Holidays

There’s no time of year quite like the holiday season, is there? Whether the start of your special season begins the day after Labor Day, Halloween, or Thanksgiving, the holiday season is always filled with the Christmas spirit right from the start.

If you want to make the holidays even more special than last year, you may want to incorporate some Christmas activities for families into your weeks-long celebration. Whether your family consists of multi-generational family members, a group of close friends, or a mix of both, you might be surprised by how quickly your Christmas activities become long-standing family traditions.

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1. Start a New Tradition!

Each year, when your family gets together, choose a new activity from the pages of Adventures From Scratch: Family Edition. This book has over 50 challenges, tear-out cards, and interactive elements that are fun for all ages. Written by explorers, you’re sure to have a blast with your loved ones as you uncover each task and successfully complete it.

Categories include Explore, Create, Learn, Spread Joy, Cook, Move, and Get Silly, and each one is just as fun as the last! If you want to get extra festive, challenge family members to come up with the most creative holiday twist to the activity you scratch off.

Pick up your copy now, and purchase one for a friend, while you’re at it!

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2. Whip Up Some Hot Chocolate

Nothing ushers in wintry weather like some hot cocoa. Although that’s true, you can make trying new versions of your go-to hot chocolate one of your tastiest holiday traditions.

What are some new flavors you may want to try out? Here are some ideas:

• Peppermint
• Vanilla
• Vanilla or caramel and cinnamon
• Salted caramel
• Almond
• Raspberry and dark or milk chocolate
• White chocolate and strawberry

If you can’t think of ways to spice up your hot cocoa beyond picking up a sack of marshmallows, don’t worry. You can order a hot chocolate kit or some hot cocoa “bombs” on Amazon. Just remember to navigate to smile.Amazon.com before you place your order so a portion of your purchase will go to your chosen charity.

Are you going to have a hot chocolate tasting party for your adult relatives? Consider picking up some of the following liqueurs and liquors that all pair well with hot cocoa:

• Whipped cream vodka
• Tequila
• Amaretto
• Peppermint vodka
• Coffee liqueur
• Marshmallow vodka
• Spiced rum
• Cherry liqueur
• Cinnamon liqueur

3. Blame It on the Elf on the Shelf

Infusing the holiday season with some ongoing hilarity is a fun way to make the season brighter than it would be otherwise. If you already have an Elf on the Shelf, you have the perfect culprit to blame all your hijinks on.

To pull off some successful gaffes, you’ll need to recruit at least one family member to be your co-conspirator. Working together, one of you can distract the “target” while the other lays the groundwork for the upcoming joke or trick.

Is your mom going to make blueberry pancakes for the whole family on Christmas morning? Have your co-conspirator distract your mother while you replace her blueberries with chocolate chips. Don’t forget to leave the doll near your mom’s mixing bowl with a blueberry by his feet and one of his arms pointing with glee in the direction of where your mom will discover what happened.

No matter what kind of silliness you have planned, always make sure your scapegoat is around to take the blame so you and your equally sneaky relative can maintain your innocence. Even if things go awry for an inadvertent reason, everyone will quickly catch on to the joke that the elf is to blame (or thank) for all the resultant laughter, even when it’s at their own expense.

4. Assemble a Christmas Village

Setting up a Christmas village requires some work, but it pays off big time. You can buy a holiday village online or you can make your own. If you plan on purchasing a village, you should devote some thought to the type of village you want to get. Retail holiday villages vary wildly in terms of price and quality. Before you buy one, decide whether you’re going to invest in a family heirloom that you’ll pass down and add onto every year or a throwaway you’ll dispose of after Christmas.

If you’re trying to establish lasting Christmas traditions, you may want to make a DIY village every year. Making a holiday village is something you can do with the kids or the whole family. By making a homemade village every year, you’ll ensure that the current village is truly reflective of where your family is in the given year as new people join your brood.

The options are endless if you plan to make a DIY Christmas village. You can make a village with some painted or wrapped cardboard boxes and a few plastic figurines. Alternatively, you can create a holiday village by making a gingerbread house or two, three, or more. You may want to shake things up even more by putting together a giant gingerbread house so that your village resembles a multi-plex instead of a community with free-standing structures.

5. Schedule a Holiday Movie Night

Hosting a holiday movie night is a great way to rouse the Christmas spirit in even the “scroogiest” of relatives. Here are some Christmas movies that are sure to be a hit across age groups:

• A Christmas Story
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• The Polar Express
• Frosty the Snowman
• Home Alone
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• White Christmas
• Fred Claus
• Holiday Inn
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• The Santa Claus

Sentimental and comedic films aren’t the only ones you have to choose from. If you want to put together a more mature Christmas movie night, consider a roster of action-packed movies, such as:

• Die Hard
• Lethal Weapon
• Batman Returns
• The Last Boy Scout
• Enemy of the State
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
• Fatman
• Rocky IV
• The Long Kiss Goodnight
• Eyes Wide Shut

6. Plan a Holiday Sweater Party

The holidays combine to be a reason for revelers to dress differently than they would at other times of the year. For many, that means donning a Christmas sweater once or twice at least. In even more instances, that means showing off an ugly sweater.

With just about everyone willing to express their holiday spirit with their clothing, why don’t you plan a holiday sweater party? Whether you have a competition to see who has the Christmas sweater that best captures the seasonal spirit or you put together a contest to identify the ugliest sweater, make sure you incentivize people to participate by picking up some prizes to give to the people who finish first, second, and third.

As the years go by and you host an increasing number of Christmas sweater competitions, consider making a hall of fame for the winners of years gone by. To make a hall of fame, get a large cardboard box and cut it so it lays flat. Decorate the box with festive wrapping paper. Every year, your family can nominate potential hall of fame inductees and vote on who will gain admission. Once your family agrees on who’ll make it into the hall of fame, you can add their picture to your display.

Using a cardboard box as the background for your pictures will enable you to store your festive or ugly sweater hall of fame easily. You can simply fold up the display at the end of the season and stow it in the attic or a closet until the following year.

Since fashion changes from year to year, it will be hysterical to look back on what people chose to wear during previous holiday celebrations. Next year’s ugly sweater might be this year’s must-have garment, after all.

7. Visit a Tree Farm

Even though it’s chilly around Christmastime in many locations, the holiday season is still a wonderful time to spend time outdoors. If you want to lure your loved ones outdoors, we suggest you take your family to a tree farm. Depending on where you live, you may be able to visit a tree farm to choose and chop down your Christmas tree.

Picking your own Christmas tree and chopping or sawing it down yourself is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. It’s a visceral experience that really brings the spirit of the season home. If you’re like many, visiting a tree farm will become one of your much-anticipated holiday activities that you really look forward to every year.

8. Have a Snowman-Building Competition

If you’re lucky enough to have snow in your area around Christmas, why don’t you challenge your whole family to compete in a contest to build the best snowman or woman? Pull out some old clothes and other supplies like carrots and briquettes that competitors can use to make their creations lifelike.

Ask a few of your neighbors or non-competing relatives to judge everyone’s finished snow creations. Winners can be chosen using any number of criteria, such as most creative, silliest, or the snowman that’s most likely to melt first.

9. Make a DIY Christmas Tree Using Christmas Cards

Do you like to display all the holiday cards you receive? If so, why don’t you do something more creative than propping them up on the mantel in your living room? One idea is to make a Christmas tree using the cards.

Put a galvanized bucket that will mimic a planter near an undecorated wall and put some garland in the bucket so it looks like it’s full. As you receive Christmas cards, tape them to the wall so that the holiday cards combine to look like a Christmas tree. If you’re worried about the shape of your finished tree, consider outlining the shape of the tree with some Christmas lights before you start filling it in with your holiday cards.

Your finished tree of cards will prove to be one of the Christmas decorations that warm your heart throughout the season. Every time you look at the decoration, you’ll be reminded of all the people who love you enough to have sent a card.

Do you want to occupy the kids with some Christmas crafts? Consider having them make some paper snowflakes that you can use to decorate your card tree. You can take things a step farther by having your young revelers cut out images from the cards you’ve received in the past so you can use the cutouts as Christmas ornaments for your wall display.

10. Go Sledding

No matter how many Christmas activities you plan, your fellow revelers, particularly the younger ones, will need to blow off some steam from time to time as Christmas draws near. If the kids are getting restless, why don’t you all go sledding?

Sledding is one of those holiday activities kids of all ages will look forward to. Whooshing down a hill while you cling to your sled as if your life depended on it provides a rush that’s equal parts thrilling, terrifying, fun, and rewarding.

11. Invite Relatives to Compete in a Gift-Wrapping Race

Giving Christmas gifts is a great way to have some family fun. While gift-giving is a fun, rewarding experience, wrapping Christmas gifts is the exact opposite. If you want to make wrapping presents a fun endeavor, make a competition out of it.

Find some gifts that you don’t plan on giving to the people participating in your contest. Have two relatives compete head-to-head at a time. The winner of each round continues onto the next until the person eventually loses. Have a prize waiting for the person who ultimately prevails in the last round of wrapping. In lieu of a prize, you can make a faux scepter out of some cardboard so the winner can walk around as the king or queen of gift-wrapping.

Wrapping gifts is one of the most fun holiday activities for kids, but not in a competitive sense. With that in mind, take the competitive component off the table and encourage your young relatives to wrap some gifts. The adults will have a great time watching the children wrap, and everyone will get a chuckle out of the look of the presents after they’ve been wrapped.

12. Create a Winter Wonderland

Depending on where you live, experiencing a winter wonderland may be as simple as going outside. If you live in a warmer climate, you might have to put some effort into creating a wintry experience for your family, friends, and neighbors.

To avoid paying big bucks to a company to spray fake snow on your lawn, shop online for a snow-making machine that you can use year after year. If you don’t want to fuss with a machine, you can shop for some instant snow powder instead. Spread your fake snow all over your property so your family can enjoy wintry elements even when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside.

If you live near an ice-skating rink, contact the facility’s owner or manager to tell them you’d like to create a wintry wonderland for your family. You might get lucky enough for the rink to agree to provide you with some of its ice shavings if you agree to transport them to your home yourself. Once you arrive at your property, you can spread the ice shavings to recreate a winter-like environment.

13. Spread Holiday Cheer with Christmas Songs

While you may need to invoke the holiday spirit to work up the courage to sing a Christmas carol, you won’t need any added courage to make a playlist of your favorite Christmas songs. Listening to holiday music is one of those awesome Christmas activities that has the universal power to warm even the crustiest of hearts.

The great thing is, you can use the same playlist year after year so that listening to it becomes one of your family’s Christmas traditions. Of course, you’ll want to keep your playlist current by updating it with some new holiday tunes every year.

14. Sign Up for a Scavenger Hunt

Are you looking for some Christmas ideas that are sure to have enough staying power to become family traditions? If so, you can count on Let’s Roam to deliver a ton of family fun. An in-home family scavenger hunt by Let’s Roam is a fun way for you and your relatives to pass some time during the Christmas season.

Since your immediate family members are more familiar with your home, you and they should serve as team advisors. Divide your extended relatives into teams and assign an advisor to each team. Tell each team that their assigned advisor is under no obligation to be truthful with the advice they share throughout the upcoming hunt.

Have the teams compete to see which one can finish the in-home hunt first. To make things more interesting and competitive, announce your plan to give a coveted prize to the winning team, such as the first batch of warm Christmas cookies or the honor of opening the next day’s date on the advent calendar.

15. Host a Game Night

Just like you can count on Let’s Roam for a fun-filled family scavenger hunt, you can also rely on our team for a family game night. By using our versatile platform, you can enjoy a family game night with your relatives even when all of you are scattered around the globe.

If you’re fortunate enough to celebrate the holidays with your family in person, you may want to opt for a more traditional game night. To keep things old-school, dive into your closet and pull out some classic board games like Monopoly and Sorry! that are easy enough for everyone to play.

Are you a little light on board games? Don’t worry! You can still improv some fun-filled Christmas games. For example, you can adapt the childhood game of spoons into a new game called “Candy Canes.” Put some candy canes in the middle of a table. To play, instruct everyone to grab a piece of candy as fast as they can. Whoever fails to grab one of the candy canes is the loser.

All you need to play Christmas Heads Up is a pad of sticky notes, a pen, and some willing participants. Write down the name of a popular Christmas character on each sticky note. Have each relative peel off one of the sticky notes and stick it on their forehead without looking to see which character’s name is written on the note.

Pick someone to go first. Have that person stand in front of your other relatives while the audience members offer clues about the name of the character written on the person’s sticky note. Whoever guesses their character’s name the fastest is the winner of the game.

16. Bake Some Sweet Treats

The holidays are a great time to show off your baking skills. You don’t have to settle for making Christmas cookies, however. If you want to wow your friends and family, sign up for a tutorial to learn how to make some unique holiday treats.

What are some of the dessert items you may want to learn to make? The Food Network suggests:

• Snow globe mini cheesecakes
• Julekage
• Gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting
• Peanut brittle
• Kransekake
• Biscotti
• Cinnamon chocolate fudge
• Clear peppermint meringue pie

To learn how to make desserts like the ones just mentioned you can sign up for a tutorial using the Food Network app or by visiting a website like Goldbelly.com. If you’d prefer to give the gift of baking so you can enjoy the yummy results of someone else’s labor, consider giving an online baking class to one of your relatives as an early Christmas present. Better yet, get your loved one a subscription to the Food Network’s digital platform so your relative can prepare your entire holiday dinner, including dessert!

17. Hang Some A-Traditional Christmas Lights

When you get multi-colored Christmas lights, you’ll likely see some red, green, white, blue, and orange bulbs on a given traditional strand. While that color combination certainly adds beauty to a holiday display, you don’t have to stick with convention when it comes to your holiday lights.

Mix things up with some new colors and different types of lights. You can get giant, oversized holiday lights in pink to frame the doorway to your powder room, for starters. Decorating your Christmas tree with purple and gold lights will certainly turn heads. Putting different colored lights on each wall and using a disco ball as your rotating tree topper will get everyone out of their seats when the Christmas music starts to play.

18. Read a Christmas Story on Christmas Eve

Some families have made reading a holiday tale on Christmas Eve one of their fun Christmas activities, and there’s no reason you can’t do the same. The honor of reading the story often goes to a family patriarch or matriarch, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can split the recital duties among younger relatives, with each one charged with reading a chapter or a certain number of paragraphs aloud, for example.

If no one is up to the task of reading your chosen story, consider playing a holiday-themed audiobook so everyone can listen in. Here are some of the audiobooks you may want to consider:

• Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler
• A Bella Flora Christmas by Wendy Wax
• A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe
• A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
• An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
• Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
• Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
• Christmas by Accident by Camron Wright
• The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
• The Christmas Wish by Nora Roberts
• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Some of the audiobooks just listed have been made into movies for the Hallmark Channel. If you pick a book that’s been made into a holiday movie, you can make watching the film on Christmas Day another one of your holiday traditions.

19. Take a Sleigh Ride

Depending on where you live and the weather, you might be able to take your family on a memory-making ride through the snow during the Christmas season. To see if that’s possible, search for “sleigh rides near me” online and see what lands in your SERPS. If a provider is nearby, contact the business to see if you can sign your family up for a ride they’ll look forward to every year.

20. Take Pictures with Santa

To make every Christmas the best Christmas, make sure you take pictures of your family with Santa every year. As time passes, you’ll be able to construct a timeline of Christmases gone by and see how much everyone has grown and changed over time.

Don’t let anyone tell you that they’re too old for pictures with Santa. Even if you end up with pictures of teenagers rolling their eyes and your grandma planting a kiss on Santa’s cheek, you’ll relish in them all when you look back through your collection of pictures years from now.

If Santa isn’t appearing at a mall near you this year, consider hiring an actor to visit your family at your home. Imagine the squeals of delight when your youngest relatives open the door to find Santa standing before them. Just make sure you have the camera ready to capture that special moment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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As the holidays approach, many people are planning out their holiday activities. Putting together gingerbread houses is a family favorite and there are so many different creative gingerbread house ideas so you can change it up each year. It’s an activity that involves food and creativity and is perfect for the whole family to get involved and have some fun.

We are going to cover a brief history of gingerbread houses, the supplies you’ll need, some tips to make the process easier, and some unique gingerbread house ideas that your family can try out. You’ll end up with some great snacks and a beautiful holiday decoration. 

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50+ Family Activities to Head Into the New Year!

Do you want to spend more time with your family in the coming year? Let us help you come up with fun activities for you and yours! You can find over 50 challenges, tear-out cards, and other interactive elements in our scratch-off book, Adventures From Scratch: Family Edition. With categories like Explore, Create, Learn, Spread Joy, Cook, Move, Get Silly, and more, there’s bound to be something for everyone!

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A Brief History of Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread dates back to Ancient Greece with the ginger root being a popular ingredient in many different recipes for centuries. In China, it was used as a medicinal treatment. By way of the Silk Road, it made its way to medieval Europe where gingerbread cookies were created. These cookies were popular year-round at different festivals and were decorated with gold leaf. 

The Brothers Grimm story, Hansel and Gretel, helped make the treat even more popular with the reference to the entire house made of treats. The Christmas tradition grew and is still continued in many different countries today. In fact, there are full festivals and celebrations featuring gingerbread creations today including a beautiful display of amazing gingerbread houses at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate. 

While the tradition continues, more and more people are trying new and fun ways to use gingerbread and other ingredients to create holiday decorations. It’s a fun way to get the whole family involved in a holiday activity that has been around for centuries.

The Process to Build Your Own Gingerbread House

Step 1 – Shop for Everything You Need

Make a list and head to the grocery store. The two major options are to cook your own dough or purchase a premade kit. There are many great Christmas gingerbread house recipes. Most recipes, like the popular Joy of Cooking recipe, will have ground ginger, cinnamon, and molasses for flavor. You’ll also want to purchase a variety of different candies, the supplies to make royal icing, parchment paper, cookie sheets, sharp knives and tools for cutting and shaping the pieces, and any other items you may need to decorate. 

Step 2 – Make the Dough and Cut Out the Pieces

It’s good to make the dough ahead of time. You can mix everything together and then store the dough. You can also cut out the pieces in advance so the pieces are ready on a cookie sheet for the baking process. Getting this part done ahead of time will help make the building and decorating process easier for the whole family. Many people use a different recipe for gingerbread men vs. houses, so check to see what will do better.

Step 3 – Bake the Dough and Gather Tools

You can bake the pieces of your house the day before you decorate or the day of. Set up a space for the decorating process where everyone in the family has a spot to get a little messy and creative. It’s best to cover your table because there will be frosting that gets on everything. Newspaper works great to cover your workspace. Lay out all the necessary tools and supplies that you will need. Once the dough is baked and the workspace is created, you’ll be ready to call in the whole family to join in.

Step 4 – Decorate and Create Your Masterpiece

If you bought the premade collections, you will be to skip right to this step. Decorating is the fun part, so take your time, put on some holiday music, and build your gingerbread houses. Take pictures and enjoy the process. Make sure to sample a few of the treats while you’re decorating. 

Tips to Help You Make the Best Gingerbread House

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when prepping, building, and decorating your gingerbread houses to make it a successful endeavor. These might not always apply to your project, but they will help you build strong and long-lasting structures to last until Christmas.

Less is More with the Icing

When building your house, you’ll probably be using royal icing as your “glue.” It might seem like the more you use, the better things will stay together, but the opposite is true. Less is more, so just put a single line to start, and then once your building has four walls, you can a little more icing to the inside corners. Too much icing can make everything slide around more than you want. You can also try fondant instead of royal icing, but that can be much harder to work with if you have no previous experience.

Decorate Before You Build

If you have a specific decoration strategy that involves lots of details, decorate the walls before you put them together. Working on them while they lay flat will allow you to have a little more control and you won’t have to worry about holding the walls up while applying candies and frosting details.

Keep the Edges Very Straight

The edges of the walls and different pieces of your buildings need to be very straight so they can be connected with frosting. Another trick is to use a cheese grater to rough up those straight edges a little so the frosting has something to grip. Use a sharp knife and try to mark the outlines with a ruler to get the straightest lines you can on each piece and you will have an easier time getting them to stay together.

Mark Windows to Cut Out After Baking

Baked goods tend to puff up a bit when they are in the oven, so if you cut out windows and doors beforehand they won’t have clean lines. The best way to do it is to plan them out ahead of time with outlines and then cut them out once the dough has been in the oven. Using a sharp knife, you’ll be able to cut the lines you marked before baking. X-Acto blades can work really well for cutting these pieces out as well.

Be Patient During the Build

You’ll have to wait some time between building your houses and decorating them because the icing needs to dry and set. If you try and put pressure on it too early, it can all fall apart. One way to deal with this is to build the houses and then do the decorating of the yard and surrounding areas while the houses dry. You can also use a box inside the house and glue the pieces to the box if you need a little extra support.

Cover It to Make It Last

Gingerbread houses can last for weeks, but they need to be kept somewhere cool and dry. You don’t want anything to melt in the sunlight. It’s recommended to cover them at night to protect them from moisture and anything that might want to eat them.

Be careful if you have any pets who could possibly get to them. Covering them might work, but it’s important to make sure they are out of reach so no curious noses find the treats while you aren’t home.

Change Up the Ingredients for Creative Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas

So, now you have the basics. Let’s cover some of the fun and creative ways that you can switch it up and do something a little different. The classic candy options for decorating include M&Ms, peppermint candy canes, sprinkles, and gumdrops on the shingles. But there are so many ways you can use different ingredients to do something a little different.

