Christmas Traditions to Start with Your Family
Family Christmas Traditions offer an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, create lasting memories, and strengthen relationships.
Christmas traditions can vary from admiring Christmas lights to decorating cookies and building gingerbread houses; there are countless ways to celebrate this wonderful holiday season with your loved ones.
This article will explore some of the most popular Christmas traditions, from outdoor activities to indoor crafts. Below is a list of Christmas Traditions to Start with Your Family.
1. See Lights
One of the most magical and joyous Christmas activities you can share with your family is admiring Christmas lights.
The vibrant and colorful displays of lights create a mesmerizing and enchanting atmosphere that perfectly captures the festive spirit of the holiday season.
There are various types of light displays to choose from, and you can opt for a drive-through display that allows you to enjoy the lights from the comfort of your car.
Driving through the display, you can marvel at the intricate Christmas lights illuminating the night sky, creating a sense of wonder and excitement without leaving the warm, cozy car.
Some cities offer beautiful light displays at zoos, parks, and gardens, allowing you to walk through the thousand dazzling Christmas lights surrounding you.
Many zoos, parks, and gardens offer additional activities and attractions during the holiday season, such as ice skating, holiday markets, and festive food and fire pits. These other offerings add to the fun of seeing holiday lights.
Overall, seeing Christmas lights is a great Christmas Tradition for the whole family. It offers an opportunity to spend quality time together, appreciate the festive spirit, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
2. Decorate Christmas Cookies
Decorating Christmas Cookies is a fun Christmas tradition to start with your family.
The best part is the wide variety of options to decorate Christmas Cookies. You can decorate cookies shaped like snowmen, snowflakes, candy canes, Christmas trees, ornaments, or gingerbread men.
You can bake your cookies at home from scratch and buy the accessories to decorate the cookies, such as sprinkles, candy pearls, and icing.
If rushed on time, you can opt for a store-bought package with the cookies precut and the icing and decorations added as a kit.
Whether you bake them from scratch or buy a Christmas Cookie Kit from the store, your kids will surely enjoy decorating and eating them.
3. Build a Gingerbread House
Building and decorating gingerbread houses is a great way to bring your family together during the holiday season.
It’s a fun activity that can create happy memories for a lifetime.
One of the best things about making gingerbread houses is that you can buy Gingerbread House Cookie Cutters. These cookie cutters allow each family member to design their own house, with windows and doors placed wherever they want.
Making gingerbread houses can be a messy activity, but it’s all part of the fun. You can decorate your gingerbread house with traditional items such as gumdrops, candy canes, and frosting, or you can get creative and use other edible items like cereal, pretzels, or even dried fruit.
There are endless possibilities when decorating gingerbread houses, so let your imagination run wild!
It’s a great way to spark creativity and imagination; everyone will have a unique gingerbread house to show off.
If you lack the time or don’t have the necessary supplies to make a gingerbread house, you can also purchase precut homemade gingerbread house kits from the store.
These kits contain everything you need to make a gingerbread house, including icing and candy.
Gingerbread House kits are a convenient way to enjoy building and decorating a cookie house without the hassle of buying all the materials.
4. Create Ornaments
Making Christmas ornaments is an excellent way for children to express their creativity and imagination during the holiday season.
Your children can create unique and personalized ornaments with various materials and designs that reflect their personalities and interests.
The possibilities are endless, from classic ornaments of paper and glitter to more intricate designs crafted from fabric, beads, and clay.
Creating and decorating your ornaments makes it fun to decorate the Christmas Tree.
In the future, as you decorate the Christmas tree with all the handmade ornaments created over the years, you and your loved ones can look back at the ornaments made during childhood and reminisce about the memories and traditions shared with family and friends.
5. Christmas Themed Brunch
Hosting a Christmas brunch with your family is a delightful way to kick-start your day and spend a relaxing weekend morning with your loved ones.
Adding a Christmas theme to your brunch can make it even more special and memorable for everyone.
To set the festive mood, you could decorate the brunch table with Christmas ornaments, candles, and other holiday-themed items.
To add to the holiday spirit, you could also prepare traditional Christmas dishes such as gingerbread pancakes, eggnog, and Christmas tree-shaped pancakes.
You could watch a holiday movie together as a family to make the brunch even more enjoyable.
It’s a great way to create a cozy and warm atmosphere while bonding over a heartwarming movie that captures the spirit of the holiday season.
