12 Easy, Fuss-Free Ways to Celebrate the Holidays With Your Pets

The weeks leading up to the winter holidays are filled with opportunities to share the fun, joy and magic of the season with our pets (and yes, spoil them just a little). However, like you, we’re also pet parents, and know it can be a very hectic time and can feel like you’re living in a shaken-up snow globe.

To help you celebrate with your pets (and also maybe relax a little) we asked ourselves how do we like to spend these special times and bring our pets into the action. Here are some of our favorite ideas for crafts, projects, recipes, places to go, things to see, and ways to wrap you and yours in the warmth of the holidays. You do not have to do them all or in this exact order! Whatever works for you and makes you happy to share the holidays with your pets is the way to go.

While advent calendars traditionally cover a longer period, there is no “rule” to say that you can’t wake up today and decide to craft one to cover just the last few weeks leading up to Christmas. This one focuses on kitties, but you can easily swap-in things for dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hedgehogs or whichever animal shares your home.

With just a few materials you can find in any hardware store and no crafting experience necessary, you can celebrate the Christmas holidays with your pets and include them in one of your favorite festive traditions. Here are all the details to make your own pet-perfect advent calendar.

No matter how much we plan ahead and shop Chewy for gifts for our pets, it always seems like we miss something (or someone, like a friend who drops by with their dog during the holidays). You too? Not need to stress because we’ve got you covered. Here are some of our favorite ideas for last minute gifts that won’t break the bank and the most-wanted pet gifts for dogs and cats in 2021. Of course, everyone loves a gift card!

Christmas trees, for many of us, are the main event of holiday decorating swag, but what about the other spaces where your pets spend so much time? Could they use a bit of bling, color and cheer? Of course they could, which is why we came up with fresh ideas for decorating fish tanks, bird cages, spots for guinea pigs and cats, and went outside to trick out a goat house and horse stall so you can celebrate the winter holidays with your pets.

Dogs? They are a decoration in and of themselves when dressed for the season.

You love holiday decorating and DIY and your dog loves a walk in the woods. (Here’s a few tips to make a walk even more fun.) Get the best of both by rounding up your pup and your pruners, then head out to forage for branches, boughs, cones and berries to make a fresh Christmas wreath. Note: Not all wild plants are OK for pups to eat. Be sure to monitor your dog while you are out foraging in the woods or city. (Many cats are just fine on a leash; if yours is, don’t leave them at home.)

The best part of this easy DIY? Spending quiet time in nature relaxing and playing with your furry best friend. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make a rustic, fresh, foraged wreath.

We all love to post pictures on Instagram as we celebrate the holidays, but on a busy Christmas morning it can be a challenge to get revved-up pets to sit still for a family portrait. So, put on your festive wear, gather the kids and take your photos a few days in advance.

Getting great images of your pets takes a bit of planning and lucky for us, the pros at Chewy’s photo studios share how they get such amazing pictures. You can read about it and put their tips to action.

While you can buy ready-made pet holiday stockings, nothing is going to be quite as fabulous as one you make yourself with your furry (or feathery or scaly) family member in mind.

To make it easy and fast, we’ve created three downloadable Christmas stocking patterns just for you. In the shapes of a dog bone, fish and a traditional one, these are blank templates you can embellish and personalize to make your own super-special pet holiday stockings in just a few hours with basic craft or fabric store supplies.

Baking is one of those holiday traditions that is worth making time for, especially when you can whip up something yummy for your pets. These pet-safe, vet-approved muffins are easy to make and sure to inspire wags and purrs. Get this Chewy Eats recipe and plenty of others to make the season bright.

Are you traveling this winter to visit family, friends or just have a well-deserved vacation that includes your pets? It’s never been easier to bring your furry kids along for the ride. From hotels and airlines to restaurants and tour companies, pet-friendliness is on the rise. So if you’re ready for a getaway with your pet by your side, read on—we’ve got everything you need to know about how to travel with a dog (plus the ultimate downloadable packing list) and how to travel with a cat so you’re good to go.

While 2021 was a record year for pet adoptions (nearly 1 million pets found their forever home in the US), there are still millions more spending the holidays in shelters. And they need some Christmas joy. You can shop your local shelter’s Wish Lists on Chewy.com to supply them with just what they need and have the items delivered straight to their door.

You can also pack up a basket of treats, toys, bedding and other pet staples to drop off at your local animal shelter or rescue. Interested in adopting a pet or volunteering? Search thousands of available pets from shelters and rescues in Chewy’s network.

We all have our treasured Christmas Eve traditions, but one of our favorites has to be watching holiday movies. From classic to kitchy, there’s a Christmas flick for every kind of film buff—and plenty to share with your pets, too. So as the winter weather sets in, grab the Swiss Miss (and here is a dog-safe hot “cocoa” recipe your bestie can slurp) and your favorite PJs, and snuggle up on the couch for one of these holiday movies that feature pets. Here are our favorites.

Once everyone’s awake and the presents are opened, it’s time to gather round for one of the best parts of the holiday: Christmas morning breakfast. A delicious start to the festive day, this year start a new family tradition by adding these special DIY dog treat and cat treats to your Christmas morning menu. Vet-approved and pet-safe, they can be made ahead and heated or assembled before serving.