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24 Old Fashioned Christmas Ideas

These old fashioned Christmas ideas are things our family and others have enjoyed to simplify the holidays, have fun, and enjoy a more meaningful Christmas season.

Have you ever noticed that it’s often the simpler Christmas things we do together that make the best memories during the Advent Season?

What’s one of your favorite childhood Christmas memories? Chances are it’s not even about a specific gift.

A Christmas toy trailer in a snow village.

One of my most vivid recollections is a joyful afternoon spent sledding and throwing snowballs with my family near my grandparents’ house in Cincinnati.

When we reminisce about the holidays of our younger days, perhaps we feel like things just seemed less commercial and more special. Sometimes we long for more opportunities to make memories with our loved ones.

Bob Hope said it best:

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things–not the great occasions–give off the greatest glow of happiness.”

Here are some nostalgic things you can do this holiday season to bring back the old-fashioned spirit of Christmas and rekindle that special, simple magic.

24 Old-Fashioned Things To Do for the Holidays

1. Make snow angels.

2. Make Pomander Balls by studding fresh oranges with cloves. Put them in a pretty bowl to make your home smell Christmasy.

3. Decorate pine cones with glue and glitter. Make a construction paper chain garland. Or string popcorn and cranberries.

4. Read The Night Before Christmas.

5. Do a jigsaw puzzle together.

6. Go to the mountains for a day, or rent a cozy cabin for the weekend.

A snowy cabin decorated with little white Christmas lights.

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7. Attend a candlelight service.

8. Cut out snowflakes from folded white paper, and do some Christmas decorating around the house (like Buddy the Elf).

9. Watch a classic holiday movie like A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, or one of my favorites, Grumpy Old Men.

10. Go ice skating.

11. Leave Christmas cookies and milk out for Santa. We put carrots out for the reindeer, too. On Christmas morning, cookie crumbs are all that remain.

12. Drive around and look at the Christmas lights.

13. Wear a festive Christmas sweater. (Thrift stores often carry great vintage holiday sweaters.)

A woman wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and a red knit hat.

14. Bake Christmas cookies with kids. Have plenty of sprinkles on hand for decorating!

15. Get out in the snow and go sledding or tobogganing. Or go for a sleigh ride.

16. Grab a deck of cards and play a family game like Go Fish, War, Hearts or Gin.

17. Listen to old Christmas music by singers like Bing Crosby, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, or The Carpenters.

18. Attend a performance of Handel’s Messiah. Sing along!

A homeless man smiling as he is handed a Christmas gift wrapped in red wrapping paper.

19. Visit a homeless shelter or nursing home and spread some cheer. Or take a donation to a pet shelter.

20. Have a simple Christmas cookie exchange party.

21. Visit an outdoor holiday market and sample roasted chestnuts.

22. Light candles and read the nativity story in the second chapter of Luke.

23. Have a slumber party with blankets and sleeping bags under the Christmas tree.

24. Make hot chocolate from scratch.

Homemade hot chocolate in a mug with two large marshmallows on top.

How About You?

What old-fashioned simple holiday traditions and fun do you enjoy? I always love hearing your ideas and comments.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and the happiest Christmas ever!

Save for Later

If you use Pinterest to save and share ideas, here’s a handy pin:

A collage with a Christmas tree, children sledding, Christmas cookies and vintage holiday cards.

About Eliza Cross

Eliza Cross is the author of 17 books, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon. She shares ideas to simplify cooking, gardening, time and money. She is also the owner of Cross Media, Inc. and founder of the BENSA Bacon Lovers Society.

3 thoughts on “24 Old Fashioned Christmas Ideas”

  1. I love Handel’s Messiah, but it’s even more fun if you go to a Messiah sing-in. I guess that assumes you’ve sung it a zillion times in every choir you were ever in. 🙂 But for that matter, even though I have never been a Christian, I absolutely LOVE Christmas carols – they’re just so much fun to sing especially with folks who can sight sing simple harmonies. One of my fondest Christmas memories was the year my university choir went caroling in our small college town. We serenaded most of the town and ended up at our director’s house for hot cocoa, apple cider and Christmas cookies.

    Reply
  2. Thank you Eliza for a number of wonderful ideas! Loved the list and have tried out several of the ideas. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

    Reply

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