Use Noncandy Options like Pretzels and Cereal

Candy is a popular choice, but you’ll get some great shapes and looks from pretzel sticks and different kinds of cereal. Cornflakes make great shingles if you want a natural look. Pretzels can make up fences or window frames. 

Turn It Into a Winter Wonderland with Ice Cream

Obviously, ice cream won’t last a few weeks, but it would be a fun addition for a photo and maybe even a party snack. You can use scoops of ice cream for snow piles or maybe make an ice cream pool in the backyard. Make a snowman and then make sure to eat him before he melts.

Satisfy Savory Snackers with Meat and Cheese

If you are not a sweet tooth, you can absolutely create holiday villages with non-cookie options like crackers. Decorate your house or village with different meats and cheese and it can double as a charcuterie board for your holiday party. You’ll probably have to remind people to snack away if it’s too pretty to eat. It’s a great way to participate in the holiday activity without a sugar overload.

Swap Gingerbread for Graham Crackers or Other Unique Building Blocks

Gingerbread is not a flavor that everyone loves, plus it can be a little overwhelming to do all the baking and prep work for some families. The good news is that there are many different options that you can use. There are zero rules, so anything that is in the shapes you are looking for will work. Graham crackers are a popular choice because you can break them down into different sizes and they are pretty sturdy.

Consider Building a Healthy Vegetable House for a Party Appetizer

If you are on a healthy kick and want to avoid sweets during the holiday season, you can have a lot of fun building a house of different vegetables and fruits. Use larger fruits for the house itself and then add in decorations using colorful veggies and fruits. A watermelon house with a fence made of carrots and some tomatoes in the yard will be very colorful. You can find so many bright colors to use. Like the meat and cheese decoration, this would make a great appetizer for your holiday party. Build it and then invite people to take it apart and eat it. 

Make it Snow with Powdered Sugar

Turn your gingerbread house into a winter wonderland by adding some powdered sugar to the top when you’re all done so it looks like there was a fresh layer of snow. You can use sprinkles too, but powdered sugar looks like the most realistic.

Challenge Your Family to Make Everything Out of Chocolate

If you want a challenge, think about doing a themed house where all the ingredients have something in common. Chocolate is a popular choice because it’s a crowd favorite. You can use chocolate bars to build the walls, chocolate frosting to hold things together and a huge selection of chocolate candies to decorate. Hershey kisses, chocolate chips, brownies, and other chocolate favorites can make this is dangerous endeavor because it’s hard to resist snacking on all those candies the entire time. But the good news is that you could eat these, where traditional gingerbread houses aren’t really made to eat.

12 Creative DIY Gingerbread House Ideas

We’ve covered fun and unique ingredients, but that’s just half of the project. Deciding what to construct is the other half of the fun. Traditional and classic gingerbread houses are just simple homes with windows, doors, and a roof that gets decorated, but you can make anything you want. We’ve got some ideas to help you brainstorm.

1. Construct a Holiday Train Set and Station

Trains are a fun holiday decoration item, so why not try and build your own version of the Polar Express? You could even play the movie while you build and decorate your train. The easiest option is to add gingerbread to an existing train using a template. This way you can actually lay down tracks and have the train move. It’s a fun way to mix two holiday classics. Add Santa to the train if you want.

2. Get Trendy with a Midcentury Modern Home

Midcentury modern has been a huge trend in the last few years. If you aren’t able to find your Frank Lloyd Weight dream house, you can always take a page from Mike Brady’s book and build your own. The clean lines and fun little architectural details give you lots of room to be creative. Epicurious has an example of a mid-century modern cookie house that is covered in sparkles and glitter. 

You can simplify a little with an A-frame design instead. That will allow you to have a different house shape without having to plan out your designs as much beforehand. A-frames are incredibly simple for younger children too because the two sides just balance on each other.

3. Build a Country Estate Complete with a Gingerbread Barn

Set your holiday scene on a country farm with a barn made out of gingerbread. Have fun with cookie cutters to make the animals with sugar cookies. The barn can be a bigger structure than the traditional house, so it’s good for a larger group to work on. You can utilize toys that your kids have laying around like tractors or small animals figurines to add a little something extra.

4. Recreate Your Favorite Landmarks

Do you miss traveling or have a place that you’ve always wanted to see at Christmas time? If you can’t make it there this year, bring the special place to you by creating famous landmarks out of gingerbread. The Eiffel Tower is fun to make and can be a challenge getting everything to balance correctly. The Empire State Building is another fun option. You could make an entire miniature city by building replicas of your favorite buildings in the skyline.

To get a little more inspiration, Food & Wine put together ten different landmarks built out of cookies. How creative can you get? Is there a way to build the Seattle Space Needle or the Golden Gate Bridge? Have fun with it and you’ll almost forget that you are home.

5. Get Away From Traditional Colors with a Pink Gingerbread House

Try out something different than the traditional green and red for your creation this year. Go with pastels for your palette or pick one color and go all out. Thanks to all the different options for icing and sprinkles, you can choose just about anything. Make your entire holiday scene pink and sparkling or have a Blue Christmas-themed display. 

6. Create a Replica of a Famous Christmas Location

The North Pole is one great scene you can build with gingerbread and other materials. You can make igloos out of sugar cubes and use candy canes at street signs or light posts throughout the display.

Another popular Christmas scene is the Nativity scene with the manager and the different animals. Use a sparkly frosted star-shaped cookie at the top to represent the star. The animals and people can be made out of cake, cookies, or even something a little abstract like marshmallows. 

7. Set a Forest Scene with a Log Cabin

Log cabins are fun to create using edible items because you can get the kids involved with the building similar to playing with Lincoln Logs. You can use breadsticks, pretzels, or anything else that you can stack like logs. Have some fun decorating the outside to look rustic. You can make edible trees using upside-down ice cream cones covered in green frosting to really make it look like it’s deep in the forest.

8. Build Miniature Movie Sets

Like the famous landmarks, you can also have fun recreating some of your favorite movie sets. If your family is watching Christmas movies, you could pick a scene from one of your favorites. The Home Alone house or the house from A Christmas Story are beautiful options. You could also do something funny like Cousin Eddie’s RV from Christmas Vacation.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be a wintery scene either. If your kids are really into Harry Potter, you can try and build the Weasly’s funky cottage or a miniature version of Hogwarts. Hobbit houses from Lord of the Rings is another fun and unique house you can make. Include the family in the decision-making process and you might come up with something that has never been done before. The creative and design process could easily take up another evening as a family.

9. Add Landscaping and Yard Decor

All the attention usually goes to the house and the decorations for the walls and roof, but don’t forget about the surrounding space. Create a yard for your house and add some plant life or holiday decorations. Try using cupcakes as bushes. Put some trees around the house and add different candies to make them look like Christmas trees covered in tinsel and ornaments. String some candies on a string and drape it along a fence line to look like Christmas lights. If you’ve been wanting to go crazy on your own outdoor decorations but can’t for any reason, use this as your creative outlet.

10. Hit the Slopes with a Ski Chalet Design

Get inspiration from Swiss ski chalets and lodges and bring the ski mountains to your dining room table. In addition to the lodges, you can build a ramp to represent the ski hill and put some tiny skiers on the slopes. There are many different ways to do this, so have some fun with it and definitely use online inspiration to help you come up with your perfect ski resort.

11. Set Up a Campsite with a Camper and S’Mores

Does your family love camping in the summertime? Recreate your favorite campsite using your gingerbread house materials. You can build a camper or tent that matches the one you use. You can make edible trees and other plants. Don’t forget a tiny bonfire with s’mores being made nearby. This would also work if you have a cabin that you use in warmer weather. It’s a fun way to work together to build a place that is special to your whole family. 

12. Build an Entire Gingerbread Village 

Don’t just stop at one house or building. Have each person make their own and connect them all to make a village with sidewalks and streets. You can add other important buildings like a candy store, post office, or school. Use this as an excuse to try out a few different methods and see which works the best. This would be a fun party idea as well because there’s no limit to how big you make the village. Plus, you could ask each attendee to bring a few different candies to use as decorations and the whole group will have access to more options.

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Time to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Whether you’re putting together a gingerbread house kit or you’re baking everything from scratch, the holiday season is here. So make your plans, put a list together, and get to the grocery store to stock up on everything you need for a fun family night.

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Frequently Asked Questions

As the advent calendars open up and you get closer and closer to Christmas, you might realize that there are still a few people left on your list to shop for. Last-minute Christmas gifts can be tricky, so we’ve put together the ultimate list of the best gift ideas that don’t take weeks to track down. 

In the past, cash would have been the go-to option, but thanks to technology, you can gift all kinds of unique items without having to run to the ATM. Now you can find thoughtful gifts even at the last minute. It feels a little more personalized than an envelope with a few bills. So double-check your list, see who is left, and find something that fits them on our list. We have things for your best friend and the coworker you picked for a secret Santa exchange. These last-minute Christmas gift ideas will cover everyone, so rest easy and know that you have options.

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Gift Hours of Enjoyment With Adventures From Scratch

Choose between the family edition and the date edition of the Adventures From Scratch book. It’s filled with different challenges that your loved ones can participate in whenever they are looking for something to do. Each adventure has a hint and then you scratch it off to reveal what the challenge is. It’s a fun way to make memories and get outside of your normal routine a little. The date edition is a great gift for newlyweds to give them some new date ideas. Families love the adventures in the family edition as well.

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The Ultimate List of Last-Minute Christmas Gifts

Everything on this list can be purchased, shipped, or picked up with just a few days’ notice. If you are getting close to Christmas and you still have some people on your list that you haven’t found gifts for, this list has all the ideas you could need. We’ve got kids gifts, family gifts, coworker gifts, and any other adults in your life.

Gifts Available With Last-Minute Shipping

The following gifts are traditional, tangible presents available at retailers who offer 1, 2, and 3-day shipping. Be sure to check sites for specific shipping deadlines and be reasonable with timelines, especially since stores cannot control seasonal delays or guarantee delivery in time for the holidays.

Amazon Prime has great two-day shipping options (and sometimes same-day delivery) that allow you to shop for millions of different items and have them delivered to you or your loved ones before the weekend holiday parties. They offer gift wrap options and make returns simple if something doesn’t fit.

For the Kids on Your List

Whether you are shopping for nieces, nephews, friends, or your own children, there are a ton of options that are perfect for kids of all ages. These are a few classics that are sure to be big hits this holiday season.

Paint By Sticker Books

For kids that love to put stickers all over the place, these Paint By Sticker books would make a great gift. Each page is a different outline with different numbers in each space, on a different page, there are stickers that match up with those spots. Kids can match up the stickers with the right spots on the page to create the final product. There are options for dinosaurs, unicorns, animals, and more.

LEGO Sets

If you’re looking for a classic toy to gift, pick out a LEGO set. You can find something for any aged child. Duplos are the larger building blocks that work for younger children. There are more complicated sets for older children. Each creative playset shows the ages, time it will take to build, and amount of pieces that are included so you can pick the best choice. There are Disney sets where popular scenes from movies and shows are recreated. You can also find all kinds of different vehicles, animals, Harry Potter, and Star Wars sets. There is something for everyone.

Crystal Growing Kit

Science kits are great for kids who love learning and being hands-on. This deluxe crystal growing kit combines a little geology and chemistry and is created for kids aged 10 and up. There are different-sized crystals and some that glow in the dark. Kits like this are unique gifts and enjoyable for the whole family, and once the crystals are formed, they can be displayed forever.

Kids Books

Amazon started out as an online bookstore and continues to be one of the top sellers of books for all ages. Lucky for last-minute shoppers, prime shipping can get these options to you quickly!

Choose from thousands of different books for kids of all ages. Everything is grouped by age group and genre, so you can easily find a top-rated option for the kids on your list. All the classics are available like Dr. Suess and Roald Dahl books, plus all kinds of brand new releases.

Moon Lamp and Glow in the Dark Stars

One of the coolest ways to decorate a kid’s bedroom is adding some nighttime decorations that are educational at the same time. This moon lamp resembles the surface of the moon and comes with a remote control that can switch colors to seven different options. The glow-in-the-dark stars are the perfect compliment to that because children can put them up in any different pattern. They can display different constellations or patterns.

Kinetic Sand

Bring the fun of the sandbox inside without the mess. Kinetic sand is moldable and fun to play with and create with, but it’s easy to clean up and only sticks to itself. The gift sets come with 2 pounds of sand plus a small sandbox to keep it in and molds and tools to help build different things. It looks like real sand, but it moves more like a liquid. There’s nothing else like it and kids love it. Parents will love it too because it won’t create a giant mess.

Magna-Tiles

In the last year, Magna-Tiles has made the top of almost every list of gifts for young children. It’s a 3D magnetic building set where kids can create all kinds of different shapes and structures. Even if the giftee already has a set of these, the more the merrier because it means they can add on and build bigger structures. The sets come with squares and triangles in different sizes and colors. 

Make Your Own Slime Kits

Kids love slime. There are thousands of different YouTube videos on how to make slime at home. This holiday season, you can gift the Elmer’s Celebration Slime kit or one of their other kits that come with everything they need to make slime. This makes five different batches of slime. It’s better for older kids that can be careful with the mess because, unlike the kinetic sand, this could make a bit of a mess.

Christmas Gift Ideas for New Babies and Their Parents

New babies won’t really have many memories of their first few Christmas’ but they can be really fun to shop for. It’s best to get something that will be helpful and useful to the parents whenever possible. We’ve got a few ideas that can get you started.

Fisher-Price Blocks and Stack Toys

These classic colorful toys are a favorite for the littlest kiddos and have been for decades. It helps develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity for babies. These are easy to bring along too to help the parents keep babies occupied while they are out. 

A Diaper and Wipe Restock

Diapers are a huge cost for new parents. If you want to get them something practical to free up some of their funds, gift them some diapers and wipes. It isn’t the most fun gift to pick out, but parents will appreciate the boost to their supply.

Wooden Puzzles

Puzzles are a great gift for all ages, but wooden puzzles are great for the littlest people on your list. Just make sure you check the ages on them to make sure there are no tiny little pieces that young kids could swallow.

Bath Toys

Bath toys are another popular hit for babies. There are so many options to choose from. These colorful little animals squirt water and come in eight different ocean species. You can also find different games like the Octopus Ring Toss game that even parents could find entertaining. And for the gift that just keeps on giving, you can get this swimming bath toy that sings the “Baby Shark” song. The parents will love that!

Teethers

Help those babies with their teething with some great little teething toys. This four-pack comes with a giraffe, a banana, and some freezer-safe, flexible teethers for babies to chew on. There are tons of options available in all shapes and colors, but anything will help those kids soothe their sore gums.

Gadgets and Gift Options for Tech Lovers

If you have some tech lovers that you are buying for this Christmas, check out one of the following items!

Airpods

With 1 billion people using iPhones globally, Apple accessories are a popular gift choice. AirPods are the wireless earbuds that Apple released a few years ago and have a variety of different case options. Many people lose their AirPods to a teenager in the family, so getting another pair would be a treat. 

Charging Stations

Another practical gift is a charging station. With all the devices we live on now, there seems to always be a need for a charger. You can find stations in all different shapes and sizes with options for watches, phones, tablets, and other random accessories. Help make the day a little less annoying for your friend who is always looking for a charger for their phone.

Bluetooth Speakers

Give the gift of music anywhere, anytime with a Bluetooth speaker. These easily connect to phones and other devices to play music wherever you are. They are perfect for the beach, camping, hanging out in the backyard, or having the music move with you through the house while you’re doing chores. They range in size and quality, so you can find the one that best fits your range.

A Mini Projector

Movie lovers will have so much fun with a mini projector. This device hooks up to a laptop or anything with a USB or HDMI cord. That means you can stream items from your phone or computer to a larger screen in your backyard or anywhere with a blank wall. There are built-in speakers so you don’t need any other equipment to use this. 

Digital Frames

Fewer and fewer people are printing off photographs anymore to display at home. Everything is on the computer or phone now. Digital frames are an easy solution. There are options where you can just email new photos to the frame and it will automatically update. It’s a great gift for grandparents and family members who live further away as well.

The Echo Dot

Amazon’s Alexa is enabled in the Echo Dot which has multiple generations that each have different looks. The newest option is perfect for your nightstand with a clock and different alarms and timers. You can ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, and check the weather before even getting out of bed. This is a great gift because it can be used in any room in the house and will be compatible with any other Amazon smart home products that they might already have.

Gift Options for Adults

When it comes to friends, neighbors, siblings, or other adults, it can be hard to find things that they will like and need. These easy gifts are perfect for the grownups on your list.

Calendars or a Planner for the New Year

Calendars are a very useful gift and there are so many to choose from. You can get funny desktop daily calendars or monthly calendars that feature far-away destinations. Planners are a great gift for people who have a lot going on and need to stay organized. There are specialized planners for parents, teachers, students, and more. 

Upgraded Coffee Maker

If you know someone that is still using a decade-old drip pot, you can upgrade their coffee maker to something a little more high-tech. The Keurig is a favorite for people who just need one cup. There are beautiful options for drip coffee as well with vintage-looking machines or different colored small appliances. There are also some beautiful pour-over coffee makers that you can wrap up and gift so they can try something new.

A Nice Holiday Candle

If you are struggling to come up with ideas for someone, a candle can be a great gift. The holiday season comes with many incredible scents in candles like the Sweet Water Decor Sugar Cookies Candle or the Christmas Tree Soy Candle. You can pair these with a nice lighter, matchbox, or even a fancy candle wick trimmer. Candles are an easy choice for many people that might be on your list.

Upgraded Drinkware

Think about their favorite cocktail and order some drinkware to elevate their at-home cocktail situation. You could get these colorful martini glasses along with some gourmet olives. If cocktails aren’t their thing, you can find some beautiful stemware for wine and nice thick beer glasses that can be stored in the freezer for a frosty glass. 

An Indoor Herb Garden

If you have someone on your list that loves to cook, help them get their own indoor herb garden started at home to provide the herbs needed for their favorite recipes. This indoor herb garden starter kit comes with everything needed to grow basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, and thyme. It is sold by a family farm in Oregon and everything is certified USDA organic. It will bring a little greenery to the kitchen window.

Great Comfortable Sweatshirts

Sherpa fleece pullovers are great for everyone especially as the weather is getting colder. There are great options for women like the ZESICA Women’s Autumn Winter Long Sleeve Fleece Sweatshirt Pullover with many different colors and sizes for less than $40. For men, you can get sherpa-lined hoodies or sherpa pullovers. 

There is also a great collection of vintage sweatshirts with different sports teams and travel destinations on the front. There is a sweatshirt for everyone on your gift list, so check some people off and help them stay warm and cozy this winter. Throw in some fleece-lined leggings or sweatpants to make it a full outfit perfect for lounging. 

Kindle Paperwhite for Reading

Amazon’s Kindle is the most popular e-reader available. It’s lightweight and easy to read in any lighting. Anyone that receives a kindle will have access to tons of free ebooks from their local library, plus they can download and purchase books from Amazon and have them instantly delivered to their device. This is a great gift for people who are constantly carting around heavy books or wishing they read more often. It’s small enough to fit in a purse or bag to be taken anywhere.

A New Cookbook

When it comes to cookbooks, you can find something for everyone! There are hundreds of dessert cookbooks for the bakers and wannabe bakers. There are tons of great options for vegans and vegetarians. On the other hand, there are books that only talk about meat and different ways to cook it. If you can’t decide, a book about cheeseboards and party platters is always a hit, especially for those who enjoy hosting.

Good Coffee Mugs

Even non-coffee drinkers can use a good mug for tea or hot chocolate (or maybe a hot toddy). You can even add a bag of coffee or a package of hot cocoa to go with the items. There are vintage designs, sports mascots, funny sayings, famous tv characters, and cartoon animals gracing the sides. There is a mug to fit every personality so have some fun with it. 

Adult Party Games

Cards Against Humanity is a crowd favorite and the perfect gift for anyone that likes to entertain. The best part about this gift is that there are so many versions of the game now that you can purchase expansion packs to add to their current game and make sure you aren’t getting something they already own. There are packs that feature things from the internet or 1990s nostalgia. 

Joking Hazard and Bad People are other fun adult party games if you want to try something new. Any of these games are easy to play and will have everyone laughing hysterically. Bring some inappropriate humor and competition to your friends and family members.

Give the Gift of Self Care

Another popular option for holiday gifts is something the recipient can treat themselves with. The holiday season can be busy and hectic, so gifting something that can be relaxing and soothing is the perfect option.

Hand Creams

Most people have used more hand sanitizer in the last 18 months than ever before. Between that and all the hand washing, we could all use a little more cream on our hands. La Chatelaine Hand Cream Trios have multiple scents and come in a really beautiful gift tin.

Massage Guns

Do you have anyone on your list who works out or is training for any sporting events? Massage guns are a great gift to give anyone the ability to do some self-care at home. These gifts are handheld and come with different attachments to do deep tissue massages on different muscle groups. There are tons of options for different price ranges. You can also find different neck massagers or different pads for back massages.

A Himalayan Salt Lamp

Salt lamps make a great gift because they help attract indoor air pollutants like allergens, mold, and bacteria, and release negative ions that help with alertness and mental energy. Plus, the ambiance they give off is beautiful and cozy. This Himalayan Salt Lamp at Amazon is made from crystals mined in Pakistan which is known for having the cleanest salt on earth. The color of the light changes colors and with multiple options.

