Tis the season for family holiday traditions!
Like many of you out there, Christmas is my favorite season. Can you name another holiday that has a slew of traditional songs dedicated to its celebration? I think not!
My radio is tuned into everything Christmas starting the third week of November, regardless of when Thanksgiving decides to arrive.
Christmas creates a feeling of hope, excitement, warmth, generosity, and happiness. Part of the magic of Christmas is the anticipation of all of the things to come. For me, that means family holiday traditions.
The family holiday traditions suggested in this blog are from my blended family – my inlaws, my parents, and of course, my family. The purpose of these family holiday traditions is to build on the excitement of Christmas and create memorable family moments to look forward to year after year.
Here are 9 family holiday traditions you need to start right now!
1. Advent Calendar
The word Advent means coming in Latin. This symbolizes Jesus coming into the world.
Advent calendars are a great reminder of the reason for the season, but also an awesome way to gear up the excitement for Christmas day.
Each year we have at least two advent calendars. One for fun and one to eat!
This one is fun because you get a different book each night. The kids get excited to find the number that correlates with the date and anticipate which book they’ll choose! Believe it or not, it actually helps with bedtime because they’re excited to see which book they will choose.
These go fast! Don’t wait to order. It is perfect for kids and is such a fun tradition every day leading up to Christmas. I love reading our advent calendar storybook to our son before bed each night.
This advent calendar is the one we eat! I’ll be honest, I let the kids get one every morning once they wake up. Having them wait all day for the one piece of chocolate did not work well in our house. Instead every morning they wake up and look for their elf and choose their piece of chocolate.
And if you’re looking for yet another advent calendar variation for your family holiday tradition, check out these printable advent calendar coloring pages on my Etsy shop. These are incredibly inexpensive and DIY! My daughter is still too young for school so while my son is in school, I do these coloring pages with my daughter every day in December!
2. Elf on the Shelf
You’re either an Elf on the Shelf lover or the elves are not welcomed in your household. I’ve found that most parents have a very strong opinion, one way or the other, about Elf on the Shelf. Personally, I love it! Don’t get me wrong, it is difficult to remember to move that thing on top of everything else you have going on, but they’re so much fun.
To make it easier, plan out how you want to move your elf BEFORE the month of December. That way you can make sure you have any extra supplies you need and have a game plan ahead of time. This should remove some of the stress and make it easier to remember to move your elf. Even if I forget, I have my little sheet to know exactly what to do on each day. I use this FREE Elf on the Shelf Checklist. Download it here.
We purchased this brown-boy Elf on the Shelf! We were so excited to find an elf on the shelf that my son can identify with. You can purchase one here.
Elf On The Shelf Boy
Elf On The Shelf Girl
3. Christmas Eve Dinner
Enjoy a nice meal on Christmas Eve before Santa comes!
Whether you invite your extended family or you decide to have dinner with your immediate family, sit down together for a good meal.
Why? Because Christmas is much more than the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and receiving gifts. Christmas is also about family. After dinner, everyone can go to bed full, in good spirits, and even more excited for the next day. I know what you’re thinking…cooking another meal for the holidays!? Don’t feel like you have to cook a big meal! You can order takeout, have a potluck, or have a fun-themed dinner (surf and turf, make your own pizza, breakfast for dinner, etc.).
If you’re unable to gather with your family because of social distancing or family being out of town, take the family gathering to Zoom! Pick a time to have the entire family sit down and eat dinner together.
4. Christmas Eve PJs + “one more thing”
Christmas PJs are a must. The family holiday tradition I have created over the years is Christmas PJs + “one more thing”.
Here are the PJs I’m so excited about for on Christmas Eve!
One more thing is something small that can engage the whole family or at least keep everyone entertained as they await Christmas day.
Here are some ideas for “one more thing”:
“One more thing” ideas for my husband:
- a nice bottle of wine or liquor
- board/card game
- book/audiobook
- cookbook
“One more thing” ideas for kids:
- a coloring book
- an activity book
- a puzzle
- legos
- play dough
- board games
- crafts
- a tonie character
- ink books
Related Posts: Simplified Christmas: Ideas For A Minimal Christmas Gift Exchange
5. Holiday Lights
Nothing gets me in the spirit more than viewing the holiday lights during Christmas time. Young or old, infant or elder – going to see the lights is appropriate for everyone. We usually visit our local botanical gardens lights, but we’ve also been known to walk (or drive) around the neighborhood to view lights for free!
6. Secret Santa
While sometimes difficult to coordinate, Secret Santa is a must!
We have so much fun with Secret Santa. We play the traditional way. On Thanksgiving, we set a price limit, pull names, and our Secret Santa is revealed on Christmas Day.
I have been known to group text my wish list just to spark ideas, but that is totally optional!
7. Clean for Claus
My mom started this family holiday tradition when my brother and I were younger. “Santa won’t bring you new toys if your old toys are all over your room,” she would say.
That was enough to motivate my brother and me to make sure our room was always cleaned before Christmas Day.
Even now, as an adult, I make sure the house is cleaned before Christmas. After all, you can’t bring in new things if you’re not taking care of what you have!
Pro Tip: This can be extended to include a deep clean with decluttering and a donation of old items to a local church or consignment store.
8. Christmas Day Games
Our annual gingerbread house competition is a family holiday tradition for us!
There are teams, a timer, judges, and a presentation. It’s a serious competition and so much fun!
Gingerbread houses aren’t your thing? There are a ton of other holiday games you can try or go traditional. The idea is to gather the family together for some quality time. Have some fun competition with these Christmas activities below! There are over 17 pages of interactive games for the whole family!
9. Quality Time
For some families, the holidays is all about hustle and bustle.
Incorporate the family holiday tradition of being intentional about quality time with your family on Christmas Day.
It is easy to get caught up in the day or to watch each of the kids go into their own separate spaces to enjoy their gifts from Santa, but remember Christmas is not just about giving and receiving, it is also about love.
Your children will forget the new toys they got and definitely be asking for something new in the next few weeks, but the quality time is unforgettable.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post all about family holiday traditions!
Let me know if you will try any of these suggestions! Do you have any family holiday traditions of your own? I’d love to hear about them!
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I love your blog it’s so cute and interactive! I love all of these traditions and we do most of them. We are also considering celebrating Kwanza this year!
Thank you so much! That really means a lot. Celebrating Kwanza sounds like an amazing family holiday tradition to incorporate!