are How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf on the Shelf, The Polar Express, and obviously, The Night Before Christmas.

Check with your local library for some other recommendations.

And there you have it. 12 days of free Christmas fun.

So your action task this week is a little bit different. This week, I want you to head over to the website and grab the 12 Days of Free Christmas Fun printable.

That way you can create your own 12 days of Christmas.

I recommend cutting up the activities and mixing them up in a jar or a bowl. Then you or your kids can pick one out each morning and add a little fun and mystery to your day.

Just go to GoFromBroke.com/12DaysofChristmas. There'll also be a link in the show notes in case you forget that URL.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review and help others find the show. And don't forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.

As always take action and make it a great day.