The holidays are a very special time of year, as it’s when you can meet with your family and friends to share presents and eat wonderful food. Whether you have a small family gathering in the McKinney, Texas, area, or a large one with family members coming from out of town, make the most of this time of year with these fun and thoughtful holiday activities.
Make Gingerbread Houses
One fabulous holiday family activity is making gingerbread houses. This activity originates from the 16th century in Germany. At that time, people would decorate gingerbread houses with gold leaf and shiny foil to create lavish decorations. Today, we make gingerbread houses with frosting, jellied candies, and candy canes. Making gingerbread houses takes time and patience, but when you follow a recipe and use your imagination, you’ll end up with a treasured creation.
Have a Backyard Bonfire
If you have space in your yard, why not have a backyard bonfire, complete with hot chocolate and s’mores? Buying a fire pit is the best way to have a safe fire, and there are various styles to fit the size and layout of your backyard or patio. After building your bonfire in your fire pit, you can enjoy holiday treats and sing Christmas carols to help you get into the holiday spirit.
Decorate Your Home
Everyone in the family can use their creativity and imagination to decorate your home. You can string garlands around the staircase and across the mantelpiece, hang colorful lights, and put up Christmas stockings with everyone’s name stitched on them. Set holiday-scented candles in the guest rooms and hallway to add a lovely fragrance to the air. You could even hang a welcoming wreath on the front door.
View the Neighborhood Holiday Lights
The best places to see holiday lights in McKinney are the Village of Eldorado, Tucker Hill, and Winding Creek. Each of these neighborhoods offers visitors a different experience, from lavish, modern displays to classic Christmas scenes. Bundling into the car together to see the local lights makes for a memorable holiday activity for the whole family.
Bake and Decorate Cookies
Your house will smell divine with spices, vanilla, and melted butter when you and the family gather in the kitchen to bake holiday cookies. To help you get started with baking and decorating cookies, simply purchase sets of cookie cutters in all your favorite shapes, from stars to reindeer. You can vary the cookies with traditional German-style cookies, gingerbread people, or fun cookie bars. When it comes to decorating your holiday cookies, you’re free to let your imagination soar. Decorations can be as simple as sugar frosting with colorful sprinkles to extravagant creations complete with peppermint drops and piped icing.
Sing Seasonal Songs
Whether you have instruments to play songs on or prefer to sing along to the radio or your Christmas playlist, gathering to sing songs together brings you closer to your family. You can sing classic kid’s songs, such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” which the children will clap and dance to. Adults will appreciate singing such songs as “Silent Night,” “White Christmas,” or “O Holy Night.” Make hot chocolate, turn on the Christmas tree lights, and enjoy singing holiday songs for hours.
Go Ice Skating
Bundle up and head over to the Allen Community Ice Rink for a few hours of skating over the ice. It’s easy to get into the holiday spirit when you’re ice skating. The Allen Community Ice Rink holds open skate times for the whole family, whether you’re new to ice skating or an experienced skater. Whatever your skill level, everyone will have fun.
Go Christmas Shopping at The Shops at Legacy
With so many exciting shops to explore, you and your family can find perfect last-minute gifts when you visit The Shops at Legacy. From pretty pieces of jewelry to warm sweaters, you can find something for everyone here. Between December 3, 2022, and December 30, 2022, Santa will be at The Shops at Legacy, and your kids will want to have their pictures taken with Santa. After a day of shopping and visiting Santa, stop at one of these kid-friendly restaurants in McKinney to refuel your body.
Take the Family to a Holiday Performance
Everyone in the family will enjoy The Gift of Christmas, a spectacular multimedia event held at the Prestonwood Baptist Church at the Plano Campus. This holiday extravaganza features dazzling special effects, flying angels, a live orchestra, and a 1,000-member cast and choir. This 100-minute show includes live camels near the nativity scene, kings in regal costumes, and music created especially for The Gift of Christmas show. While this show is fun and dazzling, at the heart of the show is the simple Christmas story of Joseph and Mary, with Christ the child inside the manger, surrounded by shepherds and animals.
Volunteer at Minnie’s Food Pantry
Many local people need help with food for their families, especially during the holidays. You can head over to Minnie’s Food Pantry with your family at 661 18th Street in Plano. Volunteer tasks include:
- Unloading trucks.
- Sorting items.
- Stocking shelves.
- Preparing boxes.
- Cart running.
- Delivering food.
- Administrative tasks.
- Interacting with clients.
Volunteering at this local food bank will help you enjoy a sense of community while providing food to those in need. Give Minnie’s Food Pantry a call for more information about volunteer opportunities at 972-596-0253.
Our team at Huffines Kia McKinney wishes you and your family the happiest of holidays. We hope you enjoy our list of exciting holiday activities for the family. Which one is your favorite? Are the kids excited to take part in some of these activities? Did we miss a local McKinney activity on our list? If we did, let us know. We always want to know about family-friendly holiday activities in our area.
Stop by Huffines Kia McKinney to pick up a new Kia to drive to the craft store to pick up supplies. If you would like a new-to-you used vehicle to take the family to see holiday lights, our team at Huffines Kia McKinney can help you find the perfect vehicle.