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Making Memories 101
Christmas Activity Ideas
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Christmas Games
Christmas & New Years Eve Party Games
Christmas Games
Pin The Nose on Rudolph:
This is a take on 'pin the tail on the donkey'.
Put a picture of a nose-less Rudolf on the wall,
make a red nose out of felt,
blindfold the residents, and see if they can
pin a red nose in the right place.
Pin The Nose On Rudolph Printable
Scramble Christmas Words:
Supplies: index cards, paper bags.
How To Play: Choose a Christmas word such as: Christmas,
Candy Cane, Santa Claus, Reindeer....
Write each letter of a word on individual index cards.
Put the set in a paper bag. Divide the residents into teams.
Give each team a bag.
The first team to decipher what the word in the is bag wins
Candy Cane Hockey:
Make 2 goals on a table.
Take jellybeans and use candy canes to shoot them into the goals.
Team With Most jelly beans inside goals at end of 5 min wins.
ChristmasWord Draw
Supplies:index cards - blackboard - chalk
Write words relating to Christmas on the index cards
Divide residents into teams.
In alternating turns, each team sends up a player to draw a word,
with all members of that team allowed to guess it (predetermine a set time limit).
If a team member guesses correctly before time runs out,
that team wins a point and it is the next team's turn.
The enthusiasm of this guessing game can be contagious,
so make it clear that if someone from the resting team
yells out the right word by accident,
the drawing team still receives the point.
Ring The Bell
Using a large (4 foot x 3 foot) piece of heavy duty cardboard, cut a large bell shape from the center.
Then add ribbons with jingle bells attached to hang from the open middle area.
Resident try to threw bean bags through the bell to "Ring the Bell".
Christmas Put & Take
Cut Christmas tree shapes from Green felt.
Cut several different shapes, sizes and types of tree ornaments also from felt.
Take a pair of dice and on one die tape all sides using white tape.
Alter writing the words "put" & "take" around the die.
As The game begins give each resident a tree & place all the ornaments in the middle
Resident rolls both dice. If he rolls for instance put & 4 he takes 4
ornaments from center & puts them on his tree.
If he rolls take & 4 he must take 4 ornaments off his tree
& put them back in the middle.
If he does not have the right amount of ornaments on his tree to take off
he loses his next turn. As the game progresses a resident can choose to
take the ornaments from the center or off another residents tree.
Set a time limit for game and whoever has the most ornaments
at the end of game on their tree wins.
Award Prizes
Christmas Tree Pitch
Cut a Christmas Tree out of Heavy Cardboard & Paint green or cover with green contact paper
Make several round holes in the tree & give each hole a number point value
On bottom of tree staple or glue cups where holes are. Make sure holes are
completely covered by cups under neath.
(empty plastic pudding or jello containers work nice)
Have residents take turns trying to pitch pennies into tree cups.
Keep score. Give winner a prize.
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Christmas Decorating
Jing-A-Ling Garland
Drop a tealight candle in your cleaned out glass mayonnaise jars, tie a
holiday ribbon around the neck, and you have a beautiful candle with
Christmas charm. You could nestle the candle in peppermints, nuts, or
even sand if you wish. Try grouping several together for a dramatic
evening effect. These also make great luminaries
Sponge stars or other seasonal shapes on your window with paint!
Just add a teaspoon or so of liquid dish soap to acrylic craft paint,
After the holidays you should be able to wash it off with window cleaner.
Use a non-scratching dish scrubber if you come across a stubborn spot
Try searching out teddy bears and dolls at your local thrift stores.
Wash them in a pillowcase and put them in your dryer for at least 20 minutes,
then dress them up with ribbons and holiday fabrics. Group them under your tree,
on mantels, and on windowsills. Stack small squares of cardboard together and
wrap as a tiny present, then tuck them under a teddy's arm, or wrap an empty box
and use it as teddy's seat by the front door
Make a candy cane vase using an empty coffee can.
Glue candy canes, curved side up and facing out, around the entire can. Fill
this with red flowers for a spirited holiday table decoration
Try stringing pasta, cinnamon sticks, dry oranges,
and apple slices for a country holiday garland.Add Rag Bows In between
Collect a BUNCH of acorns with their caps. Hot glue
sheet moss over a 3" styrafoam ball. Hold an acorn by the nut end. Cover the
stem with hot glue and quickly press it onto the ball. Keep going till the
whole ball is covered. Add a piece of real or artificial mistletoe at the bottom.
To hang, make a loop with ribbon, and poke the ends of the ribbon into the
styrofoam ball (where there are no acorns), opposite the mistletoe. Glue into place
Make simple bows from Christmas print ribbon and pin them to your curtains
Cut snowflakes from white paper and hang them in all of your windows
Squigley's Perfect Snowflakes
Purchase an inexpensive mail box. Spray paint it red or green.
Use craft paints to add simple Christmas shapes or attach store-bought ornaments with a
hot glue gun. Fill with goodies such as Christmas cookies & candy for staff & residents
Or use it for your facility Christmas card exchange. Check daily and deliver cards.
Have a resident door decorating contest.
Let staff chose a resident
who's door they will be responsible to decorate by a certain date. Have volunteer judges pick the
best decorated door. Award prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd. If possible let residents help.
Make sure no resident is left out.
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Christmas Ideas At Home
At Christmas we have a "Giving Tree"
We started this when our children were young
The tree is loaded with goodies we have made.
Every visitor to our home during the holidays
gets to pick something from our "Giving Tree"
The True Christmas Story
Every year at our house on Thanksgiving a Grandchild is picked
To tell the whole family The Christmas Story on Christmas Eve.
Family Stockings
We also have a tradition of Family Christmas Tree Stockings
that was started by My Mother before I was born.
She made socks out of red cordorouy with a wide white ribbon
sewn around the top with our first name embroidered on them.
A large felt tree with a yellow star on top was in the middle
with glitter used as garland. Hanging on our tree & sock were
miniature trinkets we collected over the years.( A lot of mine
were from cracker jacks)
If you make Christmas Candy & Cookies
make a little extra. Purchase a few Paper Christmas plates and
fill them for seniors in your community. My husband did odd jobs
for some elderly widows & widower's in our community and we have so much
fun visiting them with our goodies on Christmas eve day.
Some have even come home with us for our Christmas Eve Celebration.
Get some last minute trinkets from a dollar store,
wrap them and keep in a decorated basket. Keep the filled basket handy for
those unexpected visitors during the holiday season
When your friends,your children's friends or distant relatives
drop by unexpected you will be prepared especially if you are having your gift exchange.
Be sure to mark for man, woman, boy, girl.
Remember, Your Family Traditions will be remembered through many generations.
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Come On Ring Those Bells
