Christmas Traditions – Make them a Family Affair

Traditions come in all shapes and sizes; some are new and have just begun, while others have been passed down from generation to generation. Aside from the obvious and more popular Christmas traditions such as cards, stockings and Christmas crackers to name a few, others are not so obvious but you do them every year. Some of these activities include:

  • When you decorate your tree? Is it an artificial or real tree? Do you go on a family outing to cut down your Christmas tree?
  • Is there an order to how you put your ornaments on the tree?  Is there one that is always first or one that is always the last ornament on the tree?
  • Do you wrap presents weeks before or on Christmas Eve?
  • Do you take annual Santa photos? Do you go to the same place or do you mix it up by visiting Santa around your community?

The list is endless. I bet if you took time to think about it, you could come up with a few things that you and your family do every year. Here are a few of some popular traditions:

  • Look at Christmas lights
  • Have a Secret Santa gift exchange
  • Buy an Elf on the Shelf
  • Make a gingerbread house
  • Count down with an advent calendar
  • Listen to classic Christmas music
  • Plan a cookie exchange

So let us go back to the start of the holiday season and tell me when that begins for your family. Is your home decorated right after Halloween or do you wait until after December 1st? I am sure we all have our preferred times and if it were up to me alone, we would always be decorated to celebrate the Christmas spirit all year long. However, our house transforms as of December 1st but I do leave one little item out all yearlong.

We all know how time consuming decorating for the holidays can be, especially if you have a large home. If the task has been a one-person job in the past, why not turn it into a family affair? Get the kids involved in decorating the tree. Have them wrap presents for friends or family members using brown craft paper that they decorate themselves. If your kids like to colour, why not choose some Christmas related colouring pages that they can colour together. Put all the pages into a book for their grandparents as a super sweet gift; one that they will cherish forever. Another special gift you can make as a family is to create a video holiday greeting. Instead of sending out your annual Christmas cards this year, why not try this. With the ease of technology and the kids help, I am sure you could create an amazing video card that you can email to everyone or add it to your social media platforms.

There are so many things you can do to create your own special family tradition. Christmas is about making memories to last a lifetime. Your legacy will live on in your children and grandchildren so why not help them now to create their own unique meaningful traditions that they will carry with them forever. They will look back on these memories with a smile and warmth in their heart.

Get creative and have fun with it. Who knows it could turn into a new tradition for your family.