The Comfy

The Comfy is a wearable blanket made of microfiber and sherpa that was featured on Shark Tank. It’s one of those gifts that people will love, but would never buy themselves. You can curl up and get cozy in this hybrid of a sweatshirt and blanket. It comes in multiple colors, so you can order them for the whole family.

Essential Oil Diffuser

Diffusers are filled with water and a few drops of the essential oil of your choice and they release the oils into the air. Oils can help with stress relief, adding some moisture to the dry air, and just adding some good smells to the room.

There are many different options and styles available, but keep in mind that pets (especially rabbits, birds, and cats) are extremely sensitive to essential oils. If your giftee lives with animals, this might not be the best option.

Set of Facial Masks

Sheet masks are great for anyone who loves a little self-care. Order a variety pack for the person on your list and they will be able to treat themselves to a few different masks to possibly find their new favorite. These Tonymoly packs come with 10 different sheet masks.

Slippers or Cozy Socks

With the winter weather settling in, any gifts that help people feel cozy and warm are appreciated. Slippers are a great gift and you can never have too many pairs. There are hundreds of styles available to order, so you can find a look that works. Everything from bunny-shaped slippers, buffalo plaid slippers, and even options with a hard sole that can handle walking outdoors if needed. Cozy socks are another great option and would make a great stocking stuffer.

Motivational Water Bottles

Give the gift of hydration with one of these popular 1-gallon motivational water bottles. They give people goals throughout the day with timestamps to help the recipient consume a healthy amount of water. There are multiple colors available, so you can order different options for different members of the family so they don’t get mixed up. 

Gifts the Whole Family Will Love

If you have some families on your list, grab a gift that everyone will love and can use together to create some new memories. 

Mini Fridge

A miniature fridge is a great addition to any movie room or game room. You can store 6 cans in the fridge, so it’s perfect for a six-pack of beers or sodas. Some people use these mini-fridges for skincare because cooler products can feel really good on your skin. It’s also a popular choice for anyone breastfeeding because it’s the perfect size to store breastmilk while pumping. 

A DIY Fresh Cheese Making Kit

Most of us eat cheese in our meals without ever thinking about how it is made and where it comes from. If you are shopping for a family that loves spending time in the kitchen and enjoys experimenting a little, consider purchasing them the D.I.Y. Fresh Cheese Making Kit from Fermentaholics. They can use whichever type of milk they would like and then experiment with different herbs and spices to create their own cheese. It’s good for kids of all ages because the cheese is ready in an hour or less so you don’t have to wait days to try the final product.

Classic Board Games

If you are picking something out for a family, consider gifting a classic board game to give them something to do together as a family. Monopoly, Scrabble, Pictionary, and Clue are great classic options. There are many different themed board games that you can find so even if they already have a version of the game, it would still be something new. Monopoly probably has the most variety with options about dogs, National Parks, and different movies.

An Indoor S’mores Maker

The Nostalgia Indoor Electric Stainless Steel S’mores Maker is a fun option that allows the family to make their own s’mores without needing to build a bonfire. It utilizes an electric flameless heater that just needs to be plugged in. There are trays around the outside to put your graham crackers and chocolate so you have everything you need to build the perfect s’more. 

Camping Hammocks

Whether or not the family is into camping, a camping hammock can be a great gift. They come with straps so you can hang them from trees in your backyard or any sturdy posts in your house. They pack down to tiny little bundles, so it’s easy to take them along to sporting events or anything where you want the option to hang out and relax a bit.

Instax Camera and Film

The trendy little Instax cameras are popular for people of all ages. It brings back the fun of taking polaroid pictures and having an instant printout. This is a fun item for the family to bring on vacation and capture small moments. The cameras are battery operated and you can help the family get started with a couple of boxes of film. You could also include a photo album or frame that is made for photos of that size. 

Knee Hockey Set

Do you have any hockey lovers that you’re shopping for? Knee hockey is a fun indoor activity that the whole family can play. This game set comes with 2 adjustable hockey sticks (and you add more so each person gets one), 2 hockey balls, and a smaller goal. The balls are soft and can be used inside, so it’s a fun way to get some energy out without destroying walls and breaking things.

Sega Genesis Mini

This classic video game console was a favorite of many people who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Now, you can get this miniature version of the Sega Genesis that comes with 42 games loaded on it plus two wired controllers so you can introduce a new generation to some of your favorite Sega games. The HDMI cable is included so this can be plugged into any TV and families will have a blast playing Sonic the Hedgehog. 

You can also get a retro Nintendo system that is similar and comes loaded with games. Either option is great for families that like getting a little competitive together.

Pizza Oven

Like the S’mores maker, a pizza oven is a gift that the whole family can enjoy together. Each person can build their own pizza and add the toppings they love the most. There are countertop pizza oven options that are easy to use and perfect for locations that are colder outside. The other popular option is the outdoor pizza oven. These come in higher-end options that are more expensive, but they make some great pizzas. 

Karaoke Microphone

A karaoke microphone is a gift that can provide hours of entertainment for the family. There is a built-in speaker, recorder, and 48 LED lights that light up with the rhythm of the music. It works with Bluetooth so you can take it with you anywhere. You can put on a full concert and then take your show on the road with you. It’s a perfect gift for families that love to perform and have fun. 

Fun New Party Games

Each year, new card and party games are released. Get the family on your list one of these hilarious party games. Pun Intended is a new game that features all your favorite puns. It’s described as silly, witty, and painful at times. Another fun new option is the Sriracha: The Game. This is a fast-paced game like Spoons where players will slap the deck for pairs. This game is great for families with younger children. 

One more fun option for families is Beat That! It’s a game with 160 challenges like throwing a ball across a room or working with a partner to complete tasks with cups on your hands. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s very highly rated and can be played by up to 8 people. 

A Dog DNA Test

Do your friends have a dog that is mixed breeds or was rescued? Consider the Dog DNA Test that helps identify which breeds the pup is from over 350 possibilities. The family can even discover other dogs that share a high percentage of the same DNA. It’s a fun way to learn more about the four-legged members of the family. 

Food and Drink Make Great Last-Minute Gifts

If you’re running to a holiday party and need a last-minute host gift, grab one of these food or drink options. You’ll never go wrong bringing something that can be enjoyed and consumed.

A Bottle of Wine or Six-Pack of Beer

Red, white, or rose. Grab a bottle of wine or some sparkling champagne. This is a great host or hostess gift if you are heading to a party or a gift that you can leave under the tree for the recipient to treat themselves at a later date. This is an easy and quick gift that is a hit for many adults.

If beer is a better option, grab a six-pack of something fun and new for them to try. Many stores will let you mix and match, so you can pick out a few things that you think your friend or family member will like. During the holiday season, many of the items at the liquor store come in gift sets that include glassware or cocktail mixers. Those make great gifts as well.

Nice Chocolates or Candies

Stop into a candy shop and grab a box of chocolates or a bag of some high-end candies. Sometimes the best gifts are items that people won’t buy themselves but would love. Fancy candy fits perfectly into that category. Sugarfina has great gifting options with adorable square boxes and tons of flavors. Most grocery stores have a decent candy selection too if you’re running late. You can find some gourmet chocolate bars with all kinds of different flavors. 

Ice Cream Treats Delivered to the Front Door

Jeni’s Ice Cream is one of the best ice cream shops in the country with locations in a few different states. The flavors are creative and tasty. Even if there isn’t a Jeni’s in your city, you can order a box of the current flavors to be delivered right to the front door. This is a great gift. The current holiday flavors include Mexican Hot Chocolate, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, White Chocolate Peppermint, Salty Caramel, Sugar Plum, and Cognac with Gingerbread. Treat the ice cream lovers in your life.

Homebaked Goods Are Always a Hit

The Christmas season is synonymous with cookies and baking activities. Bake your specialty cookies and deliver them to some of the people on your gift list. Presentation matters, so package them in a beautiful box or tin that can be reused. If cookies aren’t your thing, you could try to bake some fresh bread or cook a large batch of soup and drop it off with instructions on how to be reheated. The holidays can be busy, so any food that can be easily heated and ready to eat is a blessing.

Purchase a Gift Card for a Local Restaurant

Treat someone in your life to a free meal while also supporting a local restaurant. You can stop by anytime the restaurant is open and purchase a gift card. Many of these smaller businesses offer deals during the holidays where you can purchase a certain dollar amount in gift cards and get an additional gift card for free. This gives someone an excuse to have a dinner out (or pick up take out) and take a break from preparing dinner themselves. It feels more personal because it’s for a specific place. 

Stock Up on Coffee at the Local Spot

Does your friend visit the same coffee place every day? Consider stopping there and picking up a gift card along with some of their specialty coffee beans. Some places have offers for refillable cups where you get a discount on your coffees going forward. Gifts like these show the person that you pay attention to their routine and it will probably help make their life a little easier. 

Best Gift Card and Online Options for Last-Minute Christmas Gifts

If you don’t even have time to wait for 1 or 2-day delivery (talk about last minute!), there are a few options you can purchase from your phone on your way to a party. These gift options are unique and outside the box a little.

Let’s Roam Gift Card or Explorer Pass

Give your favorite people memorable experiences! Let’s Roam offers last-minute shoppers the opportunity to buy special last-minute gifts that are ideal for explorers, adventurers, travelers, or simply people who love to have fun. Gift cards and e-certificates can be redeemed for any of the activities available within the highly-rated scavenger hunt app.

Options include both in-home and outdoor adventures like app-guided tours of city attractions, pub crawls, art walks, and ghost tours in locations throughout the U.S. and all over the world! Vouchers can be redeemed in any location, and there’s sure to be an option for anyone. Explorer Passes offer unlimited scavenger hunt tours and virtual game nights with 5 (indoor) or 15 (at-home) guests per activity.

Cover the Cost of a Streaming Service for the Year

Many of the popular streaming services offer gift options for yearly memberships. Many people have watched more TV since the pandemic started and might be on the hunt for new shows to try out. Disney+ and HBO Max both offer a full-year subscription that is easy to gift. It’s a gift that keeps on giving as more and more content is added throughout the year. You can also purchase a gift card for Netflix to help cover the cost of an app they are probably already using.

Give the Gift of Calm

Meditation apps have become more popular over the last few years as more and more people need to find a little quiet in their day-to-day routines. Headspace is one example where people can follow along with guided meditations and breathing exercises. Calm is another app that includes meditations and bedtime stories to help people fall asleep quicker. You can purchase a month or two of a membership or pay for a full annual subscription.

Sign Someone Up for a Masterclass Membership

Masterclass is a website that offers different online classes taught by experts. You can purchase a yearlong subscription and the recipient will have access to a huge variety of different offerings. Gordon Ramsay teaches cooking classes complete with some of his famous recipes. There are leadership courses about American Politics with teachers including two former presidents and first ladies. You can even take a course from RuPaul on self-expression and authenticity. It’s perfect for someone that is constantly trying new things and learning.

Buy Them a New Pair of Shoes or Slippers They Can Pick Out

AllBirds is a sustainable and comfortable shoe brand that is releasing a new line of slippers soon. You could purchase an online gift certificate to give. It’s more thoughtful than cash because you are giving them a specific item, but allowing them to pick it out and make sure they get the size and style that they want. 

Treat the Superfan in Your Life to a Personalized Cameo Video

Cameo is an app where celebrities, music artists, sports stars, and other famous people record short personalized videos that you can save and send directly to the person. This is an unforgettable gift. You can scroll through all the different people that offer their services. Some celebrities open up requests every once in a while to raise money for charity. There are a lot of reality stars and online personalities that are available all the time.

When you log in, you’ll be able to filter and search using multiple factors. You can sort by different price points and turn around time. It’s good to remember that some of these people take a while to record their videos, so you’ll want to find someone with a quick turnaround for a last-minute gift. From Real Housewives on Bravo to the patriarch of the Roy family on HBO’s Succession to a collection of WWE stars, there is a wide range of options to choose from. 

Send the Gift of Food Delivery

Food delivery services, like Grubhub and Doordash, are available in most of the United States and have become more popular during the pandemic to help support local restaurants without having to leave home. Consider gifting someone on our list a credit for their next meal or two. This gift allows them to order from their favorite places on you. It will give them back some time in their day and bring the joy of some tasty hot food delivered right to their door.

Fun Gift Subscription Boxes to Order

The holiday season is a time filled with different gift giving occasions and the fun usually wears off after the New Year. Subscription boxes are a great way to buy the perfect gift now that your loved one can enjoy throughout the year. You can simply put the note in a card that the giftee will be receiving certain treats in the future and it gives them something to look forward to. 

Date Nights in a Box for Couples on Your List

There are many different subscription boxes that curate date nights each month to send to couples. The DateBox Club has monthly themes and includes an activity or game as well as a snack or food item to enjoy. Crated With Love is another option where you can purchase a monthly subscription or even just order a one-time box. Each of their date nights includes everything you need for the activity and focuses on different relationship qualities like support or embracing growth. These gifts will be fun for newlyweds or couples that have been together for years. It gives them an excuse to plan an evening at home together.

Cheese of the Month Club

Treat someone with a Cheese of the Month Club from Murray’s Cheese which is a famous shop in New York City. They offer five different options and you can prepay for 3-months ahead of time or just one month. Choose between classic cheese of the month, the cheesemonger’s picks of the month, mac and cheese of the month, the perfect pair of the month, and the cheese board of the month. Each option has different options, but any foodies will love the opportunity to taste some new items and treat themselves to a monthly cheeseboard.

Help Start Each Day With A Good Cup of Coffee

Coffee subscriptions are a wonderful gift for the coffee lover and enthusiast in your life. So many people start each day with a hot cup of coffee, so you can gift a subscription from Blue Bottle Coffee which allows you to send different sizes and types of coffee to the recipient. Blue Bottle is a popular coffee brand with locations in some of the major cities in the US, but it would be a treat to anyone that doesn’t get to visit the location often. 

If you want to send a little more variety, you can purchase your loved one an Atlas Coffee Club membership. This company selects coffee beans from 50 different countries around the world. This is a fun way to get some variety in flavors. Along with each bag of beans, your loved one will also receive tasting notes and a postcard from the country each month.

Gift New Socks Throughout the Year

Socks are one of those practical things that people are always needing more of because they wear out throughout the year. There are some great subscription services that will send your friend or family member new socks each month for the whole year. Sock Fancy is one option that sends some very colorful pairs to brighten up the recipients’ mailbox.

Accessories and Beauty Goodies

Do you have any ladies on your shopping list that are so hard to shop for? The FabFitFun box comes with a mix of fun items like makeup, skincare, home goods, snacks, and accessories. There is a new box each season, so you can purchase a one-time delivery or a full year of gifts. Most of the items in the box are consumable, so it’s also a great option for those people who don’t have much space for extra things.

Boxes for the People Who Have Everything

Bespoke Post is similar to FabFitFun with the subscription boxes offered, but there is an option for both men and women. You’ll find all kinds of different themed gift boxes. There is everything from hot sauce collections to shoe polishing gift boxes for guys. There are also cigar gift boxes, a full Mexican hot chocolate set up, and even an Oyster shucking kit. The site offers discounts for anyone that is a member, but you can also just purchase one gift box if there’s one special one that you have your eye on for someone. The website is a great resource any time you’re trying to find a gift for an adult on your list.

Keep Their Tea Drawer Stocked with a Tea Subscription

If your friend or family member drinks tea, consider purchasing a subscription for the Dollar Tea Club or Sips By. Each service ships out a certain number of tea bags or loose leaf samples each month. It’s a fun way to get to try new flavors and find new favorites without having to buy a whole box at the grocery store. Plus, a gift like this saves them money throughout the year by sending them something they would normally buy themselves frequently.

Provide a Plant Delivery For Your Loved One

Fresh flowers or greenery, you decide. There are multiple services for different plant subscriptions so your loved one can get something new each month for as long as you choose. The Bouqs Co. Flower subscription lets you pick the frequency that you want fresh flowers delivered with different arrangements to choose from. You can set it up to deliver weekly through the winter or once every few months throughout the year. 

If you want something that lasts a little longer, gift them a subscription to The Sill. There are multiple options that you can choose from for the length and type of the plants (for example, you can select only pet-friendly plants). If you know someone that loves to fill their home with greenery and plants, this would be a great gift.

Send a Little Self Care Each Month

My Therabox puts together a monthly box of items selected by therapists to help inspire people to live happier lives. There are 6-8 full-sized items each month. Some of the items you might find in one of these boxes include essential oils, journals, relaxing wellness goodies, and mindfulness activities. Each month has a different theme. You can choose to purchase one month or as many as you want. 

Gift a Craft Beer Club Membership

There are multiple options for you to choose from if you have someone in your life that loves sampling different craft beers from around the country. The Original Craft Beer Club sends 12 beers each month for $44.75 plus they send three free gifts. You can choose anywhere from 1-12 months as a gift. Each shipment has four different styles with three beers each, so they can share it with a friend or family member. 

If you want to customize the order more, you can use Beer Drop. This service allows you to choose five different styles from options like hoppy, sour, dark, lagers, Belgian, malty, and fruity. They will use those selections to pick some incredible options for the recipient to try. You can purchase a gift card for the service for a few months.

Jewelry Subscriptions Are Like a Bottomless Jewelry Box

Rocksbox is a popular gift option for anyone that has a particular taste. Instead of you having to select pieces of jewelry for them, the gift recipient is able to pick out the pieces that they want to receive. It’s a rental service so the users have access to a constantly updating jewelry collection. They can decide to have a stylist help them select pieces or choose for themselves and then they will receive a credit to purchase any pieces that they love. This is a great alternative if you’ve been wanting to pick out some jewelry but you’re intimidated. 

A Book of the Month Club Membership is Perfect for a Bookworm

For readers, getting new books delivered monthly is a really fun treat. The Book of the Month Club features five different titles each month (usually bestsellers) and the member gets to pick which one (or more) they want to be delivered to their door. To gift this membership, you can choose between gifting three months, six months, or a full year. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

For young readers, there are also book clubs where they will receive new books each month. One popular choice for kids is Lillypost. With this service, you select the child’s age and they will receive either four board books or three picture books each month. The company also donates books to kids in need, so you’re helping share books with multiple kids.

There are plenty of subscriptions that will fit all kinds of reading preferences. Coffee and a Classic sends a classic book along with a fun coffee flavor to try. My Thrill Club features horrors, mysteries, and thrillers. And for teen readers and young adults, And the Story Begins has great handpicked options each month. If you have someone on your list that likes to listen to books instead, gift them an Audible membership to download audiobooks. 

Send a Bottle or Two of Wine to Try Each Month

For wine lovers on your list, you can obviously just stop at the wine store and pick a bottle or two, but you can also give them a wine box subscription where they will receive some fun selections for a month or more. Winc offers gift cards for a one, two, or three-month subscription. Another company to check out is Firstleaf. It gives you the option of bundles of pre-selected wines to send or a gift card for a club membership. By opting for a gift like this, you won’t have to worry about selecting the wrong type of wine at the store.

Help Elevate Their Home Office or Workspace with Work-Space-Spark

Cratejoy offers the Work-Space-Spark box that sends a monthly box filled with inspirational and motivational decor and other items for professionals. This can be a great option for anyone on your list that is returning to their office for the first time in a while or if someone needs a little pick me up for their home office. The items in the past have included zen gardens, snacks, calendars, inspirational desk plaques, and books about leadership. This could be a good option if you have employees to purchase for. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do you look forward to the most as it relates to the holidays? As a child, you may have looked forward to getting gifts more than anything else. Now that you’re an adult, you may be even more eager to spend time with your friends and loved ones over the holidays.

If you take a moment to reflect on holiday seasons gone by, you may realize that it’s your family holiday traditions that have made you look forward to spending time with your loved ones so much these days. While you can keep those warm and fuzzy feelings going by continuing your existing traditions, you can intensify your feelings and ignite similar ones in others by establishing new Christmas traditions this year.

What are some holiday traditions that you may want to incorporate into the season? As you’re about to find out, there is plenty for you to choose from.

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Make Adventure a Regular Thing

We suggest you make completing a family adventure a new tradition. Adventures From Scratch: Family Edition includes more than 50 adventures you can do with your whole family. Whether you’re playing host or traveling to a relative’s place for the holidays, your family can do one or more of our challenges no matter where you end up.

The challenges in our family adventure book bring people closer together as they work to complete their assigned tasks as a team. To start your group adventure, simply scratch off your chosen challenge and prepare to share some belly laughs that would make Santa jealous!

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Send Physical Christmas Cards

In today’s digital age, it’s easy to overlook or undervalue the sentimentality of sending physical cards that acknowledge a special event like the arrival of Christmas day. Even if you don’t send another piece of snail mail all year, you may want to make sending holiday cards a familial tradition this year.

Don’t settle for sending a generic, printed summary of everything that happened this year in the fold of a Hallmark card. Instead, make DIY cards with your immediate family members that are highly personalized. Handwrite the custom message you want to send to each recipient. Have each member of your family sign every card you make. Sending handmade, personalized cards can make the season more magical for your family and everyone who gets one of your Christmas cards.

Show Off the Holiday Cards You Receive

Do you typically receive a lot of Christmas cards? Whether you normally get a handful of cards or your mailbox is usually inundated with cards, make showing them off a tradition instead of shoving them in a drawer. When the people who sent the cards to you stop by, it will warm their hearts with holiday spirit to see that their cards meant enough to you for you to have them on display for all to see.

