30 Best Things to Do Between Christmas and New Year's Day

The period between Christmas and New Year’s, also called twixmas, is usually a weird and slow time for a lot of people. The Christmas gifts have been opened, your stomach is full, you probably don’t have work or school, you’re feeling tired from the holiday festivities, and there’s nothing much going on.

But you don’t have to be idle and bored the week after Christmas. If you’re wondering what to do between Christmas and New Year’s Day? You have come to the right place.

In this article, we shall provide ideas of some of the best things to do in the days between Christmas and New Year’s to entertain yourself, stay busy, strengthen your bond with loved ones, prepare for the coming chapter, rest, and pass the time. We have included activities you can do with family and friends or alone.

What to Do Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

Catch up with family

The holidays are a time for family. During this time of year, most people usually have days off from work or are on school break, so they can stay home and spend Christmas and the days after with their loved ones. Between Christmas and New Year’s, spend time catching up with your family to know what has been going on in each other’s lives and strengthen your bond.

Walk or drive around your neighborhood

Christmas is a beautiful time of year in most places. There is a lot to see around you.

Walking or driving around your neighborhood or town is a great way to spend the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admire the Christmas decorations, marvel at nature’s beauty in winter or whatever season it is in your location, see the new developments, and just reconnect with your home area.

Walking will also be a great form of exercise to burn the extra calories you may have consumed during the festive season.

Rest and recharge

You don’t have to do anything during the period between Christmas and New Year’s Day. If you’ve been working or going to school all year, or had to do a lot of Christmas celebration preparations, and are feeling exhausted, use these slow days to relax, rest, and recharge.

Sleep in, lounge around the house, and do nothing if you don’t feel like doing anything. You’ll feel well rested and rejuvenated when it is time to go back to your regular life in the new year.

Reflect on the past year

The end of the year is a great time to take stock of your life. Spend the slow, probably boring, days between Christmas and New Year’s reflecting on the past year. Think about what you did, what went well, what didn’t go well, and the areas you can improve or change in the coming year.

Make a gratitude list

As you reflect on the past year, make a gratitude list. Identify the people and the big and small things that happened that you are thankful for. If anyone makes the list, be sure to send them personalized ‘Thank You’ gifts and messages to let them know you recognize and appreciate the positive impact they had on your life.

READ ALSO >>> 50+ Best Gratitude Quotes

Visit relatives

If you have relatives, such as grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins, who live nearby or even far away, use the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day to visit them. Catch up with them, deliver Christmas gifts, and do fun activities together. Spending time with them will help strengthen bonds in the extended family.

Go to church

With the over-commercialization of the holiday, the true meaning of Christmas is getting lost. Be among the few who remember the reason for the season.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, make time to go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with other Christians, and prepare your heart and mind to welcome the new year as a better person. Participate in the activities your church may have planned for this period, and have fun, give back, and foster community spirit.

Hang out with old friends

If you’ve been away for a while and have come back home for the holidays, meeting up with friends who are also home for Christmas or those who still live in the neighborhood is one of the fun things to do in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Hang out while catching up on each other’s lives and doing fun activities together.

Visit a recreation area

Whether it’s an amusement park, a beach, a bowling alley, a skating rink, a lake, a botanical garden, or a local park, visiting a recreation area to have fun with family and friends is a great way to entertain yourself and pass the time between Christmas and New Year’s.

Look at your old photos

Pictures help us capture moments. Going through your old photos from the past year or even as far back as your childhood is a fun activity you can do between Christmas and New Year’s Day. They will evoke nostalgia, reminding you of past experiences and times with loved ones.

Do some acts of kindness

Instead of sitting at home idle and feeling bored in that weird period between Christmas and New Year’s Day, why don’t you spend your time more productively doing some acts of kindness?

For instance, you could volunteer at churches, shelters, and nursing homes, donate money to charity, or give food, Christmas gifts, clothes, blankets, and other supplies to the homeless. Use the free time to give back to your community.

Complete any pending tasks or projects

Do you have any pending tasks or projects? Have you ticked off all the items on your 2025 bucket list? Start the new year on a clean slate by spending the week between Christmas and New Year’s working on completing your pending tasks and projects.

Clean up after Christmas celebrations

Christmas celebrations can get messy, especially if you hosted a party or are spending the holidays with a lot of people. Pass the time between Christmas and New Year’s cleaning up after the festivities. From excess decorations to dishes and broken items, get busy cleaning and organizing your home.

Declutter and organize the house

There is no better time to declutter and organize your home than at the end of the year. Assess your belongings and sort them out, identifying what you don’t use or things that are broken, then throw away, give out or set aside stuff to resell later.

