Christmas Customs Lapbook for Elementary & Middle School Students
Your kids will learn about the different customs that cultures around the world engage in as they celebrate Christmas as they complete this Christmas Customs lapbook along with the hands-on activities.
Throughout history, people in different cultures that celebrate Christmas have created unique ways and customs to express their joy.
Learn more about these Christmas Around the World traditions and how they came first started with the fourteen different activities in this printable Christmas Customs Lapbook.
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Here are the resources used in the Christmas Customs Lapbook:
If you can’t find one of these exact books, you may compile multiple books from your library about Christmas customs in various cultures.
Non-Fiction Books
The Joys of Christmas: Christmas Customs and Legends around the World by Kathryn Jackson (My preferred source)
OR Christmas Around the World (On My Own Holidays) by Emily Kelley
Online Resources
Christmas Around the World at The North Pole
Worldwide Christmas Customs at History Channel for older teens or parents
Christmas Cultures Around the World at Why Christmas (this is an older site, but it contains a HUGE amount of information)
Around the World at Christmas at Kids Travel Guide
PragerU presents the History of Christmas
For older kids and parents: watch Dave Stott’s Drive Thru History Christmas Traditions
See also the specific resources listed for each individual mini-book below.
Printable Resources
The Christmas Customs Lapbook printables (see below)
Just for Fun Picture Books
Joy to the World: Tomie’s Christmas Stories by Tomie dePaola
Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
Christmas Customs Lapbook Activities:
Activity 1: Gifts – In the shaped book describe how the custom of giving gifts started. You and your older kids may find this History of Christmas gifts video interesting.
Find out about the Scandinavian custom of disguising gifts, called Julklapp (it’s sometimes called “Yule Trap” and it’s where we got the idea of “Secret Santa”).
Activity 2: Yule Log – Learn about the custom of the yule log and write about it in the mini book.
Make a Yule Log cake, also called a Bûche De Noël (or just eat some Swiss cake rolls for mini yule logs). Here’s a recipe similar to the one my mom always made and here’s a simpler version.
Activity 3: Nativity Play – In the cross book, write about the history of nativity plays (which are very popular in European countries, Lebanon, and Argentina).
Watch this play of the nativity story and just for fun, watch this silly version narrated by kids.
Create your own nativity play with this simple script (scroll down to “nativity script)
Print out your own nativity characters and play props at our sister site, Whole Child Homeschool.
You may also want to watch The Star, a cartoon retelling of Jesus’ birth. Available to stream on most platforms.
Activity 4: Wassailing – Find out about wassailing and write what you learned in the mini book. Sing the song “Here We Come A-Wassailing“.
Make some wassail. I grew up drinking this hot drink at Christmastime that we called Russian Tea even though it didn’t have any tea in it. It makes a great kid-friendly version of wassail.
This video from Tasting History does a deep dive for older kids and parents into the history of the word wassail, the drink itself, and the caroling that goes with it. Parents should note that it does talk about drinking alcohol as the original wassail was alchoholic.
Activity 5: Mince Pies – Find out who eats mince pies at Christmas time and why. Write what you learned in the circle fold book. Learn about the traditional mince pies with this clip from Absolute History.
Make a mince pie. Choose one of these versions to try:
Activity 6: Christmas Crackers – Write about Christmas Crackers in the booklet. Learn more with this video about the Victorians.
Make your own Christmas Cracker using a DIY kit (be sure to get a kit with “snaps”) or with these instructions.
Activity 7: Christmas Cards – Design your own card and write about the history of Christmas cards inside the card.
Make cards for friends and family. Use the print and color cards in this post at our sister site.
Older students and parents will enjoy these videos about the first Christmas card and the history of Christmas cards.
Activity 8: Stockings – On the outside of the stocking shaped mini book, design or color your stocking. Inside the shaped book, explain how the custom of hanging stockings by the fireplace originated.
Watch this video to learn more.
Activity 9: Shoes – In some countries, children set out their shoes instead of hanging stockings. Write about this custom in the mini-book.
Learn more about the custom of leaving your shoes outside the door on the evening of St. Nicholas’ Day with this video.
Activity 10: Santa – In the layered book, write some of the different names used for Santa in different countries and some of the different foods that are left out for him.
This video shows what Santa is called and how he looks in many different countries.
Activity 11: Advent Wreath- In the circle book, explain the meaning of each candle on the advent wreath (Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace with the fifth candle representing Jesus).
Create an Advent Wreath craft with cardboard tubes or with birthday cake candles while learning about the meaning of the candles.
Activity 12: St. Lucia’s Day – Find out about St. Lucia’s Day and write about it in the book.
Watch this video to see what the St. Lucia day ceremony looks like.
Read the book, Lucia, Child of Light: The History and Traditions of Sweden’s Lucia Celebration by Florence Ekstrand or the book, Hanna’s Christmas by Melissa Petersen. Both of these books are OOP, so if you can’t find a copy, you can still read them on Open Library here and here.
Print out a St. Lucia crown to wear.
Bake St. Lucia saffron buns (also called Lussekatter).
Activity 13: Caga Tió de Nadal Tradition Learn how people in Catalona Spain celebrate Christmas with a Christmas log that “poops” gifts called Caga Tió.
Learn more about the Caga Tió tradition with this video. Watch some preschoolers with their Caga Tió.
Activity 14: Fill in Your Own Use the 6 flap book to select six countries that celebrate Christmas with a different custom than what your family has. Write the name of the country on the outside flap, then on the inside, describe the tradition.
You can download the OLD (2020) version of the Christmas Customs Lapbook from the Free Resource Library. Look under Lapbooks.
The updated version with additional mini-books and new images is only available in the HHO Shop and comes with the Christmas Customs World Map worksheets and Christmas Around the World Notebooking pack (it’s a whooping 117 pages long!).
More Christmas Resources for Homeschoolers
Christmas Customs Around the World Notebooking
Christmas Nativity Story Lapbook
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