There’s a lot of pressure to create holiday magic for your family, but beyond the lack of time, a lack of funds can really dampen the Christmas spirit. Sure, Christmas is about being together and enjoying family time, but when your social media feed is filled with people creating elaborate holiday memories with trips and hour-long photoshoots with Santa and cookies and cocoa aboard an actual Polar Express, it’s easy to feel less than. But holiday magic doesn’t have to be expensive, and there are plenty of low-cost ways to make Christmas fun happen.
Because let’s be real: nothing is free. Free holiday events still require money to get there, money to eat with, money for the upgraded version of the “free” craft your kid was working on. Watching specific holiday movies requires streaming services you may not already have, and festive food and snack ideas require groceries and specific ingredients that aren’t often in your pantry. (Looking at you, peppermint extract.) But with some budget-friendly items (cheap taper candles are a big help) and some imagination, you can pull off some really magical holiday moments. There’s no “use newspaper instead of wrapping paper” tips here (although that’s fine to do) or “foil looks just like tinsel when cut into strips” and I’m never, ever going to suggest that instead of baking cookies you buy a cucumber and make seasonal shapes out of it with your cookie cutter instead because it’s “cheaper and healthier.” These are legit holiday magic ideas that I do with my own family. I have three daughters — it gets real in December when there are Squishmallows and books and American Girl dolls to buy — and I love finding easy, cheap ways to celebrate the season with them. You really don’t have to do more than you’re comfortable with — these holiday magic ideas are ones you’ll want to implement, no matter what your bank account or budget looks like.
2
Have a candlelight breakfast.
Even Pop-Tarts and bowls of cereal feel magical with candlelight. Turn all the lights off and light a bunch of candles in your kitchen for breakfast. Whether you make homemade pancakes or just toast some frozen waffles, pick a date in December to make it your “magical breakfast morning.” Bonus points if it’s a weekday so everyone gets a dose of magic before running off for the day.
3
Have your own candlelight service at home.
Candlelight service, whether you’re religious or not, is such a lovely way to enjoy the holiday season. Typically churches have these on Christmas Eve and play Christmas hymns and songs, but there are no rules here, and if your family isn’t religious, you can still enjoy this holiday magic. Just grab some candles — battery-operated tea lights from the dollar store are great for little hands — and fill your living room or whatever space you’re doing this in with them. Pick stories to read, songs to sing, or take turns sharing favorite Christmas stories by candlelight. Your “service” can look like whatever you want, and this is a great tradition to share with grandparents and extended family members.
5
Make easy gingerbread houses.
I’m talking super easy. Get graham crackers instead of the (often expensive) gingerbread house kits and some tubs of frosting and get to work. The best hack: while gingerbread houses do come with candy, they also come with candy nobody actually wants to eat (like those super hard sprinkles and gum drops), so instead of buying the kits, just buy a couple of things to decorate that your family actually enjoys. (Big fan over here of shredded coconut for snow.) The dollar store is a great place to get candies, sprinkles, and other gingerbread house decorations for cheap.
7
Wear matching pajamas for a movie night.
Matching pajamas cost money, but consider this your one pair of Christmas jammies. You don’t have to have a pair for every night of the week or different ones for school pajama day or whatever. I know, influencers are wearing a different pair every day in December, but not you — just wear the matching ones and have a big fun movie night. There’s something so sweet and fun about everybody matching, and you can set up your self-timer on your phone and take the best holiday pictures.
8
Make some kind of snack or drink bar.
Snacks like holiday trail mix or festive muddy buddies can be done on the cheap, and it’s really fun to set everything out and let your family each make their own bag (take these with you to go see Christmas lights or enjoy during your movie night). You can get a bunch of your favorite bowls or buy some of the cheap foil pans from the dollar store and pour in things like pre-made chocolate and powdered sugar muddy buddies, festive M&Ms, pretzels, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter cups — whatever you want. You can also do this with a hot cocoa bar (marshmallows, candy cane, and whipped cream all make for great, cheap toppings) or an ice cream sundae bar a la Home Alone 2.
9
Fill a room with snowflakes on fishing line.
Seriously, this is cheap and the way it looks after is so magical. Get some fishing line, tape, and a whole lot of white tissue paper. Cut out your snowflake designs and hang them everywhere — fill a whole room with fishing line and the snowflakes taped to it so it looks like they’re literally floating. This is a fun way to decorate any room in the house, have them going up the stairs, hang them over your children’s beds — just go for it.
11
Find a cheap Christmas concert or play.
Look at your local high school’s theatre department — are they putting on a Christmas show? What about a Christmas concert at the local church or some kind of Christmas program or play in your community? Tickets can be very cheap, and most shows in churches are free if you just want to hear some beautiful Christmas music.
12
Wander through your local Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Have you seen some of the Christmas decorations out there? Your local Lowe’s or Home Depot has a great set-up of outdoor and indoor decorations with things that sing, move, dance, and more. Some local stores are even putting up little photo areas so you can snag a festive picture with your loved ones. This is a great Christmas tradition with our own girls — we pick a night to wander the aisles and get McDonald’s after. The best.
14
Have your own holiday photo shoot.
And let your kids be the art directors! Post yourself up in front of your outdoor Christmas decorations, your tree, or wherever you all feel festive. Wear fancy clothes or those matching jammies or just your everyday clothes — don’t get caught up in what an expensive photo shoot should look like. Do what works for your family. You can use the self-timer on your phone to get some really great shots, and you can also use portrait mode on phone cameras to take some beautiful photos of your children in all their holiday gear. Remember, you just want to capture your sweet family exactly as they are this year, and that’s where the magic actually is.
15
Give back to your community.
Go help organize the local food pantry, pass out toys and blankets, offer to help wrap gifts for a single parent — giving back is such an incredible dose of holiday magic and will put the spirit of Christmas right into you. Even if you can’t find a local organization with volunteer opportunities, reach out to your local parent group on Facebook and see how you can help. Maybe someone’s looking for a specific used toy for their child and you happen to have one collecting dust. Maybe someone wants to bake cookies but their oven is broken and you can help. There are tons of ways to give back that don’t cost you anything but time and love.