Celebrate Sinterklaas

One of the new traditions you may want to start this year is the celebration of Sinterklaas. Often referred to as Saint Nicholas Day, Sinterklaas is celebrated on December 5^th every year. In the Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas is when “Sint” leaves a small gift of some sort in children’s shoes. The gifts Sint leaves are often disguised as something they’re not.

As it relates to your holiday celebration, look at Sinterklaas as a potentially hysterical prelude to Christmas. You can incorporate a Secret Santa arrangement into your St. Nicholas Day celebration by assigning one gift-giver to a single recipient until everyone is covered. Just be sure that recipients don’t know who their gift-givers are.

Encourage gift-givers to disguise their gifts in creative ways, telling them that the more outrageous their packaging is, the better. If someone is struggling to think of a fun way to disguise a gift, give the person a list of ideas, such as:

• Putting the gift in a cake and covering the resulting hole with icing
• Hiding the present in a bowl of cooled oatmeal
• Concealing a tiny gift in an oversized box filled with recyclable packing materials
• Covering the gift with slime in a gift-wrapped plastic container

Once everyone has opened their presents, have your family members take turns guessing who their Secret Santa was. Ask each person to explain why they chose the relative they did. You may find everyone’s responses, particularly their explanations, to be both surprising and wildly funny.

Countdown to Christmas Morning with a DIY Advent Calendar

The anticipation of the holiday’s arrival is one of the countless things that make the Christmas season so special. You can use that anticipation to make the season even more memorable by making a DIY advent calendar your family can use to countdown to Christmas.

To make a family advent calendar, get 25 boxes and fill each one with some goodies. If the boxes aren’t decorative, wrap each one in some holiday gift wrap. Label the boxes with the relevant date, from December 1^st through the 25^th, and stack them on a table where they won’t get knocked over. Reserve a special time every evening for your kids to open that day’s box. Take pictures as your children unwrap each box so you can create a collage or a photo book at the end of the season.

Host a Holiday Movie Night

If you want to spend time with your extended family but fear you may need a little bit of downtime while you entertain them, consider hosting a holiday movie night. Watching Christmas movies will enable you to spend time with your family while giving you a reason to remain planted in your seat. To avoid having to cater to your family, make sure you put out snacks and beverages before you dim the lights to start the first seasonal film.

Can’t think of any movies your entire family will enjoy? Consider the following Christmas movies as they’ve entertained generations of viewers for years:

• The Santa Claus
• A Christmas Story
• Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original version from 1966)
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Scrooged
• Elf

There are so many classic Christmas movies, hosting a movie night will be a long-standing tradition before you’ll have to repeat a flick. When you finally do run out of new-to-you Christmas classics, you can always find new holiday-themed films by navigating to the Hallmark channel.

Spread Some Holiday Spirit with the Elf on the Shelf

While you may already use the Elf of the Shelf with your own family, you can use the mischievous toy to infuse some humor throughout your extended family, too. Is your mother-in-law making a vanilla cake? Have one of the kids distract her, set up the elf on the counter with a bottle of green or red food coloring, and put a few drops in the bowl before your mother-in-law returns. Imagine her reaction when she sees what that rascal of an elf did! Make sure you get the whole thing on video for future laughs.

Does your uncle love pecans? Order a fake canister of nuts that’s really filled with something that will spring out when the jar is opened. Wrap the canister and set the present next to your relative’s favorite chair with a note explaining that it’s an early Christmas gift he’s to open today. Sit the elf on top of the present with his legs crossed and arms extended with glee. Get your camera ready so you can capture your uncle’s hilarious reaction when he opens the container of “pecans.”

To avoid being a victim of one of the elf’s pranks, make sure you stow your Elf on the Shelf in a secret place no one else knows about. You don’t want to be pranked by your own toy, after all…or do you?

Take a Field Trip to a Tree Farm

Did you settle for an artificial Christmas tree last year? While a pre-lit artificial tree is convenient for many, there’s nothing like having a fresh, live Christmas tree to put gifts under. With that in mind, why don’t you take a field trip to a tree farm with your whole family?

If your family consists of several households, your brood may end up returning home with more than one tree. To make sure you can get all the trees home, consider traveling to the tree farm in a caravan, or if your vehicle is rated to tow, bring a trailer along to haul the trees to their respective homes.

Depending on the farm you choose to visit, you might be able to cut down your own tree. If you haven’t been to your chosen farm before, call ahead to see if you need to bring a handsaw to cut down the tree you want to get.

Make Decorating Your Christmas Tree an Event

In many homes, the Christmas tree is the focal point of a lot of activities. From opening presents on Christmas morning, to taking family pictures, and more, the tree is the place to be for various and sundry things.

With the tree being the equivalent of Grand Central Station for holiday activities, we encourage you to make a big deal out of decorating it. Set up a crafting table where kids can make handmade Christmas decorations. Encourage the kids to make a new decoration every year and have them sign or initial the backs of their creations. As time goes by, you’ll be amazed by the size of your custom-made ornament collection and the kids will enjoy seeing what they made in prior years as they grow up.

Invite family members to help you decorate the tree. Get more adults involved by telling everyone that each non-designated driver will need to take a shot of peppermint schnapps or eggnog every time a certain relative hangs an ornament.

Blast some Christmas music in the background. Serve “reindeer food” that your guests can eat with their hands, so you won’t have to spend hours cleaning up when your decorating event draws to an end. What are some reindeer foods that you can serve? Corn fritters and mini apple tarts are just two ideas.

Sing Christmas Carols

Christmastime is the time of year to give your vocal cords a workout by singing Christmas carols. Whether your family gathers around the piano and sings together at home or you hit the streets as a group to sing carols house to house, spreading some Christmas cheer through song is a fun way to make the spirits of others feel light or lighter at least.

Is your entire family tone deaf? While we doubt that’s the case, you can find other ways to entertain your neighbors with some Christmas tunes. For example, you can make a playlist of songs and go door to door mouthing the lyrics while the music and lyrics emanate from a mobile device. To make things even more enjoyable for onlookers, give the kids some toy instruments and have them pretend to play them or get everyone to play the air guitar to the delight of your neighbors.

Give Back

Just like Christmas is a great time of year to belt out some holiday tunes, it’s also a wonderful time to give back to your community in some way. If people are in need in your area, consider making a donation of non-perishable goods to a food bank. You can get all your relatives involved by asking them to make a contribution to a box you have set up in the hall that you’ll eventually take to the food bank or ask them to visit the facility with you to make a direct donation.

Will a local soup kitchen or shelter serve a holiday meal to the less fortunate? Maybe your family can volunteer to serve or prepare the food.

What are some other ways you can give back during the holiday season? Here are a few ideas:

• Have the kids make DIY Christmas ornaments and drop them off at a senior center or an assisted living facility
• Pull out your favorite cookie recipe, bake cookies, pick up a gallon of milk and drop them all off at your local police station or firehouse
• Offer to hang holiday lights for an ailing neighbor, and let the person know your family will be back to take the lights down after Christmas or New Year’s Day, whichever they prefer
• Gather old towels and blankets and drop them off at an animal shelter or rescue
• Collect a few dollars from each one of your adult family members and use the pooled funds to sponsor a zoo animal
• Dress up as Santa and have your relatives dress as elves, and visit a homeless shelter to entertain the kids

You don’t need to do the same charitable activity year after year to make giving back one of your family’s Christmas traditions. The key is simply to do something, anything, kind and giving of yourself to someone else during the Christmas season. Being generous with time and resources will be a family legacy you and your relatives will be proud to establish and keep going.

It’s particularly rewarding when you see the members of an up-and-coming generation of family members adopting a charitable mindset by following your example. When you get children involved with charitable acts at an early age, it greatly increases the likelihood that they’ll keep up the act of giving throughout their adult lives.

Bake Christmas Cookies with the Kids

Any time of year is the right time to indulge in some yummy cookies, but a strong case can be made for Christmas being the best time of all for cookies. Think about it. If Christmas wasn’t the best time for cookies, why do so many people leave cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve?

Don’t settle for store-bought cookies at Christmastime. Instead, enlist the kids to help you make some Christmas cookies. If your kids, nieces, and nephews are old enough, divide them into small groups and have each group make a different type of sweet treat. Are the kids too young to make separate batches on their own or did too few of them show up this year to make groups? If so, make one giant batch of cookies altogether.

Whether you’re using one cookie recipe or several of them, it’s likely you’ll need to bake the resulting treats in waves. As you bake cookies and let them cool, have the kids decorate some paper lunch bags with holiday-themed images. Once the cookies cool entirely, instruct the kids to put a few in each sack. As the sacks are filled, tie them with some string or twine.

After the bags are done, you can lead a veritable parade of your mini-me relatives around town to hand out cookies to your neighbors. Of course, you’ll want to leave a reserve of goodies behind so you and your relatives can enjoy some delectable cookies, too.

Slurp Some Homemade Hot Chocolate

What’s better than freshly baked holiday cookies? A pairing of cookies with some homemade hot cocoa, of course!

If you’ve never made homemade hot chocolate before, there’s no reason to worry because it’s a breeze to whip or whisk together. The ingredients you’ll need to get together include:

• Four cups whole or two percent milk
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or one standard-sized, nut-less Hershey’s bar chopped up

To make the cocoa, combine the milk, cocoa powder, and sugar in a pot. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat. Whisk the mixture over the heat, but do not let it come to a boil. When the mixture is warm, add the chocolate and whisk non-stop until the chocolate melts. After the chocolate distributes itself evenly throughout your original mixture, take the pot off the heat and serve the hot chocolate immediately.

A lot of people will add a shot of vanilla and/or some marshmallows to their drink, but you can get even more creative. To take your hot cocoa to the next level, make trying a new ingredient in your base mixture or a few of them one of your annual holiday traditions. Some ingredients you may want to try out include:

• Tahini
• Buttered rum
• Cayenne pepper and cinnamon
• Malted milk powder
• Dark chocolate and maple syrup
• Peanut butter and whipped cream
• Nutella

If you really want to shake things up, consider using white chocolate and cream instead of semisweet chips and milk to make your hot cocoa. If you pair the new drink with peppermint candy canes, the result will be one of the best gifts you’ve ever given to your taste buds.

Take a Tour to See Holiday Decorations

Christmas decorations can vary widely from one house to the next. To see how other people decorated their homes for the holidays, take your family on a walking tour of the neighborhood. If your neighbors tend to avoid decorating, pile your relatives into the car and go for a drive so you can cover more ground.

Do you have to drive a considerable distance to get to a neighboring town? You can keep everyone entertained by playing some Christmas music. Alternatively, you can play a game that will keep kids of all ages entertained. I Spy is a good game to play during the Christmas season because there are so many things on display that you won’t see during other parts of the year. For that reason, you may want to play a holiday-themed version of the classic game.

Plan to Make an Item on an Older Relative’s Bucket List a Reality

Does your family have an aging patriarch or matriarch in your family tree? Has that person always wanted to do something, but was always too concerned with caring for the family to make their dream come true? If so, why don’t you conspire with your other younger relatives and make the plans required for your older relative to check off one of the things on their bucket list?

The great thing about doing this is that it’s a repeatable tradition. Every member of your family will be a year older by your next holiday celebration, so “new” older relatives will always be working their way through the ranks.

You don’t have to reserve this sort of thing for your older relatives, by the way. It’s possible to make a chosen relative’s dream come true for the holiday regardless of the person’s age.

After you do this once, you’ll find it’s hard to stop because realizing someone else’s dream is often just as fulfilling and satisfying for the giver as it is for the receiver. With that in mind, we hope you have a big family!

Construct a Gingerbread House

Even if your family Christmas celebration will only involve adults, we still recommend you all work together to construct a gingerbread house. Open the bar and have everyone take a seat around the construction table with the adult beverage of their choice. Encourage everyone to uncork their creativity as you team up to put the house together just like you uncorked the wine.

To ensure your family’s finished house is truly unique, order a separate gingerbread house kit for each individual who’ll participate in the construction process. Kits are readily available on Amazon, so ordering them is a cinch. Just remember, the kits don’t necessarily have to be all the same.

With everyone having their own kit to add to the shared construction project, your family can put together a monster, multi-level edible house while you share some laughs. If that’s your plan, put a board down before the build starts so you can move the house to another location when your team is done working its magic. Just make sure the board is strong enough to support the weight of your sweet structure once it’s done.

Enjoy a Family Reading

No, we’re not talking about a psychic reading or a tarot card reading. What we’re suggesting is that you make a reading of a Christmas tale one of your new traditions. You can designate one relative to read the story every year or you can alternate readers from one year to the next. If you don’t want to pick someone, put the names of all eligible readers in a hat and have one of the kids pull out the name of the person who’ll read the story to the rest of the family.

Christmas Eve is normally a wonderful time for the reading of a Christmas story. “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore is a popular choice for holiday storytimes, although it’s better known by a portion of its first line, which reads “’twas the night before Christmas.”

If you’ve heard “A Visit from St. Nicholas” a time too many, you may want to consider an alternative read-aloud story, such as:

• “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen
• “Home for Christmas” by Jan Brett
• “The Reindeer Wish” by Lori Evert
• “How Far to Bethlehem?” by Norah Lofts
• “The Birds of Bethlehem” by Tomie DePaola
• “Santa’s Favorite Story” by Hisako Aoki
• “The Smallest Gift of Christmas” by Peter H. Reynolds

Arrange a Sibling- or Cousin-Only Sleepover

Now that you’re an adult, you probably don’t sleep with your siblings or cousins anymore. Well, the holidays are a fantastic time to make up for lost time by arranging a cousin- or sibling-only sleepover.

Get matching PJs for everyone who’ll participate in the sleepover. Take plenty of goofy pictures of everyone in their ridiculously funny PJs. Play games like Pictionary or classic board games like Monopoly or Sorry! Find some cheesy movies from your childhood and have them on standby so you and your relatives can watch them as bedtime, or in this case, sleeping bag time approaches.

Since decades may have passed since you planned your last sleepover, we need to tell you that times have changed. Now that you’re all adults, you can stock the bar without being afraid that your parents will find your stash of forbidden contraband. Although, you might still have to worry about that if your parents enjoy the same adult beverages and they plan to stop by before your sleepover kicks off.

Hold a Kid-Friendly Sleepover

If your holiday celebration includes a bunch of kids who don’t get to see each other regularly, you can bring all of them together for a kid-friendly sleepover. While you don’t have to schedule every minute of the sleepover, you should make sure there are plenty of age-appropriate activities for the kids to do.

Teenagers may enjoy some screen time during a video game session with their similarly aged relatives. Younger children may want to go outside to build a snowman or woman while they pretend they’re at the North Pole. All attendees will eventually want to eat, so it’s wise to plan for a big meal ahead of time.

Cook a Family Meal for Christmas Day

Preparing a holiday meal as a family is one of the Christmas traditions that a lot of people look forward to every year. Even if you’re not a professional chef like Gordon Ramsey, you can still playfully aggravate your relatives by pretending to bark corrective instructions at them when you’re really telling them the opposite of what they should be doing.

The confusion that will result along with the pushback will be entertaining for all, until your mom starts waving her wooden spoon in your direction. That’s about the time you should stop barking and start chopping the nearest vegetable.

Rubbing elbows with relatives in the kitchen is a cool way to get kids involved with the meal prep. It’s also a great way to pass down cooking methods and recipes from one generation to the next. If you’ve never had an interest in cooking, send your kids into the kitchen to cook with your mom or dad so their secrets won’t go unknown just because the cooking bug skipped your generation.

Do you have new family members who are joining in on the fun this year? Invite them into the kitchen to be a part of the fun- and laugh-filled melee. By doing so, you may pick up some new culinary skills and learn about different cuisines and cultural traditions.

Whether you’re making breakfast on Christmas morning or your family is preparing a feast for the latter part of Christmas day, you can make lasting memories by cooking with your relatives. Soak up every moment along with anything you spill in the kitchen and take plenty of pictures you can share with your co-cooks later in the day.

Before the meal is served, take a few minutes to hang some Christmas lights above the dining table. Decorate the table with some pine cones and festive décor. When everyone is seated and the food is on the table, take a few pictures before anyone dives into the food. As you reflect on holidays gone by, you’ll be glad you did.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Even if you don’t celebrate the holiday, Christmas time is a magical time of year. It’s when friends and family gather to share special moments and fantastic food and exchange gifts. While much of the Christmas season often involves group activities with loved ones, it’s important for couples to carve out time to make their own Christmas traditions with activities that involve just the two of them.

If that’s what you’re hoping to do this year, you might be looking for some Christmas activities for couples that will make this Christmas season even more memorable for you and your special someone. You’ve come to the right place to find festive Christmas activities that will make this holiday season and all the ones that follow super special for you and your significant other.

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Create a Dates of Christmas Calendar

To set the stage for a holiday season that includes plenty of alone time spent with your partner, we suggest you make a calendar of date night ideas. Just like a lot of people, particularly children, track the arrival of Christmas with an advent calendar, you can use your dates of Christmas calendar to do the same. Every time you and your SO check an activity off your calendar, you’ll know that the arrival of Christmas is one day closer.

Christmas Activities for Couples

Making a calendar for the 24 days leading up to Christmas morning and the holiday itself is similar to creating a bucket list of all the things you want to do with your SO during the holiday season. Your calendar doesn’t have to include a ton of expensive activities as the season is ripe for low-budget, intimate experiences you can share with your partner without even leaving home. While that’s true, including some romantic date night ideas that will take you out on the town or to another location isn’t a bad idea.

1. Share Adventures

Whether you’re planning a getaway or you and your SO are going to stay home, we encourage you to share some adventures with your partner. Adventures from Scratch: Date Edition includes 50+ adventures couples can do at home or during their time at a vacation destination. The book’s adventures will bring you and your SO closer together, and many will end with a romantic crescendo you’ll both enjoy during a Christmas date night.

2. Host a Hot Chocolate or Peppermint Tasting

With the Christmas season ushering in the arrival of winter, it’s a great time to indulge in some hot cocoa. That means the season is a wonderful time to plan a hot cocoa tasting so you and your sweetie can taste different kinds of hot chocolate.

Putting together a hot cocoa tasting is a breeze. All you need to do is navigate your way over to Amazon and order a hot chocolate sampler.

Don’t forget to order some festive mugs and toppings, too. You can customize your holiday mugs with pictures of you and your SO. Depending on the mugs you decide to get, your pictures will only appear when the vessels are filled with hot liquid, which is a really cool effect that will make sipping your hot beverages during an intimate date night even more memorable.

Marshmallows and candy canes are examples of the toppings you may want to order. You might want to add some Christmas cookies to your cart before you check out to make the tasting that much sweeter, tasty, and satisfying.

If you prefer peppermint…

If chocolate just isn’t your thing, you may want to host a peppermint tasting with another couple instead. You can plan your peppermint tasting similar to the way you’d put together a wine tasting. Make little cards that describe each type of peppermint you’re going to serve and encourage everyone to make notes about the refreshing treats they try.

To make the night extra spicy, pick up some peppermint schnapps, vanilla rum, and chocolate liqueur. Get a set of red wine or martini glasses and pour drinks consisting of equal parts of all three types of alcohol. You can layer the beverages or swirl them so the finished drinks are as decorative as they are delicious. Top each drink off with some shaved peppermint stick. Just make sure the shavings are small and delicate enough for your guests to swallow without chewing.

3. Reenact Your First Date with a Holiday Theme

It’s always fun to cuddle with your partner and reminisce about all the experiences you’ve shared. You don’t have to settle for recounting those experiences, however. As a New Year approaches, why don’t you and your SO reenact your first date, but with a holiday twist.

You can pretend to be Santa while your SO adopts the persona of Mrs. Claus, or vice versa, and go out to dinner at the restaurant where you shared your first meal. Alternatively, you can transform your home into a holiday wonderland with Christmas lights so you and your partner can make out like you did when you first got together. The ideas for reenacting your initial date with a holiday theme are only limited by your imagination, so put your creativity to work!

4. Visit a Christmas Tree Farm

Their Christmas tree is often the focal point of the holiday for a lot of people. Gifts are traditionally put under the tree, after all, so it’s only natural that the seasonal fixture gets a lot of attention. Of course, a tree’s Christmas décor draws even more attention to the holiday staple.

To add more meaning to your tree, consider visiting a Christmas tree farm with your SO. Once you’re there, the two of you can pick the Christmas tree you want. Getting a live tree from a farm is one of those annual holiday traditions you’ll want to keep up for years to come as it’s a ton of fun, especially as you get to know the farm’s owners during your repeat yearly visits.

5. Celebrate Kiss-Mas with Some Mistletoe

Transforming Christmas into Kiss-Mas is as simple as hanging some mistletoe. It’s traditional for couples to smooch every time they find themselves standing underneath the mistletoe, and you and your significant other can get in on the action without breaking a sweat.

To up the fun, invite another couple over for drinks and appetizers. Keep count to see which couple winds up kissing the most under the decoration. Get a humorous prize for the duo who kisses the most and an equally funny booby prize for the couple who “lose” the friendly competition. This is actually a good opportunity to get comical, suggestive prizes that will keep the romance going after your get-together draws to an end, such as glow-in-the-dark condoms or body paint.

