Find 2021 Christmas & Holiday events and activities here.
Waiting and preparing for Christmas can be almost as magical and fun as the holiday itself. Counting down the days builds suspense for the big holiday and rewards your kids with a little surprise for each day of patience in the long, cold month of December. If you’re searching for some fun, festive ways to celebrate, look no further. We’ve gathered 25 events and activities to help your family countdown to Christmas in Des Moines.
Find even more ideas for seasonal entertainment with our Holiday Fun Guide!
25 Days of Christmas Countdown: Des Moines Style
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- Write a Letter to Santa. A few area Parks and Recreation Departments are accepting letters and will send a reply to your child. You can also send a letter to the North Pole through the USPS.
- Listen to your favorite holiday story during story time at your local library. Find one near you on our Events Calendar.
- Pick out and cut down your Christmas tree at a local Tree Farm.
- Visit Santa. Don’t forget to share your list and have your photo taken with him.
- Look at holiday lights or attend a tree lighting ceremony.
- Donate toys or adopt a family this holiday season.
- If it snows, go sledding! Use our Sledding Guide to find the best snowy hill near you.
- Warm up with a hot beverage. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or coffee on a cold winter’s night.
- Take a spin on the ice at the Brenton Skating Plaza or another local ice rink.
- Treat the family to a showing of The Nutcracker ballet on a Central Iowa stage.
- Visit Bethlehem at a local church during a Nativity Event.
- Ride the rails to the North Pole on the Santa Express.
- Watch a holiday movie classic on the big screen. You can find many being shown around Des Moines this holiday season.
- Enjoy a Live Show. A couple of picks: Elf- The Musical at the Des Moines Playhouse and A Christmas Carol at the Kum & Go Theater.
- Savor a sweet treat from a local sweet shop.
- Have breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner with Santa.
- Get outside and go skiing or snow tubing.
- Bake cookies for Santa.
- Paint a holiday picture. You can do this at home or at somewhere like Painting with a Twist.
- Build and decorate a gingerbread house and then enter it in a contest at a local library.
- Donate to or volunteer at a local food pantry.
- Go on a Sleigh Ride. Go dashing through the snow at Jester Park Equestrian Center.
- Let the kids pick the place and treat the fam to a holiday meal at a fun Des Moines restaurant.
- Take Grandma to a local holiday market or craft show.
- Fall in love with the holiday’s most beloved misfit at the Civic Center during Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical.
How do you count down the days until Christmas with your family?
