A Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt is free, entertaining, requires very few supplies; plus there is a free printable below.

In my church there is a committee that organizes activities for our entire congregation. Usually, we get together for an in-person Christmas dinner and celebration each year.

This year, due to COVID19 restrictions, the committee organized an amazing Christmas Light scavenger hunt. A few of my kids were not there during the designated scavenger hunt but it was so fun and well liked by most of the families and kids that took part, I wanted to take my kids on one when we were all together.

When we had some time, I took the kids on a similar Christmas Light scavenger hunt to the one our Church had and we had so much fun!

I encourage you to try it—especially if you have young children.

Supply List for a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

List of items to look for Free Printable here

pen, pencil, crayon or marker

Christmas music

Treat/reward for everyone

Car to drive in—or you can bundle up and walk

An area that has a lot of Christmas lights and decorations (suburban neighborhoods usually do)

Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt List

Star

Presents

Nativity

Snowman

Reindeer

Santa Claus

Wreath

Candy cane

Christmas Tree

Ornaments

Sleigh

Challenge items for Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt:

Stockings

Bells

Holly

Nutcracker

Poinsettia

Angel

How To Go On a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Print out the Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt list here for each person participating (or make one of your own).

Get a pen or marker to cross off items found.

Bring a treat or reward for everyone in the car.

Hop in a vehicle and turn on Christmas music.

Drive around in neighborhoods with lights and decorations. If your nearby neighborhoods do not typically decorate much, ask around or look on your local news websites for locations of well-decorated neighborhoods.

Cross-off each item as you see them in people’s yard, on their porches, or in windows.

Once all items are found, give each person a reward (my kids got a Christmas cookie).

If the challenge items are found (these are harder to find), give another reward, like a toy from the dollar store, or a candy cane.

Once all of the items are found, drive home or you can do what we did. We drove to a neighborhood light show.

Our neighbor had decorated their and their next door neighbor’s lawn and home with a TON of Christmas lights and light up objects. They had a sign of which radio station to tune in to to hear Christmas songs.

The lights synced to the songs being played on the radio. It was so fun to sit and watch the show and listen to Christmas songs.

I brought each one of my children a Christmas cookie as the reward for when we finished the Christmas Light scavenger hunt. So we sat and ate cookies and watched the light show in the warmth of the car.

You could also bring a thermos of hot cocoa (if you trust it in your vehicle) to enjoy with the cookies too.

The Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt was a very fun and free activity that I think we will try to do each year.

The kids loved looking for specific items and crossing them off their scavenger hunt sheets. This activity kept their attention for about an hour and a half (not an easy feat for a 6 and 8 year old).

The entire time we drove around they were on the look out for items on our list plus we got to enjoy the beauty of twinkling lights and Christmas decor with fun Christmas tunes playing in the background.

If you are religious, you can also read the meaning of each Christian-symbol on the list as you are searching for them.

Christian Symbolism for a Christ-Central Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Among Christians, the green pine tree or Christmas Tree is thought to symbolize eternal life in Christ,
The red color of ornaments are considered symbols of the blood of Jesus.
Holly represents immortality and is a symbol of the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross.
Around the year 1500, Martin Luther brought a tree indoor, and decorated it with candles in honor of Christ’s birth. Candles continued being used as decorations for the tree, symbolizing Christ as the Light of the World. Although in time the candles have been replaced by electric Christmas lights, the significance has remained the same.
The star placed on the top of the tree represents the star that guided the Wise Men to Jesus Child in Bethlehem.
Lots of people prefer decorating the top of the Christmas tree with an angel instead of a star, this being a symbol of the angel who announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds.
Christmas gifts are a symbol of the myrrh, frankincense and gold brought by the wise men to Christ Child, in Bethlehem.
The shepherds’ hook or candy cane brings to mind the care with which our Lord watches over all of his children—the babe born in Bethlehem of Judea, the Good Shepherd with an unparalleled, divine mission.
The Nativity of course is the reminder of Christ’s birth. Tip-My kids and I also counted each nativity we found and put a tally mark for each one next to the Nativity on the list. This was a nice way to emphasize our reason for the season.
The wreath’s circular shape represents eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. From a Christian religious perspective, it represents an unending eternal life made possible through Christ.
The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity.