11 Frugal Christmas Traditions to Start This Year
Christmas will be here before you know it and with it comes the traditions of holidays gone before. If your family is the type that relies heavily on tradition, you may be wondering what new ones you can add this year without spending a lot of money to do so. Finding frugal Christmas traditions isn’t always easy, but with a little research, I am sure you can find a new Christmas tradition to begin with your family his year.
11 Frugal Christmas Traditions to Start This Year
Christmas Eve Movie Night
Grab the family, some popcorn and a movie rental from Amazon and make Christmas Eve a family movie night! Choose a Christmas movie you’ve never seen or an old favorite and enjoy the time together!
Christmas Eve Hot Cocoa and Ornaments
Make up hot cocoa mugs, some art supplies (paint, glitter, etc) and a salt dough recipe. Spend Christmas Eve making Christmas ornaments. Not only will the family have fun, but they’ll have something to remember it by! Make sure to carve the year into the back of the ornament with a paperclip so you always know how old the kids were when they made it.
Christmas Eve Gift Exchange
Christmas Eve is a special time too and often forgotten! On Christmas Eve, why not let everyone open one small gift? It could be a book, pajamas, whatever you want!
The Night Before Christmas Party
Grab a copy of “The Night Before Christmas” and pile everyone around the tree while you read the book. Serve cocoa and cookies of course! You could even decorate to fit the theme if you wanted!
Christmas Cookies for Santa
Don’t forget to bake cookies for Santa together! This can be a great way to include the kids to make the holiday really special for them. Just be sure they don’t forget to leave a carrot out with the cookies; for the reindeer of course!
The Polar Express Party
The Polar Express is an amazing Christmas movie and one that is very fitting for a Christmas Eve party. Serve Christmas treats, set up a train around the tree, listen to the movie soundtrack and of course, watch the movie. It is sure to make for a memorable evening!
DIY Gift Exchange
About a week before Christmas Eve, have everyone sit down and make a small DIY gift that could be given to anyone. On Christmas Eve, number the wrapped DIY gifts and draw numbers from a hat. Have everyone open one DIY gift. Make sure to keep them small and the type of gift that could be used by anyone so that no one gets a gift they won’t like.
Christmas Caroling
Who says caroling is a thing of the past? Get your family together with a group of friends and set off through a safe neighborhood. Sing traditional Christmas songs for your neighbors and be sure to wish them a Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays; whichever you prefer).
Christmas Eve Snow Walk
If you’re lucky enough to have snow on Christmas Eve, bundle everyone up and set off to take a short walk in the show. Let the kids play, take in how beautiful snow can be and enjoy the time together as a family.
Christmas Eve Snowball Fight
Another fun one for those that have snow is to have a family snowball fight! Make sure that you pre-make the snowballs so you can be sure no rocks or ice accidentally get included. A trip to the ER for a cut isn’t on anyone’s Christmas Eve to do list.
Gift Scavenger Hunt
If you do a gift exchange on Christmas Eve, why not make it even more fun and do a scavenger hunt in the house for the first (or last) gift? Write easy clues and send each family member to 3 or 4 different locations to get the next clue. Have the gift waiting for them at the last clue!
Which of these frugal Christmas traditions will you start with your family this year?
