Christmas Activities for Kids at Home
December can fill up quickly.
School events. Shopping. Parties. Travel. Decorating. A calendar that somehow becomes busier every time you look at it.
Sometimes the best Christmas memories happen on the nights when everyone simply stays home.
You do not need an elaborate outing to make the season feel special. A few simple activities in the kitchen or around the house can give kids something they look forward to every year.
One of our favorites is Tomte Cake because it combines several things children already love about Christmas into one activity.
There is a story.
There is baking.
There is decorating.
There is a hidden surprise.
And, eventually, there is cake.
Learn more about Tomte Cake:
Turn an Ordinary Evening Into Tomte Cake Night
Tomte Cake works especially well as an at-home Christmas activity because the whole experience unfolds in stages.
Families begin by reading the story together. Then they bake the cake houses using the reusable Tomte Cake pan.
Before baking, Tomte is hidden inside one of the cakes.
Once the cakes have cooled, everyone gets to decorate.
Then comes the part the kids have been waiting for.
Who is going to find Tomte?
The tradition can be summed up in five simple words:
Read. Bake. Hide. Decorate. Find.
See the Tomte Cake Set here:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/products/the-tomte-cake-set
For younger children, the decorating and mystery are usually the big attraction.
Older kids may want to turn decorating into a competition.
Parents and grandparents can handle the baking.
Everyone has a role.
Make the Kitchen the Christmas Activity
A lot of Christmas activities require tickets, reservations, driving, or careful timing.
Baking does not.
Put on Christmas music.
Make hot chocolate.
Pull out frosting and candy.
Let the kitchen get a little messy.
The finished cake does not need to look perfect.
In fact, that is usually part of the fun.
One child might carefully build a snowy cottage.
Another might use so much candy that the cake practically disappears underneath it.
Both are doing it right.
The official Tomte Cake recipe is here:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/pages/the-tomte-cake-recipe
And if baking from scratch is not realistic on a busy December night, the Tomte Cake FAQ includes information about using other cake options as well:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/pages/faq
Let Elf on the Shelf Introduce the Activity
If your family already does Elf on the Shelf, this is an easy way to combine traditions.
Instead of coming up with another complicated Elf on the Shelf idea, let the elf announce Tomte Cake night.
Set the elf beside the Tomte Cake Set in the morning.
Add a little note:
“I found something we should bake tonight.”
That is enough.
For parents searching for easy Elf on the Shelf ideas, this is especially useful because one simple setup leads to an entire family activity.
The elf can also appear beside the mixing bowl, decorating supplies, or Tomte figurine.
If you are looking for creative Elf on the Shelf ideas, the elf could even introduce Tomte as a new Christmas friend.
Then later that evening, the family gets to read the story, bake, decorate, and find him.
We have more ideas for combining the traditions here:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/blogs/news/creative-elf-on-the-shelf-ideas-tomte-cake
And for baking-specific Elf ideas:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/blogs/news/elf-on-the-shelf-baking-night-ideas
Have a Christmas Movie and Decorating Night
Some of the easiest holiday activities are the ones you can combine.
Bake the Tomte Cakes earlier in the day.
After dinner, turn on a favorite Christmas movie and set up a decorating station.
Frosting.
Sprinkles.
Candy canes.
Chocolate.
Powdered sugar.
Coconut.
Whatever your family likes.
The kids can decorate while the movie plays in the background.
When everyone is finished, take a picture before the cakes are served.
Do that again next Christmas.
Over time, those pictures become part of the tradition too.
Create a Christmas Activity Jar
If your children are always asking what they are doing next, make a small activity jar.
Write simple ideas on pieces of paper and let someone choose.
You might include things like:
Bake Tomte Cake.
Look at Christmas lights.
Make hot chocolate.
Watch a Christmas movie.
Decorate ornaments.
Call Grandma.
Build a blanket fort beside the tree.
You do not need to fill every day of December.
The point is simply to give the kids a few surprises to look forward to.
Tomte Cake can become the activity everyone hopes gets picked.
Start a Family Decorating Competition
If your family likes a little competition, Tomte Cake makes this easy.
Let different people decorate each cake house.
You can create simple categories such as “Most Christmas Spirit” or “Best Use of Candy,” but you do not need to turn it into a formal contest.
Sometimes the kids will handle that themselves.
The fun is watching everyone approach the same blank cake completely differently.
And because the house itself is already baked, families can focus on decorating instead of assembling separate gingerbread walls and roof pieces.
If traditional gingerbread houses have caused a little too much frustration in your house, we wrote more about that here:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/blogs/news/best-gingerbread-house-alternative-for-families
Make It a Grandparent Afternoon
Christmas activities at home do not have to mean just parents and kids.
Invite grandparents over.
Let Grandma or Grandpa read the Tomte Cake story.
Let the kids help with the batter.
Everyone can decorate together.
Then serve the cake and see who finds Tomte.
That is the kind of afternoon children tend to remember.
And because the pan is reusable, it can become something grandparents and grandchildren do together every December.
Try a Christmas Pajama Baking Night
This one takes almost no additional effort.
Everyone puts on Christmas pajamas.
Turn on holiday music.
Make hot chocolate.
Bake Tomte Cake.
Suddenly, an ordinary evening feels like an event.
That is often all it takes to turn something simple into a tradition.
Kids do not need every Christmas activity to be elaborate.
They just need it to feel a little different from a normal Tuesday night.
Build a Tradition Around the Hidden Tomte
The hidden Tomte gives families something to remember from year to year.
Keep track of who finds him.
Write the name and year somewhere.
Take a picture.
Next Christmas, everyone will remember.
Someone will insist they are going to find him again.
Someone else will claim it is their turn.
That little bit of anticipation is what makes the activity repeatable.
It is not just cake.
There is a story attached to it.
The Best Christmas Activities Usually Happen Together
When December gets busy, it can feel like every fun holiday activity requires another trip somewhere.
It does not.
Some of the best Christmas memories can happen right at home.
Read a story.
Bake something together.
Make a mess with frosting.
Turn your Elf on the Shelf into the host of baking night.
Invite the grandparents.
Take pictures.
See who finds Tomte.
Then do it again next year.
That is how a simple Christmas activity becomes something your kids remember.
Learn more about Tomte Cake:
Shop the Tomte Cake Set:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/products/the-tomte-cake-set
Read the story behind Tomte Cake:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/pages/our-story
Tomte Cake recipe:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/pages/the-tomte-cake-recipe
Tomte Cake FAQ:
https://www.thetomtecake.com/pages/faq
The Tomte Cake is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Elf on the Shelf brand. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.