6. Schedule a Movie Night

Christmas is the time of year to watch all your favorite holiday movies. Luckily, watching your favorite Christmas movies is a fantastic way to spend a holiday date. Here are some Christmas movies you may want to watch with your SO as the two of you cuddle on the couch:

• A Christmas Story
• Elf
• The Grinch
• Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (skip the later films that are part of the Home Alone franchise, or you’ll kill the romance faster than you can say “Rudolph”)
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Santa Claus: The Movie
• Holiday Affair
• The Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• Office Christmas Party
• Scrooged
• A Christmas Carol

7. Have a Snowball Fight

As enjoyable as the holidays are, the season can also be fraught with stress. Shopping, cooking, attending parties, and decorating all while you continue to work and live your daily life can detract from all the holiday fun. If you anticipate that you or your partner will need to blow off some steam as Christmas draws ever nearer, why don’t you have a snowball fight?

If some neighborhood kids or a few adult neighbors are out and about, invite them to join the fight. Just make sure the snow is packable and that it hasn’t iced over so you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt if they take a snowball to the face.

8. Build a Snowman

Building a snowman or snowperson is a fun way to spend time with your significant other. You can make your creation as big or small as you’d like. Don’t forget to dress your snowman up in some hilarious seasonal clothes. You may even want to unpack that ugly Christmas sweater you got a few years ago so your snowperson can show it off to your neighbors.

9. Plan a Naughty or Nice Night

Do you want to infuse the air with some romance? You can do just that by planning a naughty or nice night. Use printable cards to make notes, with each note describing a single nice thing your SO did for you during the year or one naughty activity you’d like to engage in with your partner. Hide the notes in secret places around your home.

When the appointed hour rolls around, challenge your SO to find the notes. Whenever your partner finds a note, you can reminisce about her act of kindness or the two of you can do whatever is on the uncovered naughty card.

10. Make Some DIY Christmas Gifts for Neighbors

You and your partner don’t have to be overly crafty to make some DIY Christmas gifts for your neighbors. You can get some candies and use a holiday-themed printable to wrap them into bundles you can hand out.

Alternatively, you may want to get some mason jars and put all the ingredients a friend will need to make a scrumptious batch of brownies in layers inside the jars. Remember to attach the relevant recipe to each jar so your neighbors will know how to make the sweet treats.

11. Play Ding, Dong, Ditch

Once your homemade gifts are done, you and your SO can deliver them to your neighbors by playing the childhood game Ding, Dong, Ditch. To play the game, place a gift on one of your neighbor’s doorsteps, ring the bell, and run so you two don’t get caught by your buddy.

If you want to make the game competitive, you and your partner can take turns delivering the gifts to your neighbors. Whichever one of you gets caught the least will win the game. In all reality, both of you will win when you witness your neighbors’ oft-hysterical reactions to your pranks and thoughtful gifts.

12. Construct a Gingerbread House

Don’t worry! You don’t need a general contractor’s license to construct a gingerbread house. All you have to do is visit Amazon to order a gingerbread house kit that will have all the ingredients needed to build a fragrant, edible house that will earn plenty of attention during a holiday get-together.

13. Go Sledding

Has it snowed in your area already? If the snow is deep enough, take your SO on a date night at a location where the two of you can go sledding. As the two of you slide down an incline at an accelerating rate, the person in the back will cling to the front rider, which is an exhilarating feeling that will bring you right back to your childhood days.

14. Book a Wintry Getaway

Do you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of winter weather? You can give your partner a seasonal experience by booking a getaway at a destination that’s known for its blustery winds and snow. Booking a ski trip in the Rockies or a snowboarding trip in the North Carolina mountains are just a few extended Christmas date ideas you may want to consider.

15. Create a Christmas Playlist Together

One of the most enjoyable parts of the holidays is the Christmas music. Christmas songs have the power to set the literal and figurative tone for the season, and they can instill plenty of Christmas spirit in even the most committed of scrooges.

If you’re trying to establish holiday traditions with your SO, consider making a Christmas playlist together every year. Depending on your tastes, you may want to include some traditional Christmas songs and some of the latest hits in your playlist. Here are some classics that are sure to get all listeners in the Christmas spirit:

• White Christmas and I’ll Be Home for Christmas by the harmonious Bing Crosby
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by the melodious Judy Garland
• The Christmas Song by none other than Nat King Cole
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman by Gene Autry
• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by the immortal Frank Sinatra
• Santa Baby by the iconic Eartha Kitt
• Blue Christmas by the king of rock ‘n roll himself, Elvis Presley
• Run, Rudolph, Run by the legendary Chuck Berry
• The Chipmunk Song, also known as Christmas Don’t Be Late by the cartoonish Alvin and company

16. Sing Christmas Carols

Once your Christmas playlist is done, you can use it as the basis for singing Christmas carols throughout your neighborhood. If you’re really shy about singing in public, you and your partner can go door-to-door to entertain people with professionally recorded holiday tunes as you mouth the words to the delight of onlookers.

Christmas caroling is enjoyable for performers and listeners in equal measure. You can spread the joy by inviting others to join you on your caroling tour. If your group is going to sing, make sure everyone has sheet music that includes the words to each song you plan to perform.

You can find Christmas carol songbooks on Amazon. Ordering one and making copies of the songs your group will sing is a good way to keep things affordable. Before you order a songbook, make sure you navigate to smile.amazon.com so that a portion of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to the charity of your choice.

17. Take Your Partner Ice Skating

Anyone trying to come up with romantic Christmas date ideas should put ice skating on their list of holiday activities. Going skating is a particularly good idea if you’re a strong skater and your partner only has limited experience on the ice. That’s because your SO will likely cling to you to avoid taking a tumble. When you’re a source of support for your partner, you’ll enjoy a wonderful feeling of strength and being needed.

If you live near a rink, going skating with your SO will be an easy endeavor as long as your partner is willing. Is the closest rink hours away? Pack a bag and surprise your partner with a long weekend that includes plenty of ice time and ice skating. If possible, book some private time on the ice and ask the facility manager to blast some Christmas music as you and your SO skate around.

18. Design Personalized Christmas Cards

While some revelers print up a summary of their year and stick it in the same card for all their friends and family members, you and your partner can do more during a date night. Instead of sending generic cards to everyone, the two of you can design custom Christmas cards for the people closest to you.

To create the cards the two of you will send, you can use a printable template or two. Once you print the pre-made cards, you and your SO can fill each card with a handwritten message that the relevant recipient will truly appreciate.

19. Arrange an Experience for Your Partner

Many people secretly hope they can have a given experience, but some put off the indulgence in favor of saving money for more ordinary things. If your partner has a bucket list of experiences he wants to have, why don’t you arrange for your partner to have the experience he wants the most?

Understand, the experience might not be one that you want to share or one that’s even possible to do jointly, and that’s okay! You’ll still participate in the experience by watching your SO enjoy the moment and hearing him recount his experience for years to come.

Has your love interest always wanted to go sky diving? You can book him a spot for a jump with a trained expert on a sky diving charter plane. Does your sweetie want to spend nights on end under a starlit sky? You can get him an annual pass to the country’s national parks. Has your SO said he’d love to experience what it’s like to be in a NASCAR race? You can contact the nearest circuit track to make arrangements for your partner to go around the track at top speeds with a professional driver.

Remember, booking an experience for your love interest is all about his wants and desires, not yours. When you book an experience that you know your SO has wanted for a long time, the odds are good that you’ll make the upcoming holiday the best Christmas the two of you have shared to date.

20. Spend a Date Night Coming Up with Gift Ideas

Giving gifts is one of the most enjoyable, if not the most enjoyable elements of the holidays. There are few things better than seeing the look on someone’s face when you give the individual the perfect gift. If you and your SO are going to give joint gifts, it’s wise to dedicate a date night to drum up some ideas for presents.

The key to coming up with gift ideas that will resonate with the people you two will give them to is to think about the recipients’ likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, and interests. To cover all the bases, you and your partner may want to engage in some brainstorming where even the wildest ideas remain on the figurative table.

Gifts don’t have to be tangible things that will stay on the shelf. For example, if one of your closest friends is passionate about animals, you may want to sponsor a zoo animal for her for a year or you might prefer to make a donation to a local animal shelter in her name instead. Does one of your relatives love art? You and your SO may want to get him an annual pass to an art museum or pay for him to attend private art lessons with a renowned local artisan.

21. Challenge Your Partner with Board Games

Do you and your SO play virtual games regularly? If so, you may want to shake things up a bit and challenge your partner to take you on with a board game. Old school games are often more intimate than virtual contests because they allow for plenty of opportunities for you to touch your sweetie’s hand and make eye contact.

Are you unsure which games you should whip out? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. The classic board games you may want to play with your SO during a date night include:

• Monopoly
• Guess Who?
• Scrabble
• Sorry!
• Trouble
• Trivial Pursuit
• Boggle
• Clue
• Risk
• Battleship
• The Game of Life
• Checkers
• Chess

You can spice up a game night by coming up with an enticing reward for the night’s ultimate victor. One possibility might be for the loser to make the winner’s favorite meal on Christmas Eve. Another option is for the winner to enjoy a massage and a relaxing bath drawn by the loser.

22. Take a Walk

One of the simplest Christmas date ideas to put into action is to take a walk with your SO. You can stroll through your neighborhood hand in hand as you wave to nearby friends. If you want to experience a new area, you may want to head to one of the hot, happening neighborhoods that have sprung up in your city’s downtown area. Exploring a new neighborhood will give you and your partner a lot of chances to steal kisses when you’re not under a streetlight.

If it’s snowing, the snowflakes will make walking anywhere a romantic experience. You can kiss snowflakes off the tip of your sweetie’s nose, and the two of you can have fun making angels in the snow as you get closer to home. The two of you will enjoy getting out of your wet clothes and warming each other up once you get inside.

23. Decorate a Neighbor’s Home

Do you have an elderly neighbor, did you get wind of someone who recently suffered an injury, or do you know a single parent who’s always on the go? If so, you may want to spread some holiday cheer by delivering some holiday décor to the person’s home. Make sure your delivery includes a note informing the recipient that you and your SO will put up the decorations when it’s convenient for the person to have you do so.

Stringing Christmas lights, hanging ornaments, and blowing up holiday figurines for someone else is just as much fun as it is to do at your own home. Decorating for another person is even more rewarding than doing the same for yourself because it helps others to get into the spirit of the season.

24. Exchange Gift Boxes on Christmas Eve

If you wait until Christmas morning to open presents, you may want to make exchanging gift boxes the night before a tradition between you and your SO. Each of you should get a similarly sized box several weeks before the big night. Both of you should fill the box with little items you know your partner will like.

To tease your partner, you may want to include a few items that hint at the presents you’ll give your SO the next day without giving them away. In order to make each annual box exchange unique, you can pick a different theme for the boxes every year.

25. Cook Together

With this being the 25^th entry on our list of festive Christmas activities for couples, it shouldn’t surprise you that we recommend cooking together on Christmas day. You can kick the day off by visiting your sweetie’s favorite coffee shop and picking up a strong brew and some cinnamon rolls. You can warm up the rolls when you get home so your love interest will wake up to the smell of yummy pastries.

As you and your partner enjoy a romantic holiday breakfast, the two of you can confirm your holiday dinner menu. After breakfast, you and your SO can begin preparing your Christmas feast.

Many people go to great lengths to make things they don’t normally prepare so that their holiday dinner is like a special event. If that’s your plan, leave some extra time to review recipes that you don’t normally use, and allow for some hilarious mistakes by having some replacement ingredients on hand.

Cooking together Is a wonderful way to pass the better part of a holiday like Christmas. Preparing food for others makes the task even more rewarding and enjoyable.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A typical holiday season makes everyone look forward to various things. From big meals shared with family and friends, gift-giving, holiday parties, classic Christmas music, shopping, wintry weather, and more, there’s plenty to get excited about this time of year.

If you’ve ever seen “Christmas Vacation,” then you know that Clark Griswold certainly got worked up about Christmas decorations, more specifically holiday lights. Once you look over our decorating ideas, we think you’ll be just as enthusiastic about Christmas lights, holiday decorating, and all the other things that make the holiday season so special.

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Add a Scratch-Off Adventure Book to Your Mantel

Whether Santa thinks your kids have been naughty or nice this year, we suggest you get them a copy of Adventures From Scratch: Family Edition. It’s full of activities that are fun for kids of all ages. No matter which adventure you scratch off, you and your family are sure to make new discoveries, share plenty of laughs, and enjoy quality time this Christmas season and beyond!

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Make What’s Old New Again

Do you plan to transform your home into a winter wonderland that oozes holiday cheer? If so, we applaud your plan! Before you start your holiday decorating, take inventory of the Christmas decorations you already have. You might be surprised by all the decorations you’ve collected over the years, and you might discover that you’re tired of using the same ‘ole tree topper and lawn figurines.

Don’t despair! Get creative instead. You can breathe new life into old decorations so they look and feel as if they’re new. Here are some DIY holiday decorating ideas you can use to refresh the decorations you’ve used in years past:

• Add a colorful bow and some solar lights to an outdoor Christmas wreath
• Use sprigs of colorful herbs to brighten up a gingerbread house
• Outline your tree skirt with some fragrant eucalyptus branches
• Arrange your existing decorations so they match the color scheme of the art and furniture nearby rather than following a traditional Christmas color scheme

Create a Personalized DIY Tree Topper

Does the idea of using the same old tree topper keep you up at night and haunt your dreams during the few minutes you’re able to grab some shut-eye? If that’s the case, we suggest you make a new one.

To make one on your own, visit your local craft store and pick up some curly, shiny sticks, twine, and wire. Bundle the sticks together and tie them together at one end so that their tops flop in any and all directions like a pom-pom. Use the wire to affix your creation to the top of your Christmas tree. Use equally nifty and bright string lights and Christmas ornaments on your tree as you continue decorating.

Upgrade Your Christmas Lights

If you want your Christmas decorations to literally alight with the holiday spirit, we suggest you upgrade your Christmas lights. Replace your old lights with colorful LED string lights. Don’t just light up your tree. Consider running festive lights of all colors throughout your home.

Just be sure you get lights you can control using your smartphone. Make sure the lights you get are compatible with Twinkly Music Dongle so your kids can make your string lights “dance” to some holiday music all season long.

Ditch the Tree Skirt in Favor of a Planter or Fishbowl

Putting a skirt around the tree is traditional in many households, but it can create a trip hazard if the skirt extends into a pathway and it bunches up. To keep everyone safe and upright, why don’t you replace your skirt with a vintage planter or fishbowl? Doing so will heighten your tree, which will make cleaning any debris that falls from the tree a cinch to clean up.

Put Together a Pretty Tablescape with the Kids

Making an eye-catching tablescape doesn’t have to be a taxing endeavor. Grab a serving tray or platter, stack some Christmas ornaments on the tray, and then ask your kids to tuck some fresh greenery in the gaps between the ornaments.

Alternatively, you can cut some greenery into branches that measure 5 – 8 inches. When you’re done, ask your kids to arrange the branches so that they look like live, miniature trees. Put each “tree” into an egg cup or a short water glass that’s covered in wrapping paper. Place the trees on your platter and run a string of lights through the “forest.” The result will be an attractive centerpiece you’ll be proud to show off in your dining room during Christmas dinner.

Come Up with a Holiday Decorating Advent Calendar

Enlist the help of your significant other to create an age-appropriate holiday decorating advent calendar for your kids. Each day covered by your calendar should task your kids with a decorating chore they’ll enjoy doing as the holiday draws nearer. Once you’ve come up with at least 25 tasks your children can do on and between December 1^st and Christmas day, supersize your final Advent calendar so you can hang it in a prominent location in your home so it can be one of your many holiday decorations.

Set aside some time each day for your kids to reveal their assigned tasks. Take pictures of your kids doing each chore. Have special treats lined up so they can indulge in some well-deserved sweets after they finish their daily decorating assignment. At the end of the season, you can make picture books using your photos and give one to each child.

Display Your Mini Figurines Throughout Your Home

A lot of people collect figurines, which turn into an entire Christmas village over time. If you already have a sizeable collection, consider displaying parts of it in different locations throughout your home instead of cramming the whole village on one table in a single room.

You can then connect the different parts of your holiday village with a toy train track. If some of your village is located on an upper floor, you can connect your spread-out village by converting your stairway into a chair lift for skiing villagers using garland and lift chairs made with colorful pipe cleaners, twine, and small strips of cardboard covered with some festive gift wrap.

Accent Year-Round Collections

Do you have things that you keep on display all year, such as an antique decanter and period drinking glasses? You can keep them in place and incorporate them into your Christmas decorations. One simple idea is to hang a Christmas wreath above a collection. Next, you can pick up some American cranberry bush berries to dress up your collection in red. Cranberry bunches are normally best if you want to draw the eyes of onlookers to certain pieces.

To offset the red, have your kids place some greenery in a few select vessels that are part of your collection. You can also use some garland and complementary ribbon to create a colorful endpoint that defines your collection’s border. For an added effect, make a few pinecones part of your holiday display.

What type of greenery should you use? Consider these varieties:

• Magnolia
• Winterberry
• Pine
• Fir
• Boxwood
• Winterberry

Slap a Bow on Hanging Lights

While some people will advise you to decorate your hanging lights with some garland and berries, we suggest you spruce up your chandeliers with bows instead. Using bows hung on the lights’ exterior cages or the wire that suspends the chandeliers overhead is a safer alternative to garland because you don’t have to twist the decoration through a given light’s cage, which could land the garland dangerously close to the bulb.

Craft a Holiday Topiary with Some Poinsettias

If you already have an ivy topiary, you can use it as the base for a holiday topiary. Get some poinsettias and cut off the large blooms, leaving around six inches of stem attached to each one. Sear the stems using the flame of a candle until the stems turn black. Have your kids insert the large blooms into florist tubes near the base of your topiary. Repeat the process with your medium and small blooms as your children work their way up the topiary until it’s completely covered with poinsettias.

Once all the poinsettias are in position, move your topiary to a spot that sees high foot traffic so it can ignite the holiday spirit in everyone who passes it by. To make your decorative topiary last, remember to refresh the water supply in the florist tubes every few days.

Bring Wintry Weather Inside

Depending on where you live, you may have to deal with snow, ice, frost, and blustery winds during the holiday season. While you may not want the actual elements inside, you can make facsimiles of them to transform your home into a winter wonderland.

You can use a sound machine to mimic the sound of the wind. Ask your kids to make some Christmas crafts like snowflakes made with white paper and scissors. You can run string through the holes they cut out and hang the snowflakes all over. Instruct your kids to make snowballs using cotton balls and leave stacks of them in strategic places so it looks as if a snowball fight could break out at a moment’s notice.

The possibilities for bringing faux wintry weather into your home are nearly endless. For more ideas, ask your kids for some suggestions. If they can’t think of anything off the tops of their heads, encourage them to research Christmas decoration ideas that portray winter weather indoors online.

Recreate Snow Days Using Apothecary Jars

If you want to do some Christmas crafts with your kids, you can do so with just a few supplies. Pick up some apothecary jars, a few toy reindeer, a can of gold paint, a container of Epsom salt, and a couple of bottle brush trees. Before you involve your children, spray-paint the toy deer gold and let them dry.

Once the paint on the deer has dried, put all the supplies on a table and give each child an apothecary jar. Instruct your children to:

• Pour Epsom salt into their jars so it looks like a snow-covered field
• Place a few deer and some bottle brush trees in their jars
• Reposition some of the salt so it looks as if the “snow” has mounded in a few places
• Put the lids back on their jars

As you’ll see, each jar will be an enviable representation of an idyllic winter day. Once they’re done, you can use the DIY Christmas creations as holiday decorations. You can make the jars even more eye-appealing by wrapping the lid of each jar with a small piece of burlap so it hangs just slightly over the container’s glass.

Hang Stockings with Oversized Candy Canes

Rather than hang your stocking the way you always have, consider spicing things up this year. You can order oversized hangers in the form of candy canes from Amazon and use them to hang your family’s stockings along your mantel. The candy canes will be eye-catching on their own, but they’ll be even more so once your family members hang their stockings on them.

Wrap Faux Gifts and Your Front Door

No list of decorating ideas would be complete without recommending that you wrap your front door with some holiday-themed gift wrap. Similarly, you should use some colorful wrapping paper to wrap some fake gifts so the space under your Christmas tree doesn’t look depressingly barren in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There’s no reason to stick with wrapping that shows off traditional Christmas colors exclusively. You can also use paper that matches your home décor.

Wrapping paper isn’t your only choice for wrapping faux gifts or your front door. You can use other materials, such as aluminum or gold foil, sheer wrap, or even burlap if you want to create an old-timey look.

Of course, wrapping anything may go against the grain of your Christmas decorations if you’re not a talented wrapper. A lack of wrapping skills isn’t a reason to give up on this holiday decorating idea, however. That’s because you can take a gift-wrapping tutorial online. You can even have your gift-wrapping-challenged children take the tutorial with you.

Craft a Homemade Holiday Wreath

Wreaths made with natural materials only last one season before they end up in a landfill. If you want to make a reusable holiday wreath, you can do so with some red and green sandwich bags. Get a wire hanger and shape it into a circle while leaving the handle intact. Slice off the resealable portions of the bags and then cut them along their sides.

Tell your kids to tie the spliced bags in knots along the round portion of the hanger, alternating red and green bags. When your children finish, you’ll have a festive wreath that will last for years to come.

