The Christmas season is full of opportunities to gather the family together. Though the season can be packed with events, it is important to take a family time-out in order to make some family Christmas memories.

Here are eight fun and easy family activities to partake in over this holiday season:

Family Movie Night

As the countdown to Christmas begins, what better way to pass the time than with a fun Christmas movie? Classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Santa Clause, Prancer, Miracle on 34th Street, and Home Alone make for the perfect Christmas evening. Grab some hot chocolate, a few Christmas cookies, and turn on your favorite movie. And, if you do not own any of them, you can stream the movies over Netflix and Amazon Instant via your internet service like frontier connecticut or verizon fios.

Gingerbread Houses

Decorating gingerbread houses is usually a kid favorite. While you can build your own gingerbread house from scratch, there are gingerbread kits with preassembled gingerbread homes. All you need to complete the house is a little frosting, festive candy, and lots of Christmas spirit!

Christmas Cookies

This time of the year is perfect for pulling out the Christmas sugar cookie cut outs. Whether it’s homemade sugar cookie dough or store bought, you and your children will have a great time making shapes out of the dough and decorating them with frosting, sprinkles, and red and green jimmies. Plus, if you make them on Christmas Eve, you can leave a few out for Santa.

Christmas Light Tour

Many neighborhoods participate in Christmas light competitions. In fact, some of the streets are so decked out that the city opens them up to walking tours. Many of the homeowners in these streets pass out candy, hot chocolate, and other goodies in exchange for a donation for next year’s lights.

Visiting Santa

While most malls have a Santa meet-and-greet, many cities that have a tree-lighting ceremony also have an area where Santa is ready and waiting to greet the children and listen to their Christmas wish lists.

Snow Day

Regardless of whether or not you live in a snowy area, designating a time to play in the snow is a great family activity. For those who live away from the snow, take a day-vacation to the mountains to see the cold snow. For those who do live in the snow, since it can be easy to grow complacent with the snow, make sure to dedicate some time to playing in the snow.

Ice Skating

Ice-skating is one of the best winter activities. Find an outdoor skating rink where you can lace up your skates, grab your mittens, and have fun out on the ice.

Homemade Decorations

Thanks to Pinterest, there are plenty of easy DIY Christmas crafts you and your kids can create. Put on a few Christmas tunes, get out those glue guns, and get to creating holiday masterpieces.

During this busy season, take some time to enjoy the season by making special memories with your family.