Organize the remaining items you consider necessary so your house is neat by the time the new year starts.

Do fun indoor and outdoor activities

There are many fun indoor and outdoor activities you can do alone or with family and friends during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. For example, you could play competitive games, prepare and cook holiday foods, take walks around the neighborhood, participate in fun winter activities, make Christmas crafts, and go to holiday markets, among other activities.

Make New Year’s resolutions

What do you want to achieve in the new year? Spend the days between Christmas and New Year’s Day coming up with your goals for 2026. Ensure they are personal S.M.A.R.T goals. Try to stick to your New Year’s resolutions when the year begins, and start working on achieving them as early as the first week of January.

Here are some of the best New Year’s resolution ideas for 2026.

Create a vision board

Another fun activity you can do in preparation for the new year is to make a vision board, a physical or digital one (or both). It can be a vision board for the kind of life you visualize for yourself within the next year or one that includes your long-term goals.

Read our previous article for tips on how to create a vision board, the benefits of making one, and where to place it.

Update your calendar

Your New Year’s calendar will not be the same as the one for this year. During the period between Christmas and New Year’s, prepare for the coming days by updating your calendar with events, special days, and tasks you need to do. Input the expected future activities in your personal, social, and professional life.

Updating your calendar early will ensure you don’t forget important days, deadlines, and commitments.

Reward yourself

What were your achievements this year? The end of the year is the perfect time to celebrate your wins from the past year. You deserve to be rewarded for your efforts and achievements.

Whether you’re alone or with friends and family, find ways to reward yourself for your achievements in the past year before this year ends. You could do things like buy yourself a gift, throw a party, or plan/go on a vacation.

Curl up with a good book

Reading is a fun hobby for many people. During the slow days between Christmas and New Year’s Day, you can entertain yourself by reading books that have been on your TBR list for a while or those set in winter or the season of the year in your location.

You can also look for books with Christmas or New Year’s themes. Better yet, you could read self-help books to help you improve and become a better version of yourself in the new year.

If you set a yearly reading goal for yourself and haven’t reached it yet, the period between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to work on achieving it.

Watch themed movies and TV shows

Many of us are often so busy at other times of the year that we rarely have time to sit down and watch movies and TV shows. After Christmas, pass the time till the new year rewatching Christmas or New Year-themed movies and episodes of your favorite TV shows, catching up on other TV shows you’ve been following, and discovering new movies and TV series.

You could watch the movies at home or go to a local theatre.

Let go of things

This year will soon be the past. Don’t bring its issues to the new year. Spend the time between Christmas and New Year’s learning how to let go of the past and of grudges. Forgive people who may have wronged you and forgive yourself. The new year will be an opportunity to start over and do things better.

Give yourself a makeover

New Year, New Me! is a popular slogan many use at the beginning of the year. One way you can become a new you is by giving yourself a makeover.

Spend the days between Christmas and New Year’s transforming your appearance, from new hairstyles and new makeup looks to new outfits and more. Do things that will make you look and feel good about yourself.

Visit tourist attractions near you

What tourist attractions are close to where you’ll be spending the holidays? Instead of staying indoors the entire time, you can have fun in the days between Christmas and New Year’s while doing some domestic tourism at the attractions that are still open this time of year.

Exercise

Food is a major part of Christmas celebrations. You may also be physically inactive during the holidays. This makes it easy to gain weight. Prevent the holiday weight gain by setting aside time to exercise in the days between Christmas and your return to regular life in the new year.

Pamper yourself at home

If you’re usually too busy to dedicate time to yourself, the slow period between Christmas and New Year’s Day is the best time to show yourself some love, practice self-care, relax, and recharge. Stay at home and pamper yourself.

You could do activities such as taking a soothing bath, doing your skincare routine, giving yourself a manicure and pedicure, playing soothing music, practicing meditation, indulging in your favorite foods, napping, journaling, and reading a good book.

What do you do in the days between Christmas and New Year’s?

As you can see, there are many ways you can pass the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We hope you found some ideas for fun things to do in order to relax, stay busy, entertain yourself, get organized, and bond with loved ones during the holidays.

Did you enjoy reading this post? Please share it.
Let’s connect: Twitter . Pinterest . Facebook . Instagram . TikTok . VK

Read more articles from Aisles of Life here.

30 Best Things to Do Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

What to Do Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

What do you do in the days between Christmas and New Year’s?

Like this:

What to Do Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

What do you do in the days between Christmas and New Year’s?

Sharing is Caring!

Like this: