Christmas Camping: Where to Go, How to Decorate Your Campsite and Stay Warm

Christmas camping trades crowded malls and overbooked dinners for crackling fires, quiet campgrounds and a sky full of stars. More families are making a camping Christmas a tradition every year, whether that means a warm beach site in Florida, a desert campground in Arizona or a string-lit RV in the woods behind the house.

This guide covers where to go camping for Christmas, how to decorate your tent, campsite or RV safely, what to cook on Christmas Day and how to stay safe on long winter nights. Shopping for a camper instead? Our camping gifts guide has ideas at every budget.

Why Go Camping for Christmas?

• Quieter campgrounds. Outside a few warm-weather hot spots, many parks are nearly empty in late December.
• Fewer obligations. No hosting, no traffic between relatives, no pile of dishes.
• Long, dark nights. December has the longest nights of the year, which means more time around the fire and better stargazing.
• A tradition kids remember. A Christmas morning in a tent tends to be the one everyone talks about for years.

Where to Go Christmas Camping

Where you go depends on how much cold you want. If you'd rather skip the snow, head south or into the desert.

Warm-Weather Holiday Destinations

• Florida. The Keys and the Gulf Coast are the classic winter escape, with mild days and swimmable water in the far south. Start with our guides to Florida state parks camping and Bahia Honda State Park. Book early: winter is peak season, and the most popular sites fill months ahead.
• Texas. South and West Texas stay comfortable through December. See our roundup of the best places to camp in Texas and our Big Bend National Park camping guide. Big Bend days are pleasant, but nights in the desert and the Chisos Mountains can drop near freezing.
• The desert Southwest. Winter is prime season in the desert. Joshua Tree and Valley of Fire offer sunny days and dramatic scenery, though desert nights get cold, so pack for both.

Cold-Weather Christmas Camping

If you want a white Christmas, plan it like any winter camping trip: a drive-in site, a sleeping bag rated well below the forecast low and a bail-out plan. Many state parks keep a loop, cabins or heated restrooms open year-round. Call ahead, because water is often shut off in winter.

How to Decorate Your Tent, Campsite or RV

Decorating is half the fun of a camping Christmas, and it's also where most holiday safety mistakes happen. Follow one rule above all: no open flame in or near a tent. That means no real candles, no oil lamps and nothing that heats up.

Lights

• Battery-powered or solar LED string lights are the safest option for tents and campsites. LEDs run cool and draw little power.
• USB string lights work well with a power bank and are easy to recharge in the car.
• For RVs and electric sites, use outdoor-rated LED strands and an outdoor-rated extension cord, and keep connections off the wet ground.
• Wrap lights around a picnic table, tent poles (outside the tent), a camp chair or a nearby tree branch. Skip anything with staples or nails, which damage trees and break Leave No Trace rules.

Decorations

• A mini tree. A small artificial tree on the picnic table or a potted rosemary "tree" is easy to pack.
• Lantern centerpieces. Use battery LED candles or a camping lantern wrapped in garland.
• Stockings hung from the RV awning, a clothesline or the tent's vestibule.
• Natural decor. Pinecones and fallen greenery work, but check park rules first. Many parks prohibit collecting anything, so bring your own.
• Weatherproof everything. Paper ornaments won't survive dew or rain. Choose plastic, felt or fabric.

Pack it all out when you leave. Glitter, tinsel and ribbon are hard to find in the dirt and harmful to wildlife.

Christmas Day Camp Cooking

You don't need a full turkey dinner to make the day feel special. A two-burner stove and a cast-iron skillet go a long way.

• Christmas breakfast: Cinnamon rolls baked in a Dutch oven, or pancakes and bacon on the griddle. See our camping breakfast ideas.
• Main meal: Pre-cooked ham steaks, foil-packet potatoes and green beans, or a one-pot chili that simmers while you play games.
• Dessert: S'mores with peppermint patties, campfire baked apples or skillet brownies.
• Drinks: Hot cocoa, mulled cider or camp coffee with a splash of eggnog.

Prep and chop at home, store everything in labeled bags and keep a cooler for anything perishable. For more ideas, see our campfire cooking guide.

Winter-Night Safety

Christmas camping often means the longest, coldest nights of the year. Keep these basics in mind:

• Never run a fuel-burning heater, stove or grill inside a tent or closed vehicle. Carbon monoxide is odorless and deadly. Only use heaters rated for indoor use, with ventilation and a CO alarm.
• Dress in layers and sleep warm. A good bag, an insulated pad and a dry base layer matter more than any heater. Our guide on how to stay warm camping covers it in detail.
• Plan for darkness. With sunset before 5 p.m. in much of the country, arrive early, set up in daylight and keep a headlamp on everyone.
• Watch the fire. Holiday wind and dry conditions can mean burn bans even in winter. Check before you light up and never leave a fire unattended. Our camping safety tips cover the rest.

Recommended Gear

A few pieces make a Christmas camping trip far more comfortable:

• Teton Celsius Sleeping Bag. A warm, roomy bag for cold December nights, in adult and kids' sizes.
• Coleman Triton 2-Burner Propane Stove. Enough room to cook Christmas breakfast and a main dish side by side, and propane holds up better in the cold than small canisters.
• Black Diamond Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp. Essential on the long holiday nights, and it recharges by USB so you aren't hunting for batteries.

Make It a Tradition

Christmas camping doesn't have to be elaborate. Pick a campground that matches the weather you want, string up some LED lights, plan one special meal and leave room for a quiet morning by the fire. Once your family tries a camping Christmas, it may become the holiday everyone looks forward to most.