Make family memories with our list of budget-friendly activities for the holiday season in Champaign-Urbana
From Christmas experiences kids will never forget to all the Champaign-Urbana holiday family fun you’ve been waiting for, make sure you don’t miss a thing this season
If you are on Pinterest, you’ve seen those “Holiday Bucket List” pins. They are a list of fun activities to see, do, or complete with your kids during the holiday season. You could think of them as a laundry list of more things you need to fit in during the holiday season or, like us, you can pick and choose from the events listed to add more local fun to your celebrations with, ideally, less stress.
You can choose activities with varying budgets, but for the purposes of this list, we will be focusing on making holiday memories, all while staying in what we consider the “budget-friendly” range.
Chambanamoms thanks United Way of Champaign County for presenting this resource.
FREE developmental screenings are available for children from birth to age five in Champaign County, offering families helpful insights into how their child is growing and developing. These screenings look at areas like communication, social skills, and motor skills and are a simple way to check in on your child’s progress and connect with support if needed.
Offered through a partnership between Birth to Five Illinois, United Way of Champaign County, the Champaign County Home Visiting Consortium, and local schools, screenings are accessible and family-friendly.
Learn more and find out how to schedule a screening that works for you now.
For more information: Website
Make holiday memories on a budget this season
Here is our list of holiday “on a budget” to-dos, customized for Champaign-Urbana area families. Pick one, do all 35, or something in between, but whatever you do, have a wonderful holiday season making festive memories with your crew.
35 fun things to do this holiday season in Champaign-Urbana
1) Walk through Prairie Farm for a holiday lights walk-through experience AND come to our FREE “Twinkling Lights and Cocoa” event, presented by Christie Clinic.
2) Catch a holiday classic at the Virginia Theatre, like Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), or watch a holiday TV show. Extra points awarded if it is one you watched as a child.
3) Go ice skating at the U of I ice skating rink, or any of the other rinks near Champaign-Urbana for ice skating and any number of places to watch a hockey game.
4) Go on a hot chocolate date. Bonus to scoop up some favorite C-U holiday treats while you’re out!
5) Encourage your budding design gurus to make a gingerbread house.
6) Learn to play a new board game during family game night.
7) Check out holiday books from a local library. Stick around for a holiday-themed story hour or party.
8) Throw a Polar Express Party. You can always just go watch trains around Champaign-Urbana, too!
9) Go caroling in your neighborhood. If that isn’t your thing, attend a local Christmas music sing-a-long or holiday concert.
10) Walk in a Winter Wonderland: Go on a winter hike at a Champaign County Forest Preserve and don’t miss Night Lights in the Garden at the Lake of the Woods Botanical Garden.
11) Take your little ones to a kid-friendly shop so they can do their own shopping. Crisis Nursery has one of our favorites.
12) Take the family to see a live Nativity scene; they are all happening in December this year.
13) Put the kiddos in the jammies and drive around to look at the amazing Christmas lights in C-U (coming soon). For more of a drive, check out our Central Illinois Lights picks.
14) Write a letter to Santa, or register for a free phone call or letter from Santa.
15) Speaking of Santa, visit him in one of the many locations he likes to pop up. Many of them are FREE. Sensory-friendly Santa photos and pet photos are already on this year’s list.
16) Create a new tree tradition. Pick out a live tree or cut your own at these locations around Champaign-Urbana. Want to really get adventurous? Head to the Shawnee National Forest, where you can chop one down Griswold-style for just $5.
17) Donate a toy during our local toy drives, volunteer at the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, or find a “bless a family” opportunity and shop for them.
18) Wander through the traditional German Christmas Market at Riggs in Urbana.
19) Watch a Christmas parade, like Champaign-Urbana’s very own Parade of Lights. Bring some blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate!
20) Take the family to see a special holiday movie at the Staerkel Planetarium. Santa’s Secret Star and Season of Light (covering many different winter holiday traditions) are on the calendar this year.
21) Head to Flesor’s Candy Kitchen in Tuscola for some Central Illinois candy or a soda fountain treat.
22) Paint a pottery gift with your little ones. Include a handprint or footprint. Make this an annual tradition to see how your kids grow.
23) Beyond the first Saturday after Thanksgiving (known as Shop Local Saturday), nearly every Saturday has extra hustle and bustle in downtown city/village areas. Enjoy an extra festive stroll as a town near you sets out hot chocolate, has Santa strolling down the street and more fun while you wander.
24) Visit the Allerton mansion and Allerton GLOW this holiday season. Aside from opening weekend, it is just $10 per vehicle to enter and enjoy the grounds. Note: many mansion programs will require registration, as the mansion is typically not open to the public.
25) See the reindeer at Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch.
26) Take your kids on a trolley or carriage ride. Check our calendar for more information.
27) Shop local for a gift for your partner with the kiddos.
28) Visit Krannert Center’s December edition of Uncorked, a family-friendly and FREE way to enjoy the holiday season on campus. This year features the Kurt Reeder Trio as they perform songs from Charlie Brown Christmas.
29) Make your favorite Christmas cookies. The official Christmas cookie of chambanamoms.com: the chocolate crinkle.
Bonus Activities: Snow Required!
30) Make snow angels on the Quad.
31) Go sledding at one of the many other hills nearby.
32) Make a snowman in the yard. Paint him or her orange and blue.
33) Have an epic snowball fight after building a snow fort.
34) Catch a fresh snowflake on your tongue.
35) Go for a snowy walk at Meadowbrook Park.
Looking for more? Subscribe to our email newsletter. Want more ideas for holiday (or everyday) fun? Check out our Event Calendar.
Everything Holiday Season In and Around Champaign-Urbana
- Holiday Parades and Tree Lightings in the Champaign-Urbana Area
- Zoo Lights: Find them in Bloomington, Chicago, Indianapolis and Saint Louis
- 35+ Ways to have Holiday Season Fun on a Budget in Champaign-Urbana
- Where to Find Santa Claus in the Champaign-Urbana Area
- Where to Buy a Live Christmas Tree Near Champaign-Urbana
- Champaign-Urbana Area Christmas Shows, Concerts, Performances and More
- 10 Great Places to See Holiday Lights in Central Illinois
- Night Lights Return to Lake of the Woods Botanical Garden
- Where to Order a Thanksgiving Turkey in Champaign-Urbana
- Lights to Illuminate Prairie Farm Again this Holiday Season
- Holiday Glow Returning to Allerton Park in 2026
