Inexpensive Ways to Celebrate Christmas with Children

Making Christmas a special time for you and your children does not have to be expensive or elaborate. There are many ways to make great memories without having to spend a lot of money. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to celebrate Christmas with your children here are some tips to help you out!

1. Plan a game and hot cocoa night. This is a great way for the whole family to spend time together and guaranteed your children will LOVE this idea! All you need is a couple of family friendly board games and some hot cocoa with marshmallows of course! Some great games include Monopoly, Clue, Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. If you already have these board games all you will need to buy is some hot cocoa and you are set! You will find yourself having fun as well.

2. Make Christmas cookies or cupcakes together. This is another great way to get your kids involved with a delicious treat as well. Pick out a couple of easy Christmas cookie recipes and get your children to help you make them. A popular choice for Christmas cookies is the cut out sugar cookies. You can make your own cookie dough or buy it ready made. You can have them help you cut out the cookies and decorate them later. Be sure to make some colorful icing and add some sprinkles. A great way to add to the Christmas spirit is to put some Christmas music on in the background. A good choice for children is Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Songs.

3. Draw names for a Dollar Store Secret Santa. As a mom of four kids I can say this is one of the more popular Christmas traditions we have in our house. We put our names into a hat and everyone draws a name that they get to shop for at the Dollar Tree or Dollar Store. Your kids will love getting into the Christmas spirit of giving. Be sure to let them pick out the gift they think the recipient will like. You can also have them help you wrap it for extra fun.

4. Have a Christmas movie night. During Christmas time TV channels play a plethora of Christmas movies, cartoons and shows. Go through the list with your children and plan to watch your favorites together. Popular choices are How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. You can add a special snack by popping some popcorn or having some hot cocoa.

5. Have a Christmas story night. If you do not already have some head out to a used book store or a thrift store and pick out some children's Christmas books. One must have is of course "The Night Before Christmas". There is something magical for both parents and children alike to be snuggled up together reading Christmas stories together. For older kids opt for a fun book like "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". You can start reading it a little bit after Thanksgiving each night.

All of these are great, inexpensive ways to make Christmas special for all you!