6. Creating Christmas Cards to Mail Out
Encouraging your kids to create homemade Christmas cards and mailing them out to family members is a fun and thoughtful way to surprise your loved ones during the holiday season.
It shows your family members that you are thinking of them and is an excellent way to stay connected with those living far away or who you may have lost touch with over time.
By creating handmade cards, your kids can express their creativity and add a personal touch to the cards, making them even more special and unique.
Furthermore, your kids can decorate the cards with glitter, stickers, or even paint, including a heartfelt message or specific drawing for each recipient.
7. Cookie Exchange
If you’re looking for a fun and delicious way to stay connected with others during the holiday season, consider hosting or participating in a cookie exchange.
A cookie exchange is a gathering where participants bring homemade cookies to share, creating an opportunity to try various cookies and connect with others in the community, family, and friends.
8. Try an International Holiday Recipe
Trying an international holiday recipe is one of the best ways to make the holiday season more exciting and educational.
Whether trying out a traditional Christmas pudding from the UK or a roasted duck from Germany, cooking an international holiday recipe can be an exciting and fulfilling experience.
Not only does this offer an enjoyable experience of tasting food from another country, but it also presents an opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions surrounding Christmas.
Educating yourself and your family about other countries’ Christmas traditions can be an excellent way to broaden your knowledge of various countries’ unique customs.
A Tip: When cooking an international recipe, it’s essential to research it in advance, as some ingredients may not be available in your local market. Most ingredients unavailable at your local store are usually available online for purchase.
Cooking an international holiday recipe is an excellent way to bring new culinary traditions and flavors to your holiday table while learning about different cultures and traditions.
9. Create an Advent Calendar
Counting down to Christmas morning is always exciting, and an advent calendar is an excellent way to do that.
It involves receiving a gift every day leading up to Christmas, each hidden behind a specific number representing the date. Therefore, receiving a gift for the day marked on the advent calendar.
The best part of this tradition is that you can make an advent calendar at home or buy one from the store.
If you buy one from the store, you can get it pre-filled with gifts or choose a reusable one to put your gifts inside each day.
However, making your Advent Calendar is a great way to unleash your creativity and develop something unique and special.
You can use various materials, such as paper bags and small boxes, or even repurpose items at home to create a personalized advent calendar that your loved ones will cherish for years.
10. Host a Christmas Party
Holiday parties are a great way to gather friends and family, especially during the festive season.
There are various fun activities that you can incorporate into your holiday party. Some fun Christmas-themed party ideas:
- Holiday Movie Marathon
- Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest
- Ugly Sweater Party
- DIY Holiday Party
A holiday-themed party is a great way to bring people together and celebrate the festive season. With so many fun activities to choose from, you can make your party unique and memorable for everyone.
11. Hang Christmas Decorations
When it comes to holiday traditions, hanging Christmas decorations is one of the most popular.
However, checking off hanging Christmas Decorations from the list doesn’t have to be just another chore.
It can be a fun event for the entire family to enjoy and cherish for years. For instance, you can gather around the Christmas tree and hang ornaments that have sentimental value while telling stories about how the ornaments came about.
Decorating the Christmas Tree can become an opportunity to reminisce about memories and create new ones with your loved ones. You can also play holiday music in the background to add to the festive atmosphere.
If you’re hanging Christmas lights outside your home, you can turn it into a fun day involving your family. You can divide the tasks among the group and enjoy hot cocoa and delicious treats while playing holiday music. Decorating the outside of your home can be a great bonding experience and an opportunity to create lasting memories.
All in all, hanging Christmas decorations can be much more than just a mandatory annual chore. It can be a fun event that brings you closer to your loved ones and allows you to make lasting memories together.
12. Sing Christmas Carols
The holiday season is perfect for indulging in festive family traditions like singing Christmas songs.
Whether you sing along using a karaoke machine or gather around the piano for good old-fashioned caroling, it’s an excellent opportunity to spend time together as a family.
13. Decorate an Ugly Sweater
Creating an ugly sweater is one of the most entertaining ways to get into the holiday spirit.
It’s a perfect activity to do with your family and friends and an excellent opportunity to showcase your creativity.
All you have to do is purchase a plain sweater or sweatshirt and the items to decorate.
Then, you can decorate it. Below are ideas of different items to use to decorate your Ugly Sweater:
- Holiday Screen Prints
- Bows
- Felt
- Ribbons
- Garland
If you are extra crafty, sew sequins and beads onto the sweater to make it more festive.
