If you’re a parent, you know nothing beats spending time with family around the holidays.
However, also realize your kids aren’t young, Santa-obsessed children anymore; instead, they’re independent teenagers who might favor video games, social media, or friends over family time during holidays
So, how do you keep your teens engaged in family activities this holiday season?
Well, you can create new, unique, and festive traditions that incorporate activities your teens enjoy, too.
Here are 10 fun family holiday activity ideas you can try.
1. Hot Cocoa Bar
Who doesn’t love hot cocoa? This year, step it up a notch by creating a gourmet hot cocoa bar. Moreover, a variety of hot cocoa flavors and every topping you can think of will do the trick. Think whipped cream, caramel, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, candy canes, cinnamon sticks, marshmallows, hazelnuts, graham crackers, sprinkles, coconut — you name it. Doesn’t this get your mouth watering too?
2. Holiday Selfie Scavenger Hunt
If your teenager likes to snap lots of selfies for social media, you can take advantage of that to plan a unique event. So, you can create a fun, holiday-themed selfie scavenger hunt at your local mall? Split up into teams and scour the mall for Christmas selfie opportunities, such as a selfie:
- With Santa
- Eating Christmas cookies
- In front of a Christmas tree
- Hanging a Christmas ornament
- Sipping hot cocoa
- With a wrapped present
- Near Christmas lights
- Under the mistletoe
Set a timer and meeting spot once the hunt is over. After each team runs around the mall collecting selfies, you’ll share your pictures and determine who got the better shot.
3. White Elephant Gift Exchange
Gift exchanges are always a fun family holiday activity. But what if that gift exchange included some of the silliest items you can think of? Cue the white elephant gift exchange. Typically, white elephant gifts are unusual, impractical, or funny items that most people don’t need or want (think gag gifts.). Not to mention, swapping hilarious presents makes holiday gift opening a rip-roaring time for everyone. Of course, this doesn’t have to take the place of your meaningful gift exchange.
4. Looking at the Lights
Star gazing has no age limits. It is a very beautiful activity that can bring all the family members together during holidays.
When you are planning a stargazing night with your teens and family, you can always add some mouth-watering food options.
Make them wear their comfiest pajamas and head on the terrace with a blanket and some holiday food from McDonalds or Chick-fil-A. You can also set up a little lounge for them with some fairy lights and a shamiyana.
And this can be one of the special holiday nights for your teenagers.
5. Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Rather than wearing your pajamas to open presents on Christmas morning, why not up the ante and start an annual ugly Christmas sweater contest? Each member of the family can make or buy an ugly holiday sweater. Then, share your photos on social media; ask family and friends to vote on their favorite. Moreover, make sure the winner receives an extra gift, a trophy, or bragging rights.
6. Christmas Movie Marathon
Family movie night is a blast from the past now that your teens prefer going to the theater with friends. Moreover, having a movie marathon at home with the family can be one of your traditional fun family holiday activities.
And Christmas can be the perfect time to gather the family for a movie marathon. Watch all your holiday favorites, such as:
- “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”
- “The Santa Clause”
- “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
- “Elf”
- “A Christmas Story”
- “Home Alone”
- “Christmas with the Kranks”
- “The Holiday”
- “The Family Stone”
7. Cookie Baking and Decorating
Christmas and cookies go hand-in-hand, and baking is one of those family activities that never disappoint. Moreover, block off an entire night or day for mixing, baking, and decorating holiday cookies with the whole family. Some popular options include gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, sugar, and spritz cookies.
Additionally, you can also arrange for a gingerbread house competition and include your teens’ friends. They all can stay involved in making the best gingerbread house and win exciting rewards in the holiday season.
8. Fun Family Christmas Cards
Mailing family photo Christmas cards is a common annual tradition, but getting your kids to cooperate for a photo session can be difficult. This year, rather than sending a traditional family portrait, why not have a little fun with your photo Christmas cards? Set up a hilarious, yet accurate, representation of your family. Additionally snap some expectation versus reality photos; create a purposeful awkward family photo, or opt for a witty saying such as:
- “Fresh out of falalas”
- “So elf’n cute”
- “Merry Whatever”
- “Kindly disregard my resting Grinch face”
9. Family TikTok Dance
Chances are if you have a teenager, you’ve heard of TikTok. You know, that social media platform with the dance trends. Ask your teen if they’re willing to teach you the latest dance challenge. Then, perform it as a family. Even the rehearsal process will be hilarious and fun for everyone, guaranteed. Who knows? Your video might go viral!
10. Game Night with Teens
If your teens spend a lot of time playing computer games and PS5, you can try having a game night planned for your holiday activities.
For this, you don’t need to do too much. You can prepare your living room with a big screen and some gaming setups, announcing the commencement of the competition.
However, if you want them to spend less time with digital devices, you can arrange for a candy bar game, or a bowl game. Moreover, some cool A Minute to Win It games can also be your go-to family holiday activities.
Enjoy Fun with the Whole Family This Holiday Season
Your teens may not want to write letters to Santa anymore, but there are plenty of holiday-themed family activities they no doubt enjoy, too. Whether it’s an impressive hot cocoa bar, Christmas selfies, a white elephant gift exchange, ugly Christmas sweater contest, movie marathon, cookie baking, funny photo Christmas cards, or learning a TikTok dance together, including your teens in this year’s festivities will be more enjoyable than ever.
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