Those small, fun holidays in December are the perfect excuse to slow down, cozy up, and sprinkle a little magic into a month that can feel… well, a teensy bit bonkers.
Yes, we’ve got the big ones like Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve taking center stage. But we’re not here to focus on those today.
Because tucked between the shopping, concerts, and end-of-year everything, December is also filled with silly, sweet, totally delightful days that are way too good to skip.
Whether you’re decking halls in a snowy winter wonderland or soaking up those long, warm summer nights, I’ve rounded up a joyful mix of fun holidays in December that bring both sparkle and sanity.
From cute crafts for kids to low-effort memory makers (plus a few grown-up treats), this list is your December bucket list of whimsy, warmth, and “oh, that’s fun!” moments.
Below you’ll find delightful December fun days to celebrate with your kids, your friends, or honestly… just yourself.
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Your Guide to Fun Holidays in December
Why Celebrate These Weird December Holidays Anyway?
Because December is already full of expectation, and sometimes the tiny celebrations are the ones that help us breathe.
These quirky little days offer easy, no-pressure moments to reconnect with your kids, or even just yourself (between all the wrapping paper chaos).
Maybe you’re homeschooling and looking for creative ways to bring learning into the season, or a teacher trying to keep the pre-holiday wiggles under control.
Or maybe you’re simply a mom wanting to pause for something joyful without adding more mental clutter.
These December fun days are here to give you craft ideas, cozy activities, and bite-sized traditions your family will actually look forward to.
These small-but-mighty special days in December can:
- Spark creativity with low-prep seasonal crafts
- Break up the holiday rush with something simple and sweet
- Offer playful moments you don’t have to plan weeks ahead
- Create traditions your kids will actually remember
- Add joy to the season without adding stress
Fun and Weird Holidays in December to Celebrate
December 1: Eat a Red Apple Day
- Host a mini apple taste-test with different varieties
- Kids paint apple prints using real apple halves dipped in paint
- Read Dr Seuss’s Ten Apples Up On Top and stack toy apples or blocks for fun
- Create a mini “apple orchard” sensory bin with pom-pom apples
- Host an apple-scented playdough session with cinnamon mixed in
- Adults: Try a warm spiked apple cider while wrapping gifts
December 3: Make a Gift Day
- Assemble DIY bookmark kits so kids can gift something they made themselves
- Help kids create simple friendship bracelets as handmade gifts
- Stamp wrapping paper using potatoes shaped like stars and trees
- Record a short “video message gift” from your kids for a loved one
- Try a family crafting session, like these fun Christmas handprints or general craft ideas on the blog
December 4: National Cookie Day
- Create paper cookies and decorate them with glitter glue icing
- Make “cookie playdough” with chocolate chip–lookalike beads
- Hold a blindfolded “guess that cookie” tasting game with kid-safe choices
- Create a “cookie board” for an after-dinner treat
- Adults: Cookie-inspired cocktails (espresso martini for the win)
December 7: Letter Writing Day
- Create wax-seal-style stickers with crayons and foil for “fancy” letters
- Mail a letter to Santa (check my free printable letter to Santa template!)
- Make DIY mailbox boxes from shoeboxes for pretend mail delivery
- Read a letter-themed book like Dear Zoo or The Jolly Postman
- Let kids write “thank-you letters” to their toys for being good buddies
- Adults: Write a love note (sweet or spicy) to your partner
December 8: Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day
- Let kids dress up and “report” on the future or the past
- Make a paper-plate clock craft and spin it to choose your travel era
- Watch a time-travel-themed movie as a family
- Create a mini “time capsule” with drawings or notes
- Read a time-travel kids’ book like The Magic Tree House and act out a chapter
- A cardboard box time machine? Always a hit
December 12: Gingerbread House Day
- Build gingerbread houses (store-bought kits totally count)
- Make gingerbread playdough and let kids build little “houses” with cookie cutters
- Create and decorate a cardboard gingerbread village
- Create themed houses, think unicorn cottage, winter beach hut, candy castle
- Color a gingerbread playhouse — it will keep the kids entertained for hours!
December 13: National Cocoa Day
- Make a DIY hot cocoa station with sprinkles, marshmallows, and candy canes
- Make cocoa-themed art with brown paint and glitter
- Craft paper cocoa mugs and fill them with cotton ball “marshmallows”
- Do a cocoa-scented sensory bin with chocolate rice and scoops
- Create a pretend-play cocoa café using play money and toy cups
December 15: International Tea Day
- Host a kid-friendly tea party with juice “tea”, tiny snacks and plushies
- Make paper teabags filled with tissue-paper “tea leaves” for pretend play
- Paint simple teacup-shaped paper crafts
- Read Tea Party Rules and then host your own cozy tea party
- Adults: A solo tea moment with a book you’ve been ignoring
December 17: National Maple Syrup Day
- Make pancakes or waffles for dinner
- Make maple-scented homemade playdough for sticky-sweet pretend play (minus the stickiness)
- Paint “maple leaf art” using real leaves as stencils
- Try making maple popcorn
- Paint with syrup-colored watercolor tones
- Create maple-themed sensory jars with glitter, warm tones, and leaf confetti
December 18: Answer the Telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day
- Greet every call with a cheerful “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?”
- Make elf hats from construction paper and cotton balls for dress-up calls
- Do a family elf costume challenge
- Read a kid-friendly elf book like How to Catch an Elf or the Elf storybook
- Watch the Elf movie together
- Set up a pretend phone station with toy phones for silly elf conversations
December 20: Go Caroling Day
- Carol around your neighborhood or even just around your living room
- Make simple microphone props from tinfoil and cardboard tubes
- Do a family caroling sing-off with silly voices and record your concert
- Create shake-along rhythm sticks with beans and decorated tubes
- Illustrate your own Christmas carol pages for a homemade songbook
- Adults: host a “carols and cocktails” night
December 27: Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day
- Use coffee filters to make rainbow watercolor snowflakes
- Hang paper snowflakes from a window or ceiling
- Make giant snowflakes with folded newspaper or butcher paper
- Paint watercolor snowflakes for a colorful twist
- Read Snowflake Bentley, who captured the beauty of snowflakes
- Adults: make a delicate snowflake garland for décor
December 30: Bacon Day
- Make bacon waffles or bacon breakfast sandwiches
- Have a breakfast-for-dinner bacon bar
- Create pretend-play breakfast sets from felt bacon and eggs
- Make “paper bacon” by painting squiggly brown-and-pink stripes
- Build a cardboard frying pan and let kids “cook” craft bacon
- Adults: Maple bacon bourbon cocktail
Cozy Endings to a Merry December
And that’s your joyful, cozy, slightly silly guide to fun holidays in December – for the perfect little moments to sprinkle between the bigger December celebrations.
Whether you’re crafting, baking, adventuring, or simply pausing to enjoy the glow of fairy lights, these special days in December offer excuses to slow down and savor the season.
Add a few (or all!) of these to your December bucket list and let this month be full of warm memories, tiny traditions, and wonderfully imperfect fun.
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