Christmas in our house always seems hectic! There is shopping, wrapping, decorating, and attending holiday parties, in addition to all the normal Christmas stuff.
Our families reside in PA, so since we spend Christmas traveling I hadn’t given much thought to any traditions for our own family. Now that we have a 16 month old, I’ve been thinking of how we could make some meaningful traditions to help celebrate for years to come!
Traditions don’t have to be, traditional, as odd as it may sound.
Every family celebrates special holidays in their own way. Maybe you came from a family of non-believers, and you didn’t celebrate traditions based on the birth Christ. Or maybe your current traditions have no meaning to your family. You can always begin to build a legacy for your family and start new activities that bring meaning to your holidays. When considering traditions, placing the emphasis on togetherness was something I really looked for. I think if we all stopped trying to do so much and instead focused on a few family traditions and did them in a big way; perhaps Christmas would be more fun and magical.
Here are a few of my favorites!
7 Traditions to start:
- Christmas PJs or Christmas Eve Box –I have been buying Christmas pjs for my husband and I for years, and while I know he could care less, it’s one that we will be continuing. Here is a great tutorial on putting together a box for your toddler, and the possibilities are endless for what you can put in here! What a great way to spend the evening together as a snuggly family!
- Advent Calendar– This is going to be a new one for us this year! An Advent Calendar is used to celebrate the days in anticipation of Christmas. Calendars doors are opened consecutively to reveal a poem, quote, part of a story, and are sometimes filled with chocolate treats or toys. We are going to be reading this book with our son. Pinterest has a ton of great ideas if you are looking to get started!
- Ornament Giving Tradition– My family always did this growing up. I love to be able to look at my own Christmas tree and see those ornaments adorning our tree. Then your children have a stash of ornaments to take with them when they grow up and leave the house. (They really don’t grow up and leave, right?!?)
- Santa Clause– This is not my favorite one, I’ll be honest. With that said, I probably will be dragging my kid to go, its tradition after all.
- Cutting down a Tree– Going out and finding the perfect Christmas tree has been custom in my own family as far back as I can remember. We would visit the tree farm; ride out to the field with rows upon rows of trees, and walk all over in search of the perfect tree. My dad has a reputation of always finding the biggest tree that he can push through the doorway! It’s always so much fun, to cut it down, drive it home, and bring it in the house. What smells better than a freshly cut pine tree?!?
- Giving – I enjoy baking, so this year I’m hoping to be able to have our son help bake cookies and give to the local shelter. Next year our giving may look different as he gets older. It can always evolve based on what age he is and his understanding of giving. This is a value I will be integrating all year long, not just at the holidays.
- Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – This has become one of my favorites. I look forward to celebrating our Saviors birth at church. My husband’s whole extended family always attends together. The beautiful glow of the candles, and the age-old Christmas hymns, help serve as a reminder to me to really celebrate what the season is about.
No matter how many traditions you choose to do, enjoy the holiday season and help make memories with your children that they may one day pass on to their kids!
What about your family? Do you think you will adopt any of these? Do you have any other fun traditions that you would like to share?
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