14. Send Santa a Letter
Writing letters to Santa is a beloved tradition among children during the holiday season.
It’s a time when kids can share their Christmas wishes with Santa and tell him what they want to receive as gifts.
But writing letters to Santa is not just about asking for presents. It’s also about sharing their feelings, hopes, and dreams.
In Santa Claus, Indiana, a group of dedicated volunteers will respond to your child’s letter as if it were from Santa himself.
Therefore, having your child write to Santa Claus is a beautiful way to add a touch of magic to the holiday season and make it even more memorable for your children.
The address to write the letter:
SANTA CLAUS MUSEUM & VILLAGE
69 STATE ROAD 245 SANTA CLAUS, IN 47579
View the website for more information!
15. Send Santa a Thank You Letter
Another great tradition during the holiday season is sending Santa a thank you letter for all the gifts received from Santa. A thank you letter is a great way to instill gratitude and thankfulness in your children.
Writing a thank you letter to Santa is also a great way to continue the magic of the Christmas season. It reminds your child that Santa is always watching and cares about them, even after Christmas.
16. Decorate Christmas Tree
Spending quality time with your loved ones while decorating the Christmas tree can be a fantastic experience.
Decorating the Christmas Tree is not only about hanging ornaments on it and calling it a day.
It is an excellent opportunity to bond with your family and create a memorable evening by playing Christmas music, sipping hot chocolate or egg nog, and sharing stories about your past Christmases.
These stories can include memories of loved ones who are no longer with you, allowing your children to learn and hear amazing stories about their ancestors.
17. Donate Toy to Toy Drive
The holiday season is about spreading joy and happiness, and what better way to do that than by giving back to the community?
Donating to a toy drive is a beautiful way to make a difference in the lives of children who may not have the opportunity to receive gifts during the holidays.
Thankfully, many charities offer toy drives to help ensure that every child receives a gift during this time of year.
Therefore, you can help make a child’s holiday season a little brighter and bring a smile to their face.
18. See a Christmas Play
The holiday season is a festive time of year, and what better way to celebrate it than by attending a holiday play?
Many venues also put on holiday plays during Christmas. These plays can retell a biblical story or a popular holiday movie, providing a unique and entertaining experience for audiences of all ages.
19. Candlelight Concert
There’s something truly magical about a candlelight concert during Christmas.
Imagine a dimly lit room filled with candles, casting a warm and romantic glow, and then the orchestra plays holiday music – it’s a perfect feel-good atmosphere for the holidays.
Candlelight concerts have become a popular holiday tradition in recent years, and it’s no surprise why. The soft flicker of candlelight adds a unique touch to the experience, creating a cozy and intimate ambiance that’s perfect for the holiday season.
The music from the orchestra is a beautiful accompaniment to the atmosphere, helping to transport you to a world of holiday cheer and joy.
20. Homemade Egg Nog
During the holiday season, many people enjoy drinking Egg Nog.
However, instead of buying it from the store, make it at home with your family and friends and enjoy a fun activity together.
Plus, homemade egg nog tastes better than the store-bought version, and you can control the ingredients you add, making it a win-win situation!
21. Christmas Orchestra
If you’re looking for a fun and memorable way to spend your holidays, attending a musical performance can be an excellent option.
You’ll be able to listen to some of the timeless Christmas classics, beautifully rendered by talented musicians and singers.
In conclusion, Christmas traditions offer an excellent way to celebrate the holiday with your loved ones.
Whether it is going and seeing the beautiful Christmas lights, decorating cookies, or hosting a Christmas-themed brunch, these activities will allow you to make memories for years to come.
Furthermore, having Christmas traditions helps strengthen bonds and unite people. So, as you embark on your Christmas celebrations this year, remember to cherish these moments and enjoy the magic of the holiday season.
About Author, Sara Elizabeth
Writer, Amora V Lifestyle
Co-Owner of Elizabeth Besich Boutique
Sara is a writer for Amora V Lifestyle and is Co-Owner of Elizabeth Besich. Sara previously worked as a Marketing Manager and has her Master’s from Lindenwood University.
Sara studies everything of interest, from psychology, recipes, finances, mental health, and travel, thriving to find happiness and to live a good life.
When not learning, Sara loves all things outdoors, food, and hanging around great company. Furthermore, Sara loves spending time with family, who she is blessed to have in her life.
Note from the author: Through my articles, I hope to bring you joy and peace and that you enjoy it!
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