Dress Up Your Holiday Table

This time of year is a wonderful time to keep your holiday table dressed up, even when you’re between meals. Have your kids pick out some mismatched table settings and order them online along with a pattern-packed table overlay. Cover your table with your holiday tablecloth and then put the table settings into position.

Put out some small bowls filled with cinnamon candies, too. Get some red carnations from the local grocery store or a nursery and use them as the centerpiece on your festive tabletop.

Incorporate Fragrant Décor

You can even incorporate some fragrant décor into your dining area. For example, you can get some herb sprigs, tie them together with string, and hang them upside down on the backs of your dining room or kitchen chairs.

What are some sprigs that will go well together? Here are a few that complement each other well:

• Marjoram
• Rosemary
• Bay leaf
• Thyme
• Basil

Your bundles of herb sprigs will eventually dry out. That’s okay, however, because you can still use them to season a holiday meal when they’re no longer fresh, which means you can repurpose these fragrant Christmas decorations instead of wasting them.

Spruce Up Your Front Porch

If you want to spruce up your front porch without breaking a sweat, you’ll appreciate this decorating idea. Visit a nursery and pick up two seven-gallon magnolias and two ornamental planters. When you get home, place one planter on each side of your door and then replant the magnolias in the planters.

You can flush out the appearance of each plant using some spray-painted branches and some seeded eucalyptus. Red, gold, and silver are some of the colors that work well in this sort of holiday display. If you can’t find magnolias, consider another type of plant that will hold up well in wintry weather.

When the holidays are over, you can replant the magnolias in your garden or yard. By doing that, the plants will serve as year-long reminders of all the holiday fun you had.

Adorn Your Christmas Tree with Ribbons

Do you want to shake things up this year? Consider skipping the tinsel in favor of colored ribbons when you’re decorating your Christmas tree. Ribbons are readily available in a veritable rainbow of holiday colors. You can wrap the ribbons around your tree by weaving them between your tree’s branches. Alternatively, you can let the ribbons cascade downward to create a completely different visual effect.

Be sure you put the lights on your tree before you decorate it with ribbons. By stringing the lights first, you can ensure that they’ll illuminate the ribbons from behind in a pleasing manner once your Christmas tree is fully decorated.

Replace a Conventional Tree with a Wooden Alternative

If you really want to push the figurative envelope with your Christmas decorations, consider replacing your conventional Christmas tree with a wooden one. You can find a DIY Christmas tree kit on Etsy that consists of wooden dowels. This tree is a cinch to assemble with minimal effort even if you’re not known for your handyman or woman skills.

This tree is a great alternative for people who want to pull off a minimalist Christmas. You can add some garland, spray-painted branches, and ribbons to the tree to make it more festive. Of course, you can hang an ornament here and there, too.

Ensure Your Bar Cart Is Put to Good Use

Using a bar cart to serve adult beverages during the Christmas season is a good way to ensure everyone has a stout beverage in hand during holiday parties. Your cart can do more, however, if you dress your bar cart up with some holiday decorations.

What can you use to guarantee your cart will spread some holiday cheer as you dole out tasty drinks? You may want to use:

• Garland
• Ribbons
• Colorful fruits
• Tinsel

Christmas time is supposed to be filled with joy and all the warm feels. However, some of us put way too much stress on ourselves due to gift-giving! We can’t help it. We just want every special person in our life to have that perfect gift that expresses how much they mean to us. We want each gift to be special and heartfelt. However, with so many to buy for, it can get really complicated, not to mention, EXPENSIVE!

In an effort to cut down on prices, one suggestion is to combine your giftees into families or couples. But, what are the best Christmas gifts for couples? What do you get for those couples who have everything, like your in-laws? What do you get for your favorite couple of friends, or that niece and her husband, that you don’t really know that well? Most couples’ gifts are lame or only really work for one of the two people. While some of that is inevitable with a group gift, this guide gives you several great gifts that couples will love, or at least find useful! Let’s get to it!

Helpful Hint: Save this article somewhere on your phone, you will find it handy for weddings, Valentine’s Day, and anniversary gifts too!

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Give the Gift Of A Date Night 

Date night is a pretty important institution for a successful relationship. New couples need it to get to know each other. Married couples need it to keep some spice in their union. Parents need it to reconnect over something that doesn’t involve the kids. But, it can be difficult to keep date night fresh. Most of us fall into the same old thing every week, and it just gets dull. Make sure your favorite couple doesn’t fall prey to the boring date night. Here are a few ideas to ensure they have fun together all year long!

1. Send Them On Some Adventures From Scratch

Adventures From Scratch: Date Edition is the perfect Christmas gift for a couple! It’s filled with date-night inspirations—50+ dates, in fact! We love it because each date night is specifically curated by couples who have been together for more than 40 years! So, these methods are tested and proven. The book includes “Why I Love You” cards, as well as, questions for couples, and even double date ideas. This little book is sure to keep the happy couple enjoying date night all year long, and we love that!

2. 100 Great Dates

This 100 Dates Scratch off Calendar from Bucket List is available at Uncommongoods, and it is awesome. With 100 dates ranging from horseback riding on the beach, to ice cream dates, to silent discos, there is something on this list for every couple. Not only does it help them find new dates, but it also serves as a reminder of all the great nights they have had together!

3. Date Night Box

Select one of these amazing subscription boxes from CrateJoy. They have date night boxes ranging from arts and crafts kits to cocktail kits, and everything in between. You are sure to find something for almost any couple here! You can either purchase a one-time box or a subscription that will send them a new box every month. It’s up to you! Each crate comes complete with everything they need for a perfect date night!

4. Date Night Bucketlist

If a scratch-off poster is not really their thing, grab this cute little canister of date ideas from Uncommongoods. It’s filled with wooden sticks, engraved with truly unique date ideas. We love this one because it can make its home right in the glove box of the car, or on their desk at work, so that it is accessible when needed. It’s easy to use, easy to store, and super affordable! Perfect!

5. Date Night Scavenger Hunt

Let’s Roam Date Night Scavenger Hunts are totally unique! Once purchased, they can be used any time. The scavenger hunts are chalked full of friendly competitions guaranteed to produce serious bonding moments and major laughs. With the monthly subscription, your favorite couple will have tons of themes to choose from. Each one can be used several times without repeating the games, and it will provide hours and hours of fun. We love this gift because they don’t have to spend a dime, never had to leave the house, and don’t even have to wear pants to enjoy a great date night! A virtual scavenger hunt is also great for long-distance couples, as they can still have a great date night, even while apart!

Spice Up Their Cold Winter Nights With A Couple’s Game Night

Whether your special couple are newlyweds (just now really getting to know each other), or they have been married 50 years, a well-curated game, designed to deepen conversation is just the ticket. The following games are crafted to get them talking about all kinds of things they would never think to bring up on their own. These games focus on bringing people together, with interesting topical conversation starters, competitions, and challenges. Not only will they help with those long, boring winter nights, but they will also spice things up a little!

6. Wine Barrel

Wine Barrel is akin to the old Newlywed Game. However, it goes past surface-level questions and into the deep stuff. This game is the perfect example of “things you wouldn’t think to ask.”  Some questions are easy to answer. Others will take some real time and thought.

We love this game because it lets the couple really get a peek into each other’s brains and hearts. For new couples, it will definitely help with understanding and reveal lots of surprises. For seasoned married couples, they may be really surprised to hear their best friend’s answers. They just might not know them as well as they thought!

7. Table Topics: Couples Edition

Everybody knows that the best tool for happy couples is great communication. Table Topics make all sorts of Conversation Starter Kits to ensure high-quality convos. They have great boxes for families, friends, girls’ night, etc. We loved this couples edition because no matter if they are on their first date or they have been together forever, they will learn something new about their partner. It’s much like Wine Barrel, except made to be used over a long time period. Table Topics can just sit on their coffee table, ready to help with conversation any time things get a little dull. 

Helpful Tip: While you pick up one for your recipient couple, grab a few more for that special family or your next girls’ trip!

8. Truth or Dare Topple Tower

For the lovebirds who aren’t afraid of a little embarrassment, check out this Truth or Dare Topple Tower. It’s a combo of Truth or Dare and Jenga. Every block you remove has a Truth Question or a Dare inscribed on it. So, as they struggle to keep the tower upright, they also find out some interesting qualities about their partner. Not to mention, they get some great laughs from the hilarious dares. 

Help Make a House A Home

Home Decor makes for a great Christmas gift, especially for loved ones who are just starting out. A new home can be expensive to furnish! All the daily necessities, decanter sets, coffee mugs, wall art, wine glasses, can add up to big bucks for a young couple. But, they need them all! Help a new couple fill their home with one of these unique gifts. Maybe, if they get everything they need for hosting, they will take over the cooking next holiday season, and you won’t even have to clean your house. Holiday goals!

9. Personalized Cutting Board

Cutting boards are a great gift idea because they are not only personal but utilitarian and multi-purpose. Plus, if you have it engraved with their monogram and wedding date, it makes for a great decoration and keepsake. We suggest getting one that is large enough to also serve as a charcuterie or cheese board. It should be functional for cutting but also beautiful for serving.

We love this marble and maple wood cutting board from Etsy.com. It’s the best couple gift for the foodies in your clan. This beauty also makes a great housewarming gift!

10. Deck the Walls

Make their house feel like a home with a beautiful piece of wall art. There are so many options. Have a wedding picture of the loving couple blown up and framed. Even better, if you have any artistic talent, give them a DIY piece. They will appreciate having something handmade from you to remind them of your love, every time they walk by!

Is art not your thing? That’s cool, head over to Etsy and grab this unique Personalized Milestones Map. This beautiful piece is an awesome keepsake, as it not only has their union date but also includes vintage maps of places they have traveled together. They will love it!

11. Goodies Gift Box

Another easy DIY holiday gift is to create your own gift set. Grab a beautiful basket or tote, that matches their home decor, or is neutral. Make sure it is something that can be useful or decorative on its own. Then fill it with practical items from your favorite kitchen store. Think monogrammed hand towels, wooded utensils, a few candles, etc.

As with all gifts, make sure to take into account the passions of your couple. For instance, if they are environment crusaders, stay away from wood, plastic, and rubber. Stick to bamboo spoons, reusable glass containers, and stainless steel straws, with a few handmade vegan soaps! If you aren’t sure what to get, just grab a few neutral items, enough to make your basket presentable, then place a gift card to the store in the midst for them to pick something they love. 

Give The Gift of Adventure

One of the best ways to enjoy quality time together is to spend it outdoors. Fresh air and the beauty of nature can be just what we need to reignite that special spark! For the adventurous couple on your holiday list, consider one of these outdoor necessities!

12. National Parks Pass

If your favorite couple is the adventurous type, gift them an America The Beautiful Pass. This one card will get them both into any National Park for a full year. It’s a great gift for those who love to explore and would rather have memories than stuff.

Pair your pass with this National Parks Bucketlist Scratch-off Keepsake, so they can keep up with each park they have visited! The memories they make together in the wilderness will far outweigh the cost of the pass! 

13. Napping in Style

You can’t head out on a camping adventure without a great place to lounge. This two-person hammock by Kootek is big enough for two and is available at Amazon! It’s the perfect holiday gift for the camper couple. It folds up small, so it’s easy to store. It comes in several colors, and it is priced at less than $30. 

14. A Seat For Two

For those love birds who are always in each other’s lap, get them a chair made for two! This double-person camping chair is perfect for a young, adventurous couple. It folds up small. It’s super durable and perfect for those late-night, campfire convos. Pair it with #15, for the ultimate camping gift!

15. Give them S’more

For any camper or adventurer, a good campfire is akin to heaven. However, it isn’t always possible. That doesn’t mean they can’t have perfect s’mores though. Grab this Nostalgia S’mores Set to ensure they have perfect snacks all winter long! It comes complete with 4 trays for chocolates, marshmallows, graham crackers, and roasting sticks! It’s totally electric and safe for use inside! It’s perfect because it can be used on a camping adventure or on one of those stay-at-home dates we discussed earlier!

Give the Gift of Knowledge

Great marriages don’t just fall out of the sky. We all know we have to work at it. Any couple, at any stage of their relationship, can always learn more and improve their union. One of the best ways to learn is through podcasts and books. Here are some of the best relationship books to gift a couple this Christmas.

16. Five Love Languages

This book has been a staple for many years! The Five Love Languages outlines five different ways that people feel love. It allows a person to learn to show love and respect to their significant other in the way that they need, instead of in the way that’s easiest. For instance, one partner may naturally show love by gift-giving. However, if their partner’s love language is “Acts of Service,” a new gift will do nothing for them, they would feel much more loved, if their partner would vacuum the floor, instead. This little book is invaluable to learning how your partner experiences love and how best to tend to their needs. 

17. Good Habits

1000+ Little Habits of Happy, Successful Relationships is a gem! It’s written by New York Times best-selling authors, Marc and Angel Chernoff. This incredibly inciteful book includes ways to deal with toxic family members, ways to stay calm when others are angry, things happy couples do differently, and mantras to deal with drama. It’s wise advice, presented in a simple and effective way, a perfect gift for any couple looking to deepen their relationship!

18. Wisdom From The Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is not only a New York Times best-seller, it is written by a well-respected Ph.D. in the field, John Gottman, with help from Nan Silver. The book is straightforward and teaches practical approaches to conflict resolution and intimacy. No subject is off-limits. It offers advice on dealing with conflicts over sex, intimacy, religion, work, money, and family problems. It’s a great guidebook for any couple to have on the bookshelf!

19. Get Naked

The Naked Marriage, by Dave and Ashley Willis, tackles the tough stuff of sex and intimacy in a funny and unique way. The book teaches the importance of “getting naked” emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically. Dave and Ashley also have a super-funny podcast of the same name. Check them out for some solid wisdom on life-long love! 

20. A Real Apology

This book may be the most unique of all of them. When Sorry Isn’t Enough is also written by two New York Times best-selling authors, Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas. It teaches a skill that most of us need some major practice with. It teaches the importance of a proper apology, how to do it, and how to restore broken relationships.

The book offers sound advice on how to salvage relationships that might seem too far gone to save. It just might be a marriage-saving gift. However, it’s not just a book for relationships that are in trouble. When Sorry Isn’t Enough teaches valuable lessons on how to deal with conflict in a productive and mutually respectful way that is helpful to any couple!

Give The Gift of Food

Let’s be for real, we all love good food! What could be a better gift for a foodie couple than a gift card to their favorite restaurant, or a goodie basket full of sweet delicacies? Nothing, the answer is nothing! If you have a foodie couple on your gift list, here are a few gift ideas for food-related items that they will love!

21. Eliminate Indecision

Choosing what is for dinner might be the most difficult part of most couples’ days. Nobody cares, yet everybody cares, all at the same time. No one wants to choose anything, and round and round it goes. Solve the problem with these Foodie Dice. Toss the cubes and cook whatever they tell you to. The cubes allow for over 186 different combinations of meals, so they can have a new meal every evening! It takes the thinking and fighting out of it, and decreases the stress around dinner time. Invaluable!

22. Wine Always Helps

Give the gift of a delicious glass of Vino. Wine Clubs like GoldMedalWineClub.com offer gift cards for wine subscriptions that deliver beautifully chosen wines to your recipients all year long. You can choose from 6 different wine subscriptions on Gold Medal, and you can designate the deliveries from 1 to 12 months. So, basically, you can give a one-time gift, or a box every month, all year long. Each box comes with 2 wines, a description of the winery history, an artist-created box, and food pairing recommendations. It’s a great gift to make every date night special!

23. A Picnic Pack

Having a picnic together is a classic, go-to date. However, they aren’t the easiest or most practical. Some picnic baskets are cumbersome and hard to hike with. We love this Apollo Walker Picnic Backpack, available on Amazon. It not only has all the utensils and plates, neatly organized, each with its own spot, but it also has insulated areas for cold drinks and plenty of food. With a beautiful and durable design, they can throw their food on their backs and hike to the highest peak for a picnic with a view! Once the picnic is over, you just have a normal-looking day bag on and aren’t carrying around a random basket all afternoon. 

24. Food Subscription

As we have discussed, one of the hardest parts of managing a household is deciding what is for dinner. In comes Hello Fresh! As one of the best food delivery services out there, a gift card to Hello Fresh ensures that your couple will have great food at their fingertips every night. The monthly subscriptions allow them to choose foods they like and have them prepared and delivered each week. All they need to do is cook it. Right now, Hello Fresh is offering 14 Free Meals with your first order. Oh, how we love a freebie!

25. Personal Gift Basket

Gifts for foodies don’t have to come in a subscription form. Perhaps you just want to give a one-time holiday gift. Head to your nearest store and grab a beautiful basket or tote, in a similar fashion to the home decor basket above. Instead of filling it with kitchen utensils, fill it with all their favorite treats.

Remember that people are overloaded with sweet and salty treats during the holiday season, so maybe, stay away from that. Instead, fill it with beautiful bread, jams, and cheeses. Consider olives, spreads, homemade pasta, or even spices.

We like baskets that can be used to make a full meal, but you can personalize it any way you like! This is a great gift if you have waited until the last minute and it’s too late to order something! Plus, they look really beautiful.

Give the Gift of Health

We all know exercise produces endorphins and endorphins make people happy. If you know a couple who loves to get sweaty, buy them something they both can get good use out of. Some people love to work out alone, others as a couple, and others in public with a group. There are several great gift ideas for the health-conscious, but here are just a few to consider!

26. An Online Exercise Program

For those who love to exercise in a class, but maybe don’t have time to get to the gym daily or don’t have a good class in their area, consider a membership to Daily Burn. Sure, there are free classes on YouTube, but there are so many to choose from, and not all of them are good. It’s easy to use up all your exercise time in a day just looking for a decent video to do.

With Daily Burn, your recipient couple will have access to thousands of workouts from Barre, Pilates, Yoga, and HIIT classes. They even have classes to do during and following pregnancy. The membership allows them to answer some questions about themselves, and the program will set up a suggested workout program, targeting their goals and ability level. It also comes with a professionally designed tracker to monitor their workout goals and successes. Right now, they are offering the first 30 days for free!

27. Tracking Success

The Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the best and most complete fitness trackers out there. With stress management scores, daily readiness scores, and health metrics, the Fitbit not only tells them what is going on with their vitals, but it even lets them know when their body is ready for exercise and when it needs recovery. Its bright touchscreen and sleek design looks great on males and females, so grab a couple for your favorite sporty duo!

28. Space Saver

For those workout fanatics who don’t have much space for a home gym, consider the TRX Suspension Trainer System. TRX has so many options for suspension training. Their kits are well-respected in the industry and will help them turn their own body weight into a calorie-burning, muscle-building machine! The small kits can be stored anywhere, strung over any door, and have a 6-year warranty. We love this system, and they will too!

29. Sweat Shirts

Okay. This one is both hilarious and gross. These “sweatshirts” reveal special messages, but only when they are drenched with sweat. Perfect for runners and cardio freaks, this shirt will them when it’s time to go home. As the shirt gets soaked with sweat, a message appears stating “you can go home now,” or “I hate running!”  A sweaty shirt is never a good look, so it might as well be funny!

30. Gift of Recovery

Every athlete or workout fanatic knows that with pushing your body comes some sore muscles. Therabody makes incredible products to help our bodies recover. We love their percussion massager, the Theragun mini. While they have several different Massage guns, we like the Mini because it can easily be thrown in the gym bag or the weekend bag on a trip. With a 150-minute battery, it has plenty of power to handle those cramps and knots. Therabody also has a great line of balms, tinctures, and attachments to aid in the recovery process even more! It’s a great line, and we love this little product!

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Closing Thoughts

Mission Accomplished! There are our 30 favorite Christmas gifts for couples! We hope you found the perfect present on our list. If so, let us know in the comments what you decided to buy. We would love to hear from you! 

Families can be even more difficult to buy for than couples. The more people you have to please with a gift, the harder it is to find. Don’t stress! We have a holiday gift guide for families!

Last, but not least, if you are having a socially distanced Christmas Party this year, you may be at a loss to figure out how to have all your normal Christmas traditions and still maintain your distance. Check out these guides to planning virtual holiday parties and video gift exchanges!

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Frequently Asked Questions

It’s getting to be that time of year again when we need to start holiday shopping. With supply chain issues and delivery delays, it’s recommended to start earlier than normal this holiday season. As you make your list, you’ll probably need some family holiday gift ideas. We have you covered.

We have pulled together a list of 50 unique family holiday gift ideas that you can browse. There are options to get people out of the house, to stay in for the night, to play in their own backyard, things to eat, and some practical gifts everyone will love. This gift guide will help you pick out the best family gift for those special people in your life.

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Scratch Off Adventures This Holiday Season

Whether you’re looking for a gift for your family or family friends, you can’t go wrong with Adventures From Scratch. This interactive adventure book has something for everyone! With over 50 activities, plus tear-out surprises and more, every page is sure to bring lots of laughs and memorable moments—and kids love scratching the pages to reveal their next challenges!

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Gift Ideas That Get The Whole Family Out and About

Adventures From Scratch: Family Edition

The Adventures From Scratch book has pages of different activities that will be a surprise until you scratch them off. There are different categories to help you narrow down which hidden challenge you will try. It’s a great gift for the whole family and will help make sure that you won’t sit around bored again wondering what to do. You’ll have an entire book of ideas and challenges to complete as a family.

