25 Christmas Bucket List ideas

I have decided that there is no point in doing things with half effort. So, when I do something this year, I am going to try to either go all in or not at all. I hate half-assing my way through life. Of course, both physical and mental health can be a huge factor in changing that for me but the point is, my new motto is to at least aim to go all in or not at all. As such, I decided to go all in and make a Christmas Bucket List this year. I am quite keen to share this with you as I think it’s a pretty fun idea. A Christmas Bucket list is usually a list of Christmas, winter or overall festive things that I want to do or perhaps see this winter. I have listed all of the ideas that I came up with – in case you wanted to come up with your own bucket list for the season!

Besides, I can’t really do Blogmas without having some sort of Christmas bucket list, can I? I came up with this list pre-December so I have already started to work my way through them but there’s still plenty of time to come up with your own list if you have not already!

My Christmas Bucket List

• Create handmade holiday cards

This one is pretty much an annual tradition at this point. I try and do this every year. It can take a while but it’s a really fun way to brighten up someone’s day. As it is quite time consuming, it is best to get started early. I will be trying to get all of mine done this week!

• DIY advent calendar

I have always loved the reusable advent calendars that you can fill yourself. The whole concept is much more fun to me than buying a chocolate advent calendar that gives you a tiny piece of chocolate or spending tons of money on one but actually getting awful tacky things in return. This is a fun activity in my opinion, plus also better for your wallet. Making an advent calendar for myself, however, has never interested me as it kills the element of surprise. I will, however, be totally making DIY calendars if – or when – I have children, one day.

However, this year, I came up with a fun idea to tie my love for leaving little notes for people with Christmas. So I decided to try and make at least one advent calendar for someone else this year.

• Find a fun way to display holiday cards

Receiving cards is also really nice. It’s a great way of showing that you are in someone’s thoughts. This is true for any occasion – whether it’s your birthday or anniversary or a specific holiday. I always save the cards and letters that I receive but I usually just keep them in my bedside drawer for a while before putting them in a box. This year, I would love to try and find something different – a nice fun way to display them for a bit. I can change them up when my birthday comes around.

• Make a Christmas gift 

I’ll be honest here, I prefer buying gifts than making them – mostly because I am not sure that my handmade gift is ‘worthy’ enough! But I do enjoy making different things so one of my goals for the month will be to actually make something for someone. It will likely be given as an additional gift, alongside something bought but it’s a step in the right direction.

• Write a letter or card to a stranger – armed forces, a cancer patient, etc

This year, I want to write at least one letter or send a holiday card to a stranger. This can be anyone but the idea is just to brighten up someone’s day. There are many different organisations that will do a campaign, asking you to write. 

From Me To You asks people to donate a letter, card or postcard to someone with cancer. They are distributed through UK hospitals to cancer patients. Here’s a bunch of information on how to get involved if you’re interested. 

There are also many international organisations that will write to people in the armed forces, in hospital or just going through a rough time. You can even leave a letter on the table of a restaurant for the person who served you or give it to someone you randomly come across. 

• Write a Letter to Santa – and actually mail it!

Alright, fine, this one is definitely for children rather than adults. However, you can write a letter to Santa (well to someone at Royal Mail) – and they’ll even send you one back if you include a stamp and return address. However, I think the idea in general is a very fun concept. It is a great way to get children into writing letters. Since I never did it as a child, I figured I would write a letter to ‘Santa’ this year, just thanking them (the postal workers!) for all of their hardwork delivering my festive letters and cards.

• Take part in Blogmas

This one is a given but I really enjoy getting involved in Blogmas. I did it once in 2017 and it was a really fun experience that I would highly recommend to others. People do criticise the idea of blogging daily – as they often say it produces bad quality posts. However, if you plan ahead and put in the same amount of effort you would for your regular posts, I think it is worth it. Even if you do not complete it, it is still a great way to meet other bloggers and to feel more festive.

• Create a December Daily album

One of my goals in life has always been to scrapbook or journal more often. Memory keeping is something that I really enjoy doing – and I love looking back on the results later. However it does take a lot of time and I often find that it falls to the bottom of my huge pile of to dos. For this month, however, a lot of people come together to do the “December Daily” challenge. I think that is a great place for me to start trying to make memory keeping a habit. As such, I am hoping to create a completed album!

• Make a Christmas Ornament

Christmas ornaments may only come out of a box once a year but they instantly brighten up the whole place. Adding a few ornaments here and there can help spread the festive cheer. I really fancy trying my hand at making something myself. I have not decided what yet, just… something! I think it would be a fun challenge that I can either put around my house or give away as a gift afterwards. 

•  Do five more things from this list

I came up with a list of other ideas that I love and want to do. However, right now, I cannot pick from them. So I am going to cheat a little and say that my challenge is to do at least five more things from this list. Watching a Christmas movie will, no doubt, be one of them. Though I will likely watch repeats than new ones! But movies work very well with a nice hot cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine, snuggled under a blanket so that would tick off that one too! Just to make it a little bit more of a challenge, I shall likely do at least one from each category.

Crafty ideas:

• Craft a festive centrepiece for the table
• Decorate a bauble for the tree
• Create a wreath for the front door
• Bake cookies and decorate them
• Create paper snowflakes for the windows 

Spending time with loved ones:

• Visit a local Christmas Market
• Go Ice-skating with friends or family
• Watch a Christmas Movie not seen before
• Visit Winter Wonderland – or another festive themed event
• See a musical or play, such as Nutcracker

Doing something nice for others:

• Volunteer at the local homeless shelter
• Donate a toy to a local drive
• Make a donation to a charity christmas appeal

Other festive ideas:

• Wear all of the festive clothing – Christmas Jumpers, Leggings, Jewellery!
• Do Elf on a Shelf
• Drink festive drinks, such as Hot Chocolate or Mulled Wine

And there you have it! That’s my Christmas Bucket List – do you have one? If not, feel free to use any of these ideas in your own. If you do come up with your own bucket list, please do share it with me – I would love to know!