A few years ago I was a single mom- tired, broke, and lacking any holiday spirit whatsoever. I had exhausted all the free holiday activities in the area and just didn't have the ability to do anymore. There have been many times in my not-so-distant past that I have not had the means to take my kiddos to the latest and greatest holiday attractions. There have also been times in my not-so-distant past that I wanted to do something with them and create memories but I had minimal energy or we had minimal time. The kids and I needed a little dose of holiday spirit and fast.
And so began the Holiday Scavenger Hunt.
What started off as a Christmas activity has grown to include Halloween and Easter and well, any holiday that people decorate their houses to celebrate. This activity even saved us last year during Covid when all the kids' activities were canceled and now the kids look forward to it every holiday each year.
Step One: Make a list together of all the themes or things people decorate with for that holiday. Make it as long or short as you like. You can write it out or your children can do it for themselves depending on their age. For an additional challenge, you can add a quantity to an item. Your list may look something like this:
-Dracula
-3 ghosts
-10 pumpkins
-Jack Skellington
-hay bale
-costume
-mums
-spider web
Step Two: Walk or drive around your neighborhood looking for the items on your list. Work together or make it a friendly competition. As a twist, you could also make Bingo boards.
However you change this game to work for your family, Happy Haunting Hunting!
