10 Christmas Adventures with Kids
Christmas is almost here. Can you feel the excitement growing? I think that – the waiting, the excitement – is probably my favorite part of Christmas.
Because we are a family that loves to go on adventures, Christmas Adventures are part of our holiday family traditions.
We started taking our twins on Christmas Adventures pretty much as soon as they could walk.
When they were two they toddled around the block at my parent’s house in Wisconsin to look for Christmas lights. That took a remarkably long time compared to the blocks my kids walk now with their Christmas lights scavenger hunts in hand, but it was an early attempt at exploring the season and laid the groundwork for our family Christmas adventure traditions.
Since then these traditions have grown and changed and we’ve moved several times, but getting out and finding the spirit of the season in our city or town is always a part of our December.
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10 Christmas Adventures for Kids
Below are 10 of our favorite annual Christmas Adventures. I hope you find at least one new one to try with your family this holiday season.
1. Searching for Signs of Christmas
As early as Thanksgiving weekend we like to go on a Christmas signs hunt. We walk our neighborhood or town and take in the signs of Christmas approaching – the decorations, the Christmas trees, the lights.
Last year we loved finding the smell of Christmas trees on the street corners in New York City.
This year we’re planning to wander Little Italy and Liberty Station, as well as our own neighborhood to search for signs of Christmas.
2. Christmas Book Shopping
We are a book obsessed family so really any excuse to go to the bookstore will do. I always love making a special trip around the holidays to read new Christmas books. On a cold winter day there is little better than snuggling up in a warm, cozy bookshop for an hour or two.
We have explored many bookshops over the holidays looking for gifts and new books to add to our already insane Christmas Book Collection.
This picture is from last December in the cozy children’s section at Boswell Book Co on Downer Ave in Milwaukee WI.
This year I’m hoping to do some Christmas book shopping at one of the local San Diego indies. If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments!
3. Window Displays
New York City window displays are famous and one of my musts if you are in Manhattan for the holidays, but even if you are somewhere else it is likely that stores this time of year in your area will have to festive window displays. Go take a walk and peek in.
Last year we were pressing our noses up to the windows at Macy’s.
This year I doubt we’ll find anything quite as impressive, but we’re planning to explore some shopping areas and see what we can find.
4. Holiday Parade
This has been one of our favorite holiday traditions in the different places we have lived.
In the Twin Cities we bundled up for the Holidazzle parade.
In Baraboo WI, we super bundled with hand warmers for the night time Winter Lights parade.
In Madison MS, we enjoyed the relatively warm holiday parade down main street and the chance to chat with Santa and Mrs. Claus afterwards.
In New York City, we watched the incredible Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with it’s detailed floats, performers, and jaw dropping balloons. (Read my tips for doing that with kids in this post)
I’m not sure what California has in store for us, but I’m excited to find out. We have the La Jolla Christmas Parade.
5. Holiday Lights Walk
This is another one we have always loved. I like to wait until about the week before Christmas. We bundle up one evening and go for a walk. We’ve used this Scavenger Hunt the past few years for some integrated literacy and because my kids are a bit scavenger hunt obsessed.
Most towns have an area infamous for their lights. When we lived in Brooklyn the Dyker Lights were an annual must.
This year we’re going to walk around our neighborhood and check out one of these holiday light displays.
6. Holiday Markets
Our favorites in New York City were the one in the Oculus and at Union Square. My kids love browsing the different little shops and we also take turns bringing them to pick out gifts for each other and for us (their mom and dad). We use these adventures as mini-math and currency lessons, much like going to the farmers’ market.
This year I’m planning to go to the Maker’s Holiday Fairy at the Broadway Pier and browse shops at our favorite Little Italy Farmers’ Market.
7. Special Holiday Displays
My kids are awed by a really special holiday display. This one is the luminary display in Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan and it was our favorite in New York City at Christmas Time.
This year we are planning to visit the San Diego Botanic Garden for their garden of lights and watch the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights.
8. Ice Skating
My kids love ice skating….or at least the concept of ice skating. Actually moving across the ice is a work in progress. We love trying though. I read this list of rinks in San Diego and was so excited that this wasn’t a Christmas adventure we were going to have to miss in California.
This picture was taking at the Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan overlooking the river, Lady Liberty, and New Jersey’s skyline. We also loved ice skating in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and although pricey, I thought skating at Rockefeller is one of those ‘you should do this at least once’ experiences.
9. Christmas Tree Hunt
One of my favorite things about Christmas are the beautiful lights and trees that pop up everywhere. Hotels, town squares, train stations, libraries. They are everywhere and we love searching for them. If you follow Little Kid Big City on Instagram I think she is the queen of hunting down Christmas trees every year.
This one is from the New York Public Library in 2017.
One of the things I love most about hunting for Christmas trees is that they often surprise you. You round a corner and wow – there is an incredible tree.
10. Find the Best Hot Cocoa
In our case this is more of a find good Vegan hot cocoa in our current town. Not an easy task. I’m a huge hot cocoa fan though so I like to taste test some this time of year.
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