Free Christmas Eve Activities for Families
Plan a no-cost Christmas Eve with daytime outings, evening lights and free Santa tracking for kids.
Families can spend Christmas Eve for free at light displays, church services, parks, libraries, museums and at home with Santa trackers. These activities cost nothing to join and suit young children, teens and grandparents together. Hours are short on December 24, so plan around closing times and ticket rules.
Some sites need advance reservations while others accept drop-in visits. Check the time, address and age range before you leave home.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
What can families do during the day?
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis lists free admission on December 24 with a 2 p.m. close in its free-days guidance. Visitors must reserve free advance tickets.
The museum says tickets are released about 10 days ahead. The U.S. National Park Service lists free Ranger's Choice family programs at 11 a.m.
December 23-27, 2025 in its event listing for Dec. 23-27, 2025. The programs include guided walks, science labs and journaling.
They are built for drop-in families with children. The City of Corpus Christi reports free holiday programs across all six library branches. Christmas storytimes serve ages 1-5.
One example is Jingle All the Way at Ben F. McDonald Library.
Where can we see lights after dark?
Rotary Lights describes about 3 million free lights in Riverside Park in its 2026 season hours. The address is 410 Veterans Memorial Drive in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The display is open Christmas Eve from 5 to 9 p.m.
Families can drive, walk or take a carriage ride through the park. Choose driving for toddlers who tire fast and walking for older kids who want close views. Arrive inside the four-hour window because the site closes at 9 p.m.
Is there a free service to attend?
Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue opens doors at 3 p.m. for its free 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.
The festival is a service of spoken readings and sung carols. A 5:45 p.m. Vigil Mass follows, according to the church schedule.
Arrive near the 3 p.m. door time for seats before the 4 p.m. start.
Families can attend the carol service alone or stay for the later Mass. Small children should expect quiet sitting and singing.
What can we do at home for free?
North American Aerospace Defense Command says its Operations Center opens at 4 a.m. MST on December 24 in its tracker page. Families can track Santa online at noradsanta.org.
They can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD for a live tracker. Google says its Santa Tracker offers a free Santa's Village with games, stories and educational activities. The Village runs through December at santatracker.google.com.
Live Santa tracking starts on Christmas Eve. Use these steps to plan a no-cost evening at home. Open one tracker on a shared screen and keep the phone line as backup.
- Open Village games earlier in December for school-age learning
- Share one screen so young children can follow together
- Call the NORAD line after 4 a.m. MST on December 24