A Membership for a Local Museum

One great way to help families get out and have some fun together is to purchase them a year-long membership to a local museum. Children’s museums are great for families with younger kids. Science or art museums have new exhibits often and can be a great family activity as well. Check with the museums in the city they live in (or something close by) and find out what membership options they offer.

Photography Session

Family photos are priceless and many families miss out on professional photos because they don’t make it a priority. Gift a session with a local photographer that they can schedule. Most photographers will allow you to pay in advance and then schedule when ready. It’s a great gift because it can be used anytime in the future and will be cherished for a long time.

Escape Room Gift Card

Escape rooms are a popular family activity and more and more are opening around the country. Purchase a gift card for the family to use at their local escape room and give them an outing that they are sure to enjoy. It’s a great opportunity to put down phones and spend some time working together while having a blast. 

An Escape to a Waterpark

Winter can be rough in some parts of the country with short days and cold temperatures. A great gift for families to escape the winter is by gifting them passes to a waterpark for a day or a weekend. Being able to splash around indoors in a lazy river or on waterslides is a great activity for everyone and will be appreciated.

A Zoo Membership

Many zoos offer yearlong family memberships that allow free admission for the year for the whole family. This is a great gift because it gives the family something to do together throughout the year. It’s perfect for smaller children and older teenagers as well.

Tickets to a Local Sporting Event

Sporting events are fun gifts that everyone in the family will enjoy. Even if you don’t live somewhere with a major league sports team, you’ll be able to find an event. Think about a college sports team, minor league teams, or even just a gift card for a ticketing app like Ticketmaster where they can purchase tickets to something of their choice.

Family Holiday Gift Ideas to Enjoy at Home

Classic Boardgames

Boardgames are popular for families and there are so many classics that make great gifts to add to a household collection. Games like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Candyland can lead to hours of fun and a little bit of competition at a family game night. You can also gift team games like Pictionary and Codenames. Many board games have special editions, like all the different Monopoly editions, to help you personalize the gift and include something the family loves doing.

Subscription to a Streaming Service

Services like Disney+ and Netflix allow you to purchase gift subscriptions for others. This makes a great gift for the whole family because these services offer programming for all ages. Disney+ has all the classic Disney movies that work great for family movie nights. You can also watch full seasons of older TV shows together. Even the tweens can find something they’ll enjoy.

Card Games

Put together a gift basket with card games like Uno, Phase 10, and even just classic playing cards for a family and they will have hours of entertainment. Card games are easy to take with on trips or just play around the table. There are constantly new games coming out as well, so you could include something new like the Monopoly Bid game or Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Tabletopics looks like a card game, but it’s more of a conversations starter at the dinner table and would be a fun addition.

Indoor Snowball Fight

Grab a gift set of snowballs that are made for indoor fun. These soft white balls will bring the fun of winter and snow to families in any climate. You will be able to have some competitive fun without any damage to your house or each other. There are many different sets available online. You can get this pack of 60 snowballs from Amazon and let the games begin.

Movie Night Gift Box

Put together a simple gift basket with all the things you need for a great movie night. Include popcorn, some fun seasoning for the popcorn, and some candy options for snacking during the movie. Put a DVD or $3.99 gift code for the Apple store to rent a movie on your streaming service. It’s a simple gift to pull together, but it gives the family an excuse to come together and watch a movie and have a fun night. 

Jigsaw Puzzles

Puzzles are a classic family activity. You can find puzzles with 100 pieces or thousands of pieces. It’s a great way to gather everyone around the table together to work towards one goal. If you want to personalize the puzzle, many different websites will print photos on a puzzle. Gift your favorite family a puzzle with their faces on it. You can also find tons of different themes like different movies, travel destinations, or colorful scenes that could make for some cool wall art once completed.

Hilarious Party Games

Another fun genre of games that you can gift a family is hilarious party games. Some games target adults, for example, Cards Against Humanity, which will have everyone laughing hysterically. If you have younger children, try Apples to Apples which is similar. There are also games like Watch Ya Mouth which requires participants to wear a mouthguard that keeps their mouth open while they try and get you to guess what they are saying. Throw, Throw Burrito is an updated version of Spoons that uses stuffed burritos as dueling weapons and will have everyone in the family laughing. If you’re lucky, you’ll be invited over for a game night once they receive the game.

Video Game and Online Gifts

There are some great multiplayer video games available that are fun for the entire family. If the family has a gaming console already, you can gift them a game that allows everyone to play. WIthout any gaming system, you can still find games that they can enjoy together from their couch. Online games have increased in popularity during the pandemic and you can gift them an online trivia game or game shows that only require an internet connection and a screen to watch. Tech-savvy families might appreciate having something everyone can enjoy together.

A Bingo Game

Who doesn’t love bingo? There are some great small bingo sets that include the wheel, the cards, and all the numbered balls. Families can play for candy, coins, or just for fun. It’s an easy game for everyone to play, plus it’s interactive without being too involved.

Everything Needed for Karaoke

Technology has made it super easy to gift a karaoke set to a family without having to purchase a giant speaker and computer system. Now, you can order a microphone that has speakers built into it. It’s perfect for a karaoke night for the whole family. If you want to make it extra fun, include some blow-up instruments and other props to help entertainers take their performances to the next level.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Families That Love the Outdoors (Or the Backyard)

A Tent for Camping

Camping is a great activity for the whole family. A tent allows the family to plan their next adventure whether it’s at a national park or just in the backyard. You can find tents of all sizes, so there’s something that will work for every family. By owning a tent, it might inspire a new family tradition.

Put Together a Picnic Set

Picnics are another fun way to get outside. You can put together a picnic basket complete with some classic picnic snacks for a great, unique gift. By including some reusable plates, silverware, and a blanket, you could gift a full set that the family could use over and over again. It’s an inexpensive activity and can be customized to work for any location. 

Sledding Gear

If you are shopping for someone that lives somewhere with snow, sledding gear makes a great holiday gift for the whole family. There are a variety of different types of sleds like saucers, toboggans, and more. Add some hats and mittens or a pack of hot cocoa to put together everything they need to enjoy a day of outdoor fun in the snow. Race down the hills at a local park and wear everyone out with the uphill treks. It’s a great way to be active even when the winter weather is at its prime.

Classic Yard Games

There are so many different backyard games available and it is fun for the whole family. From bean bags to ladder ball, there are options even for the family who seems to have everything. Spike ball is a new game that has been popular with families. YOu can also pick up a classic like croquet, bocce ball, or badminton. It lets everyone take their competitive spirit outdoors and do something all together as a family. 

Family Gift Ideas That Encourage Creativity

Scrapbook Kits

Many families have a collection of photos and travel memorabilia with no one to display it. By gifting a scrapbook kit, the family can work together to save those memories somewhere special. Scrapbook kits come in all sizes and you can buy pre-packaged kits or put your own together. Typically, there is a hardcovered book with different pages that can be decorated with stickers, artwork, and glued-down photos, and ticket stubs. 

DIY Birdhouse Kit

For families that like to build things or work on small projects, you can gift them a build-your-own birdhouse kit. These come with all the supplies you need to build a birdhouse for the yard. This is fun for kids to get involved and then watch the birds utilize their creation in the spring. You could include some birdseed with it or a bird-watching book to help identify the birds.

STEM Experiments for Home 

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. You can find a range of different subscription boxes for families and children as well as single purchase boxes. Each box has a different selection of experiments that the entire family can do together at home and learn something fun. Experiments range from building a volcano that erupts to mixing different elements to see the reactions. It’s fun for people of all ages and encourages some great learning moments at home.

Garden Supplies for Indoor or Outdoor Gardens

Putting together a gift of seeds or plants is a fun way to help a family start their garden. There are options for smaller indoor gardens where herbs can grow in a window. You can also pick out some fruits, vegetables, and flowers for an outdoor garden that can be planted when the weather cooperates. A gift set could include potting soil, gardening tools or just the seeds to get started. 

Build-Your-Own Robot Kits

Artificial intelligence is becoming more accessible as technology gets better. Why not give the gift of a robot? Robot building kits are available and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Choose from a selection of kits that range from simple to extremely complicated depending on how much time you think people will want to invest in this activity. The fun isn’t over once the robot has been built, it will become a fun toy for everyone to enjoy.

DIY Dog Treats 

Are you shopping around for a dog-loving family? You can purchase a gift that includes the family’s four-legged members as well. DIY dog treat kits some with everything needed to make dog treats including molds to make them into bone shapes. People love being able to include their animals in family activities, so this allows that to happen easily.

Supplies to Build a Time Capsule

Another fun way to pull together memories, including photos and small souvenirs, is by building a time capsule. Put together the necessary supplies to put together their own time capsule along with instructions on when to reopen it. If you want something smaller, there are Christmas ornaments available that allow families to add pieces of their year and enjoy those memories each year after that when decorating.

Rock Tumbling Set

Another fun and educational gift for the family to enjoy is a rock tumbling kit. It comes with all the information you need to polish up different rocks that,t you find on hikes or walks around the neighborhood. It will help provide context to things learned in science classes at school about geology and rocks. Plus, it makes some beautiful stones that can be displayed afterward as decorations.

Art Projects

Just walking through a craft store, like Michael’s, you will find a huge variety of different art projects that the whole family can participate in. There are holiday-themed activities as well as creative art projects for any time of year. Help families bring out their creative sides by purchasing a project that they can complete together. Whether it’s painting, chalk, crayons, or tie-dye, there is something that fits with any age range. 

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Foodie Family

Indoor S’mores Kit

Winter can put a damper on a lot of the favorite outdoor activities. So why not bring some outdoor fun inside with a s’mores kit that allows you to make them indoors without braving the cold? Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers come together to make a classic dessert sandwich, and the process to make them is just as fun as enjoying the final product.

Supplies to Make Homemade Pizzas

Pizza is another crowd-pleaser. Some great gifts can be pulled together for a family to be able to make pizzas at home. You just need some dough, some toppings, and a pan. You can get creative with the toppings or add in a fun pizza cutter to make it special. Even with food allergies, most people can enjoy some type of pizza, so it makes a great gift. 

Treats Delivered to the Front Door

There are some incredible desserts that you can order for families that will deliver to them in fun packaging. You can sign up for a subscription service that will spread this out over time or just send one package for everyone to enjoy. Options include ice cream, candies, cake, and more. These treats can also be homemade by you if you love to bake. 

A Waffle Maker

Waffles are a fun breakfast treat and something the entire family can enjoy. By purchasing a waffle maker as a gift, you’ll be giving them a useful tool that they can take advantage of every weekend. Waffles can be different depending on the toppings and seasonal flavors, so it’s a great present.

Baking Set for Homemade Donuts

Donuts aren’t often thought of as something you bake at home. But, it’s not as hard as you would think. There are some great sets of equipment that include everything needed to make these tasty treats in any kitchen. This makes a great gift because it’s an activity that everyone can participate in and enjoy the outcome. It’s fun for foodies to experiment with different flavors as well.

Restaurant or Food Delivery Gift Cards

Treat the family to a meal that someone else prepares with a simple gift card. You can choose a restaurant you know they like if you think they would like a night out to eat. There is also the option of a food delivery service where they can select what type of food and have it delivered to their door. Everyone appreciates a night where they don’t need to prepare something and clean up afterward.

Ice Cream Maker

Another dessert, but another surefire gift idea for families. Making your own ice cream is a whole process that everyone can join in on. You can add different flavors and change up the recipes each time. Families can take advantage of this gift over and over again for ice cream nights at their house. Plus, it’s definitely a winner with kids. Look for Mochi kits as well if ice cream isn’t the frozen dessert of choice.

Eat2Explore Box

Help the family you’re shopping for travel around the world without leaving home. The Eat2Explore box is just one subscription gift box that sends recipes and treats from different countries and different cultures each month. It gives the family new meals to try and information to learn more about the background of the food. The box includes educational activity sheets, sauce and spice mixes, a shopping list, and recipe cards along with some fun cooking tools to help with the meal prep. With a new country each month, it stays fun and interesting.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Any Family

Personalized Mugs

Ever hear people fighting over favorite coffee mugs? Get a special personalized mug for each member of the family and avoid any conflict over it in the future. It’s perfect for tea, hot chocolate, cider, or coffee. They can even be used to make mug cakes. It’s a thoughtful and simple gift.

Adopt an Animal

We aren’t talking about a pet for the family, don’t worry. You can select an animal on the World Wildlife Fund’s website and adopt them for a year. The money goes to helping conservation efforts and you’ll receive a gift that you can pass along. The family can spend time learning more about the animal and feel good knowing that this donation was made in their honor. Many other organizations allow you to adopt an animal and will send pictures of the animals, stuffed animals, and other thank you gifts. 

Books For Everyone

One of the best gifts to give anyone of any age is a book. The Guinness Book of World Records is a great gift that the whole family can page through and chat about. Travel planning books are fun as well, especially if you know the family is planning some upcoming adventures. There are some new illustrated Harry Potter books available, as well as countless classics that are fun for all ages. The options are endless and you’re sure to find something everyone can enjoy together.

Socks with Faces

Custom socks are all the rage right now and you can order them with any pictures you want printed on. Find a great picture of the family and order them all silly socks with their faces on them. It will make for some great pictures and some good laughs when they receive them. Socks are a gift that everyone can use more of, so have some fun with them. You could also choose a picture of the four-legged member of the family for guaranteed success.

Bluetooth Speakers or Smart Home Devices

Everyone loves music, so why not give them an update to the sound system at home? Bluetooth speakers can easily be shared by every member of the household to pair with their phones and tablets and play music and other audio. Some of the smart home devices, like Alexa, have games and trivia available as well which is fun for the family to play when together. It’s a great tech-friendly option.

Scratch Off Bucket List Posters

Uncommongoods.com sells a few different bucket list posters that have scratch-off squares when you’ve completed the task. One of the most popular is the 100 Movies poster and as you watch them, you can scratch off under the title. These are fun ideas for family gifts because it gives them tasks to do together as a family. If you don’t like the movie poster, there are iconic US landmarks, things to do after quarantine, kid’s books, and more. 

Chargers and a Charging Station

One of the biggest arguments in a household is about chargers for electronics and gadgets. Someone always seems to be taking someone else’s charger. By giving a gift of chargers, you’re providing something useful for the whole family and hopefully helping to avoid some conflict in the future. It’s practical and will most definitely be appreciated.

Custom Portraits from Etsy

Consider ordering a custom portrait or keepsake from a creator on Etsy.com for the family. There are watercolors of houses, drawings of the family, or different wall hangings with their names on them. Etsy has incredibly talented and creative artists who have thought of all kinds of unique, personalized gifts, so if you’re shopping for thoughtful gifts, this is a great option. It’s also a great housewarming gift.

Matching Pajamas

Is it even Christmas morning if the whole family isn’t wearing matching pajamas? It’s a tradition for many families, but even for those that don’t typically participate, pajamas are a great gift. Everyone loves comfortable items to lounge and sleep in. You can find matching, or just coordinating, pajamas or you can just find pajamas you think everyone would love. Whatever you decide, it’s sure not to disappoint.

Adopt a Family in Their Honor

During the holiday season, many families aren’t able to purchase gifts and holiday decorations. Consider adopting a family in need and help them get the things needed for a holiday celebration. You can do it in someone else’s name as a way to pass on the good holiday spirit. It might even help spread the idea to more people during the holiday season.

Purchase a Magazine or Newspaper Subscription

We all consume so much information on our phones, tablets, and computers, so why not give someone the gift of a physical newspaper or magazine delivered to their door? Everyone in the family might enjoy different sections of the paper. There are also some great family magazines that everyone can read and appreciate. It’s a unique gift idea these days and might be a wonderful surprise.

Amazon Prime Account

With the pandemic, we’ve all spent a lot more time at home, and being able to have things delivered can be extremely convenient. Consider gifting someone an Amazon Prime membership which is good for one year. It will save them tons of money for deliveries plus give them access to new TV and movies on their streaming platforms and some free e-books as well. It’s something that almost everyone can use, so if they don’t already have it, it will be the perfect gift this year.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are you attending a Halloween party this year with your significant other? Maybe you want to dress up to take your kids trick-or-treating? Make this the best Halloween yet by trying one of the best couples’ Halloween costumes. We’ve pulled a list together of some of the most creative couples’ costumes and even some simple DIY costumes if you’re planning last-minute, so you can choose the best option for you and your partner for Halloween.

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Discover Activities for Date Nights

If you’re a couple that appreciates a night of surprises, have we got some in store for you! Adventures From Scratch: Date Edition is an interactive book that allows partners to uncover new ideas to spend quality time together. Whenever you’re ready, use the handy key to find a page that suits you, and scratch off a challenge. The only catch? You must do whatever the book reveals!

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Classic Couples’ Halloween Costume Ideas

Let’s start with some classic costumes and ensembles that aren’t too difficult to source materials for. You’re sure to get some compliments with these.

1. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

The potato head toys have been popular for decades and they make a great couples’ costume. You can DIY the costume if you’re crafty. If not, you can order a pair of inflatable costumes on Amazon that are sure to be comfortable and fun. If you love the toy idea, but want something a little easier to pull together, try the famous red-headed dolls, Raggedy Ann and Andy.

2. Uncle Sam and Statue of Liberty

This patriotic duo is a perfect couples’ costume that can always be recycled for the 4th of July. Lady Liberty just needs a green outfit, a crown, and a torch (which can easily be made out of paper). Uncle Sam should include as much red, white, and blue as possible. The most important part of his costume is the hat, so find a tall hat covered in stars and stripes. Bonus points if you make people sing the National Anthem with you.

3. Barbie and Ken

This famous couple has lived in many homes throughout the country as one of the most popular dolls. You can choose any one of the famous outfits Barbie and Ken wore or even DIY a box that goes around your body so you look like an opened toy. Hot pink is the perfect color if you aren’t sure where to start.

4. Colonel Sanders and Chicken

Colonel Sanders is a fun costume to find with the dark-rimmed glasses and bright white hair. The perfect partner to this costume is a chicken because that’s what made him famous. Plus, a chicken suit is great for cooler nights. This funny couples’ costume usually includes a bucket of chicken, so it would be more unique to be the actual chicken. 

5. Popeye and Olive Oyl

Grab a few cans of spinach and red and black outfits for the cartoon couple, Popeye and Olive Oyl. Popeye wears blue pants, a red and black shirt, and a white captain’s hat while puffing on a pipe. Don’t forget the classic tattoos on his arms that you can draw on with a marker or face paint. For Olive Oyl, a black, short wig would be perfect if you can’t get your hair to style like hers. Her outfit is made up of a red and black dress with a white collar and brown shoes. 

6. Astronaut and Alien

Try some out-of-this-world costumes with an astronaut and an alien paired together. You can find great NASA suits and astronaut costumes for one-half of the couple. The other person can rock an alien costume. Aliens can be in glitter and sparkles or a green suit with funny ears and an extra eyeball on the forehead. It doesn’t matter who abducted who in your pair, the costume will be a hit.

7. Your Favorite Emojis

Take a scroll through your emoji keyboard on your phone and pick out any of the great options with two people. There are the two dancers that stand next to each other in matching black outfits. You can also choose one of the yellow default couples by choosing the correct shirt colors to match. Everyone has become accustomed to communicating with these tiny little figures, so it’s a great costume that people are sure to recognize.

Couples’ Halloween Costumes Inspired By Pop Culture

Hollywood has long been an inspiration for some of the best adult costumes. We’ve pulled together a list of some amazing couple costumes inspired by different TV shows and movie characters.

8. Moira and Johnny Rose from Schitt’s Creek

Schitt’s Creek has become one of the most popular shows on television and even swept the
Emmy Awards recently in every comedy category. Moira and Johnny Rose would make a great costume couple. You could even expand your group and include a few more to dress up as the children, David and Alexis. Moira has some crazy outfits, so putting that costume together will be the time-consuming part. Johnny’s costume is usually just a suit. Add his glasses and your hair and you’ll be ready to go.

9. Zack and Kelly from Saved by the Bell

Saved by the Bell is back on the small screen this year with a reboot on Peacock, so why not step back in time and dress up as Bayside High’s famous couple? With a side ponytail, denim shorts, and a bayside cropped shirt, Kelly Kapowski is simple. For Zack’s costume, a giant cell phone, slicked-up hairstyle, and flannel button-ups are good options. Just take a look at some of their outfits throughout the show and see if you can recreate any. Thrift shops have some great 80s and 90s throwback outfits.

10. Cruella DeVil and One of Her Pups

Disney has some great costumes. The classic villains are having a moment right now, so it’s a great time to dress up as one for Halloween. They each have sidekicks to make it a couple’s costume. Cruella Devil is fun because she wears a long coat, hair that is half white and half black, and has the cigarette in a stick. The dalmatian part is simple. Wear an all-white outfit and add some black spots and some ears and maybe a little face paint and you’ve got it.

If you want other Disney costume pairing options, you can always go with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Jasmine and Aladdin, Mary Poppins and Bert, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter, or even one of the many Star Wars characters.

11. Ross Gellar and Rachel Greene

Were they on a break? Debate it with each other while dressed up as that famous couple from friends. There are so many classic scenes from different episodes that you could choose from. The episode where they get drunk and get married is a great one because they both have memorable markers on their faces. Ross is usually wearing a button-up shirt with a brighter color. Add some dinosaur figurines or a stuffed monkey if you want. For Rachel, wear a mini skirt with black tights and an apron from Central Perk. People love this show and this costume will is timeless.

