I went to repost this just for a fun Christmas idea when I noticed that I had originally posted it on the exact same date two years ago.  Bizarre!  Anyway, here is a fun idea that we do with our kids every year. 


I was over at Tip Junkie looking at all the fun Christmas tips she has on her website and that reminded me that I have a fun Christmas idea to share too.


Every Christmas, we do the Great Christmas Hunt. This started when I remembered how much fun my kids have every Easter with their Easter Egg Hunt. When they were little, I would hide and re-hide the eggs all over the house because they had such a fun time just going around finding all the eggs. So I came up with this fun idea for them to hunt for one of their Christmas presents.

It all starts here. On our Christmas tree, there are two of these little mailbox ornaments - a red one and a green one. I made a bunch of them back when I was in High School and I still have these two of them. I start out by putting a post-in note in each mailbox - one for each boy. The note will direct them somewhere else in the house where they will find another note. That note will send them somewhere else for the next clue.


It's hilarious because I try to get really inventive with the clues. I try to space each clue as far away as I possibly can, so we end up with kids running back and forth all over the house. I usually send them out to the mailbox or the backyard or somewhere just for the fun of seeing them run outside in their Christmas PJ's - it's all part of the fun and they love it.

Sometimes I will make the clues a little vague just to trip them up. For instance, I'll say Bathroom Mirror, but I won't say which bathroom - we have 3 of them. Or I'll say In Your Shoes and won't tell them which pair. I try to do about 5 clues for each boy, which is sometimes hard because I'm usually setting them up after the midnight Christmas service. It actually takes a bit of thinking to plan out two different trails for the boys and to remember to put the clues in the right places.


The final clue leads them to their present - usually it's a big, hard-to-wrap present like a bike or a skateboard. That way I can hide it in a closet or somewhere in the garage. My kids just love it! Even my 19 year old still begs for the Christmas Hunt. Give it a try, I'll bet your kids will love it too!