With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season fast approaching, it’s hard to find frugal fun that the entire family can enjoy together. It seems like family entertainment just gets more and more expensive every year and as the official “fun planner” of our young family, sometimes it’s hard to find things that fit into our budget. I thought that with the holidays right around the corner that it would be fun to help give you a head start on fun AND frugal ways to enjoy the upcoming season.

*Create hand made place settings for holiday meals. The great thing about Pinterest is that it’s full of holiday table decorating ideas. But this is something fun and creative that the whole family can get into. And your kids will feel like they are contributing to the big holiday meals. Get some craft paper, glue, markers, and fabric and see what you and your kids come up with! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started, here, here, and here.

*Have a “putting up the Christmas tree” party. This was always one of my favorite things we did as kids. My mom would make a few of our favorite snacks, we would get in our Christmas jammies, and we would spend the evening putting up the Christmas tree. It was simple, family fun and we all got to be a part of it together. Now I get to do this with my own family and I cherish it so much.

*Hot chocolate and Christmas lights tour. Stop by your nearest Casey’s or Quick Trip, make your own hot chocolate concoction, and find your city’s best Christmas lights. Because honestly, what’s better than  $1.00 hot coco and twinkly lights with your family?

*Take a trip to Bass Pro. If you have a Bass Pro Shops near you, its definitely a place to hit up this holiday season. Between free pictures with Santa, carousel rides, and craft stations, it’s sure to be a fun, FREE place that the whole family can enjoy. Or scream while they are forced to take pictures with Santa. Either, way…memories, right?

*Serve together as a family. I think that this is the easiest, single most important thing to be able to do together as a family this time of year. There are SO many options to serve in your community just waiting for volunteers. Check with your local City Mission, your church, or simply ask a neighbor what you can do to help them. Find a needy family in your community and provide them with Thanksgiving dinner, take a single mom’s kids Christmas shopping and give her an afternoon to herself, serve dinner at your local mission, or fill a shoebox with Operation Christmas Child. Truly the options are endless. And the best gift that you can give your family this holiday season is the gift of awareness, compassion, and humble service. Who knows… serving together as a family just may become your new favorite tradition!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed these simple, frugal family activities I’ve shared with you. Was there anything on my list that I missed or something else you would add? I’d love to hear how YOU plan on having frugal family fun this season.

For ideas of how to build a better money management experience for your family this holiday season, make sure to check out Personal Capital and see how their services can change your finances for the better.