12. Anything From Harry Potter

Harry Potter characters will always be a popular costume choice. You can choose two of the main characters like Harry and Hermione, but it might be more fun to pick some unique characters. You can dress up as Professor Dumbledore and Fawkes, the Phoenix. Dress up as some of the supporting characters and you can get more creative with the costumes. Luna Lovegood has a much more colorful look than Ron Weasley. You’ll be able to find all kinds of great costumes that are ready to wear or you can easily DIY any accessories you may need. Most people already have broomsticks.

13. Mario and Luigi

Nintendo’s Super Mario is one of the most popular video games of all time. Dress up as the two main characters, Mario and Luigi, with overalls and one red shirt and one green shirt. Carry some plumbing tools since that is their occupation (when they aren’t saving the princess at the castle.) Princess Peach is another great option for a costume to go along with either Mario or Luigi. And if you want to represent the tough guys, Wario and Waluigi are great choices. 

14. Bob Ross and a Painting

Known for his calming demonstrations of painting happy trees and beautiful landscapes, Bob Ross is a great Halloween costume. You need a curly wig and a paintbrush and tray for his costume. For the other half of the couple, construct a frame out of cardboard or something light enough to wear around your top half. Using face paint, have Bob Ross work on his masterpiece on the blank canvas of his partner’s face. If you need a bigger canvas, use a white t-shirt and paint the bottom part of the art on that. This one will require a little creativity and skill, but you can watch one of the Bob Ross videos for inspiration and instruction.

15. The Flintstones

Fred and Wilma Flintstone are classic Halloween costumes and you can find them at almost any costume store. Fred has a bright orange outfit with black spots and a turquoise tie around his neck. He’s usually carrying a club around, but you could also substitute that for a bowling ball. Wilma has a simple white dress with a white rock necklace and a unique bright orange hairdo. Many stores will carry the wig if you want to go that route, or you can attempt to temporarily dye your hair and put it in an updo. Pair up with another couple that can go as the Barney and Betty Rubble. 

16. Toy Story Characters

As one of the most popular of the Pixar movies, Toy Story characters are iconic. You can go as best friends, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, which are sold as full costumes at many different places. You can choose other characters like Bo Peep, Jessie, Forky, and more. This is a great group costume too if you have a larger group of friends going out together. The colorful outfits make these characters easily recognizable. 

17. Marty McFly and Doc Brown

The Back to the Future trilogy is classic and the two main characters are timeless couples’ Halloween costume ideas. To be Marty McFly, grab your most 80s looking white sneakers, a red vest, aviators, and jeans. For Doc Brown, it’s all about the wild, crazy, white hair. Once you lock in a wig or a plan to make your hair stand on end, track down a white coat and some yellow rubber gloves and you’ll have everything you need. Great Scott! You’ll have great costumes.

Celebrity Couples’ Halloween Costumes

There are a few celebrity couples that make great costumes because they have such specific looks like you can replicate and have fun with it. 

18. J Lo and Ben Affleck

They were together years ago and now they are back together, so you can even choose which version of their celebrity couple you are. Dressing up as Jennifer Lopez can take a little extra work because she is full glamour most of the time. Ben Affleck is a little easier because he’s usually pretty casual, but you’ll want to find something that helps people identify that you’re in costume and not just wearing normal day-to-day clothes. He’s frequently photographed with Dunkin Donuts and cigarettes, so definitely start with those items.

19. John Lennon and Yoko Ono

This classic couple costume is fun to put together and much of it will already be in your closet. The most famous look for them is wearing all white. Both rock longer hair and glasses—John had small circular frames and Yoko wore large dark sunglasses. Throwing up peace signs is important for any photo opportunities and an anti-war sign that you can carry around will be the cherry on top.

20. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly

This couple might be newer, but it will be a long time before anyone forgets about them. They continue to shock the world with their strange public displays of affection and interviews. Choose any of their top outfits from the last year and have some fun putting your own look together. Match the hair and tattoos to complete the look. Over-the-top PDA is optional but will help people identify exactly who you have dressed up as.

21. Any Kardashian Couple

Kardashians are such a constant in our celebrity news, so join the family with your Halloween costumes this year. Each sister has their various relationships—past and present, so decide which pair you want to be. You could each just dress up as one of the sisters as well. Some combination options include Kim and Kanye West, Kourtney and Scott Disick, Kourtney and her new fiance, Travis Barker, Kendall and Kylie, Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, and more. Have some fun with it and make sure you document everything on social media to stay in character.

22. Beyonce and Jay-Z

Arguably the most iconic couple in music history, Beyonce and Jay-Z are a great choice for a Halloween costume. They have had so many memorable moments throughout the last decade that you can emulate. For inspiration, you can use the costumes that Russell Wilson and Ciara used when they dressed up as the Carters.

Another popular pop couple that hasn’t been together in years, but is still a popular costume choice thanks to an all denim outfit is Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Spooky Halloween Costumes for Couples

Halloween is a holiday all about the scary creatures, so you can always go that route. There are all the classic spooky characters like clowns, ghosts, vampires, and zombies.

23. The Joker and Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn has shot up to the top of the list of most popular Halloween costumes over the last two years. There are a few different variations from the Suicide Squad movie. Paired with the Joker, this spooky couples’ costume is great. Mix and match with any Batman characters if you want to stay within the same theme, but want to swap one of these villains. 

24. Witch Doctor and a VooDoo Doll

If you’re looking for something spooky, but more unique than the traditional scary characters, check out the witch doctor costume which works perfectly with a life-size voodoo doll. It’s a spooky New Orleans vibe and you can have so much fun with the makeup and accessories. The voodoo doll costume can be as simple as covering up with a burlap sack and putting two simple x’s as eyes and some fun push pins attached. 

25. Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s Monster

The Bride of Frankenstein is a movie from the 1930s. The creepy bride has a wild head of hair that is black with a white stripe that runs through it. She wears a simple white wedding dress, so the main event would be the hair. Frankenstein’s Monster has the green face of makeup and crazy metal coming out of the neck. You can find this standard Halloween costume at most costume stores and many come with the mask so you don’t have to wear makeup.

26. Chucky and the Bride of Chucky

Nothing says love and terror like Chucky and his bride. These killer dolls have terrorized viewers in eight different movies in the Child’s Play series. The story is about a serial killer that performs a voodoo ritual that transfers his soul into a doll. With overalls and a creepy mask and knife, the Chucky costume is easy to find. The bride of Chucky requires a white wedding dress, bleach blond hair with black roots, and black lipstick. She also wears a black leather jacket, so it’s perfect if you’re located in a colder location.

27. Beetlejuice and Lydia

Beetlejuice might not always qualify as creepy, but it’s a great couples’ Halloween costume no matter how you categorize it. The red dress that Winona Ryder wears as Lydia in the movie Beetlejuice is a great costume especially if you can figure out how to get your hair to match her crazy updo. Beetlejuice wears the funky white and black striped suit, a face full of paint, and a wild head of hair.

28. Gomez and Morticia Addams

The Addams Family is the quintessential spooky family, so dressing up as the matriarch and patriarch is a perfect costume for couples. Morticia has long, dark hair and wears long, dark gowns. Her makeup is dramatic and she always rocks a blood-red lip. For Gomez, a classic tuxedo would be perfect for the outfit. A thin mustache and slicked hairstyle are crucial. To add something extra, you can find a rubber hand to represent Thing.

29. Bonnie and Clyde

The famous bank robbers, Bonnie and Clyde, have been popular costumes for decades, but you can make them spooky by making them zombie or ghost characters. They were famously gunned down together while running from the law. Use makeup to create gunshot wounds and add some white makeup to your faces to put off a ghastly vibe. 

Funny Costumes

Sometimes, the funniest costumes are the simplest things. We pulled together a few options that are incredibly easy to make yourselves and will get some laughs while you’re out showing them off.

30. Double Dose of Vaccines

Doesn’t it seem like all we hear about are vaccines? Why not embrace it and dress up as the two-dose COVID vaccines? Dress in metallic tones and make a hat that looks like a syringe needle. Have some fun with this one by carrying some hand sanitizer with you or some extra rolls of toilet paper. 

31. #Filter and #Nofilter

This is a costume that you can have so much fun with as a couple. The basic concept is that one half of you (usually the woman) gets dolled up with hair and makeup. They wear a sign that says #filter. The other person wears an identical outfit but goes the opposite direction with hair and makeup. Some people smudge the makeup or just go without. They wear the sign that says #nofilter. The matching outfit is the most important. You’ll be able to poke a little fun at the crazy filters that are used on different social media accounts.

32. Plug and Socket

There any many different innuendo/pun style costumes like this one. One thing that goes into the other. One person (usually the female) wears a cardboard box that is painted like an outlet. The other partner just needs some cardboard cutouts or something similar to make a plug that can fit in the outlet. It’s silly and simple, but people love it.

33. Wine and Cheese

Not much pairs better together than wine and cheese. Dressing up as cheese is usually just orange or yellow clothes with a homemade label telling everyone what kind of cheese you are. The other person can either make themselves into a bottle of wine, or they can utilize a cardboard box and become boxed wine. If you’re feeling generous, you can each give out some samples—it’s perfect if you need votes in a costume contest.

34. Netflix and Chill

In need of a simple costume? Have one person dress up in red and add the word Netflix to their shirt. The other person just needs to wear some winter clothes and they can represent “chill.” The phrase is still used all the time, so it’s a great pun that can be easily identified.

35. Cards Against Humanity

This costume is incredibly easy and you can have some fun making it your own. You need a plain black shirt and a plain white shirt. On the black shirt, recreate your favorite Cards Against Humanity topic with white letters. Then, on the white shirt, put down a hilarious answer to that topic. If you’ve never played the game, drop everything and try it out, you will not be able to stop laughing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Picking a gift for a dear friend can be quite a task. When it comes to choosing gifts for couples, things can get even more complicated. Finding something that both partners will love can be tricky, but we’ve got some unique gift ideas we hope will work for a variety of ages, budgets, and occasions.

These 25 suggestions include experiences, keepsakes, and more. Keep this guide bookmarked for reference whenever you need shower gifts, anniversary gifts, or Christmas gifts, or any other time you have to purchase presents suitable for a pair.

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25 Gift Ideas for Couples

1. Adventures From Scratch: Date Edition

sepIf you’re looking for a gift that’s more than a gift, Adventures From Scratch: Date Edition is an incredible scratch-off adventure book that has more than 50 amazing date ideas for couples. Each page has an exciting adventure, just waiting to be scratched open. Couples will be able to pick from categories like ‘Discover,’ ‘Create,’ and ‘Get silly’ as they pick from a range of indoor and outdoor activities. If they’re in the mood for some deep heart-to-hearts, ‘Cascading Conversations’ has an engaging list of prompts and leading questions. The special on-the-go adventure cards can be used while on a road trip, a camping vacation, or even a hike at the park. Gift your fav couple an adventure of a lifetime with this amazing book – they’ll thank you for ages!

2. Personalized Couples Caricature

Perfect for couples that love art and humor, a personalized caricature would make a lovely addition to any art wall. You can pick your favorite artist online or visit a caricature studio in person to pick an artist of your choice. Then, give them a photo of the couple and let them work their magic. In fact, you can also choose scenes and stylized drawings. What would the couple look like if they were in The Simpsons? The Flintstones? Pokémon characters? Whatever be your fancy, these artists will whip them right to life!

3. Scrapbooking Kit

Gift your favorite couple the joy of memories with a couples scrapbooking kit from Etsy. They’ll be able to create and cherish a lovely relationship memoir. This is a wonderful present for a new couple, as they can begin filling it up right away with photographs and memories, but it’s perfectly suitable at any stage in a relationship. If you’d like to make it part of a gift set, it pairs well with some stemless wine glasses and a bottle of their favorite vintage. They can share it by the fireplace as they reminisce and enjoy each other’s company.

4. Engraved Photo Frame

A stunning photo frame is always a classy choice, whether you’re gifting for a wedding anniversary, housewarming, or any other couples occasion. Or consider this ‘Story of Us’ photo wall art collage set. Made of wood, twine, and wooden photo holders, each set can hold 25-35 photos, so they’ll never run out of space. They’ll be able to pick some milestone photos from their relationship to make a gorgeous collage. It’s sure to be the showstopper wherever it is placed!

5. Laser-Engraved Photo

If a picture frame or collage just doesn’t cut it, how about a custom laser-engraved 3D photo? This stunning art installation will get everyone’s attention, wherever it is placed in the home. It also makes a wonderful wedding gift. Painstakingly and precisely engraved with a photo of your choice, this option is a fantastic way to turn a photo into a work of art.

6. Cocktail Kit

A cocktail-making kit would make a terrific housewarming gift for newlyweds or any couple who loves to entertain at home. This 11-piece bar tool set comes with a rustic wooden stand that will steal the show on any bar cart near a classic decanter and tumblers. The cocktail shaker and mixing kit have a polished copper finish and a stainless steel base. While you’re at it, why not gift them specially selected cocktail ingredients or an introductory mixology session so they can get the party started?

7. Painting Kit

For artistic couples that love some creativity and calm, a painting kit is the way to go. This kit is the best bet for couples that want to enjoy some peaceful quality time. Since it’s is portable, they can take it with them wherever they go, be it on a picnic or a day out at the beach. There, they’ll be able to paint and have a heart-to-heart as they give colors to their imagination. There’s something magical about painting in the outdoors. Every couple is sure to love this romantic date-inspiring couples gift; just set up the easel on a rock, paint the blue sky, and watch some sparks fly!

8. At-Home Projector

If the couple has a spacious backyard (or a free wall that can be turned into a movie screen), gift them a projector so they can turn their home into a drive-in theater. They’ll be able to enjoy their favorite flicks as they cuddle and cozy up in their backyard, munching on popcorn and wine. This is a great way to switch up date night and makes a thoughtful, practical gift for couples that value time together.

9. Nostalgic Popcorn Cart

If this couple likes to Netflix and chill often, it’s only fair they get some fresh popcorn whenever they want. A nostalgic popcorn cart is a perfect decorative and functional enhancement for a movie room, game room, or just about any room in the house. If your loved ones love binging movies and TV shows all weekend, you don’t have to think twice. This popcorn make will take their movie night to the next level. It is a great conversation starter too. The retro design of this cart adds to the décor (did we mention it’s got cute measuring scoops?) They’ll never want to go to the movies again!

10. Hand Casting Kit

Are you gifting a couple that you know will last forever? This plaster hand casting kit is not only a fun DIY crafting idea but an absolutely lovely gift. The procedure is simple. The couple must mix the casting powder in the provided tub, hold hands, and lower them into the mix for approximately 2 minutes to create the cast. Once they carefully wiggle their hands out, it’s time to pour in the plaster mixture. The statue will harden in 2-3 hours, leaving behind a permanent reminder of love, commitment, and loyalty. We’ve got starry eyes just thinking about it!  

11. Star Map

Speaking of starry eyes, why not get a couple some actual stars? Well, not actual stars, but the closest possible thing. With a personalized star map, the couple will be able to see exactly how the stars were aligned when they met for the first time, went on their first date, said “I love you,” got engaged, or tied the knot– take your pick of a significant day. If you’d prefer to let the happy couple choose, The Night Sky offers gift cards! They’ll love hanging this stunning piece, in the bedroom or living room, as a reminder of their love.

12. The Date Night Cookbook

If a couple loves binging The Try Guys on YouTube, you’ll love this recipe book. Authored by happy couple Ned and Ariel Fulmer, this Date Night Cookbook contains not just easy recipes, but also some charming anecdotes and stories about their much-adored romance. This book promises to open up not just your kitchen, but also your heart. From pizza and pasta to chili and soufflé, this book has just about anything a couple will need to turn a night in into something truly magical.

13. Matching Tees

Matching t-shirts are a favorite gift because they’re super cute. This ‘I stole her heart-I stole his last name’ gift set is charming! A ‘King-Queen’ set is also a staple and makes a great gift for a bride and groom to be. Couples that have a hilarious sense of humor will enjoy the ‘Boss-Real Boss’ set! If you want to add your own design to a t-shirt, have personalized t-shirts made.

14. Chunky Knit Quilt

In case you’re looking for gifts for couples that add a chic home decor element, a chunky quilt is an ideal option. It comes in muted colors that will add a pop of elegant hue to a neutral bedroom. It is soft, fluffy, and warm so they’re sure to love curling up under it. The handmade quote is crafted with care, making it a wonderful investment. It is large enough to accommodate two people, making sure there won’t be any quilt tugging in the middle of the night.

15. Personalized Robes

Bathrobes are seriously underrated. A plush robe will change showers from something quick to something luxurious. This is why a matching set of couples’ robes is a great idea. There are so many options, from monograms to adorable monikers! Regardless of the personalization, any couple would be glad to add these comfy, cozy additions to their lounging wardrobe.

16. Couples Phone Cases

Coordinated phone cases make smart gifts for couples because they’re both useful and sweet. Our top picks include this gamer couple set with a gaming console. Compatible across a range of phones, this one is our favorite for couples that love to play together. For couples that lean on the romantic side, this pinky-holding phone case will make hearts melt. This kawaii avocado phone case is ideal for couples who have a quirky sense of humor.

17. Couples’ Mugs

A couple that enjoys their cuppa should enjoy their cups too. These his ‘n hers coffee mugs are great for a collection or daily use. For example, this magnetic attraction set is quirky and cute. Cat parents will enjoy this kissing cat mug set or you can choose this kissing mugs set for romantics—it comes with matching spoons! Any of these options would make a thoughtful gift for a couple.

18. Matching Aprons

A pair of hilarious aprons will add some color and spice to the kitchen. For instance, this ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ kit would make a great shower gift. Or, once it’s official, this ‘Husband and Wife’ set will set the tone for a collaborative kitchen. If you’re looking for something with a little more panache, we love this ‘Queen-King of the Kitchen’ set. Couples that cook together, stay together!

19. His and Hers Watches

What’s better than one watch? Two of them! This high-quality analog watch gift box has one for him, and one for her. Here’s what we love about this watch set. Each watch has one-half of a heart set in crystals. When the two watches are brought together, they form a perfect heart and spell the word ‘Love.’ The dials are stark black with a crystal inlay, making it perfect for a black-tie night. The steel straps add to the elegance. We can’t think of anything dreamier than this!

20. Candle and Bath Bomb Set

If you’d like to gift a couple a magical spa night as an engagement gift, you don’t need to find gift cards for an expensive getaway. This artisanal spa collection gift basket will do. It comes with an apothecary candle, a shea butter soap, and a bath bomb. In addition, a mineral salt bath soak is also included in the kit. This means the couple will be able to have a relaxing night in, soaking in the luxurious scent of bergamot cedar as they get some quality time together. Send them a choice bottle of wine along with the set, and they’ll be thanking you while they relax!

21. Personalized Decorative Pillow Cover

We’ve got two options for couples who love it all. The first type is a minimalistic, lowkey pillowcase that comes printed with the couple’s last name and year of marriage. This cushion cover is made of natural cotton and has a lightly hued color that goes with both warm and cool tones.

For couples that love some sparkle and joy, this customized flip pillowcase comes with a reversible sequin overlay. One side of the pillowcase is a solid block of bright color. Once you run your palm over it, it transforms into a photo of choice. This is a spectacular gift for a couple that loves a pop of color!

22. Coffee Maker

For a couple that loves coffee as much as they love each other, a coffee maker is a perfect gift. This 10-cup drip coffee maker, available from Amazon, is a fully automatic machine that comes with a built-in bean grinder. With a programmable timer mode and a warming plate, this will ensure a fresh brew every time. The glass coffee pot and the scoop will add to the effect, making you feel like they’re in a café. While you’re at it, you can also order a selection of artisanal coffee beans from around the world.

23. Pushpin World Map

A personalized gift is always something special. This anniversary pushpin world map from Uncommon Goods is an example. Imagine gifting this to traveling friends so they can see all of the places they’ve checked off their bucket list! It can be personalized to note any special day, be it an anniversary any milestone. It comes with pushpins that can be placed anywhere. With a total of 100 pushpins, the couple can denote favorite locations for birthday celebrations, honeymoons, vacation destinations, and much more. This foamboard map can be easily mounted on the wall, and the vintage finish adds to its appeal. Framed and lightweight, this map is a must-have on any couple’s wall.

24. Matching Personalized Passport Covers

If a couple has been bitten by the wanderlust bug, this gift is a must-have. A matching set of personalized passport covers will take a prime spot in their vacation essentials. This couples’ passport set would be a great going away gift for your favorite jet-setting couple. It has rave reviews and can be customized with “Mr. and Mrs.” details. There are many options to choose from and this present will certainly be appreciated for years to come!

25. Indoor Couples’ Scavenger Hunt

If you know a couple who loves a night in, an indoor couples scavenger hunt is a wonderful way to bring romance and love back into any relationship. Once you gift a couple a scavenger hunt, they can redeem it whenever they want. All they need to do is enter a voucher code, and their app-led adventure will begin. Photo ops and video challenges will make them fall in love with each other all over again. The best part is that they will be able to conquer the challenges from the comfort of their home.

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Have you ever gifted any of these items? Which of these gifts for couples did you like the most? Share your vote in the comments section!

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Adventures from Scratch: Date Edition. While you’re at it, grab one for yourself too! We’ve even got an edition featuring scratch-off adventures for families.

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