The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of year. I love the spirit, the thought, the shopping, the gift giving, the gatherings, the togetherness, the REASON. It all feels so wonderful, and especially so now that we have three little ones to enjoy it with too. The delight in their eyes when we even mention Christmas is so fun – it makes it all that much sweeter.
I think there’s something we can all agree upon about the Christmas season though: it seems to go by far too fast and usually contains far too many commitments. Sometimes we, as in my little family, find ourselves running here and there and even having THREE Christmas meals in just ONE day so we can see and do it all, or slotting in holiday gatherings every day of every weekend in the month of December, too. While we LOVE it all, we try to keep a few principles in mind: simple, memorable and meaningful.
That’s why we’ve come up with 10 Christmas Traditions that are so simple, so easy, so affordable and so DOABLE, that we want to encourage every family to implement them. These traditions will set a family foundation so you can ENJOY these moments together, not just run here and there, scrambling through the season. The traditions are activities you can look forward to year after year instead of feeling like just another thing on your calendar.
Simple, Easy, Affordable, Doable: 10 Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Family THIS YEAR!
(1) Decorate your Christmas tree together.
Perhaps you have a tree that you don’t let your kids touch ?, but hear me out. Making tree decorating an event will kick off your holiday season as a family. So if that hands off tree is the case in your household, get a small one for your kids to decorate, too. We LOVE putting up our tree together so we can talk about all of our ornaments and talk about what we are looking forward to throughout the season. We get ornaments on every vacation we go on so it makes lots of memories! + Mark and I have some from when we were kids and have been gifted or purchased unique ornaments for each of our children, too. We are an after-Thanksgiving-tree kinda family, so as soon as our turkey day concludes, we begin looking forward to all that Christmas has to offer.
(2) Wrap and read 25 Books of Christmas.
This is SUCH a fun activity that once it’s set up, takes little to no effort at all. It’s about taking the time to read together each night and to savor the anticipation each night from December 1 on, leading up to Christmas. Check out the instructions in this blog post: 25 Books of Christmas Activity for Kids.
(3) Play along with Elf on the Shelf.
The fun, lightheartedness of the Elf (purchase here!) traveling throughout the house doing silly things and leaving notes + more is such a cute element to add to your Christmas season. I truly feel like this is one of those little things that brings out a spark of excitement in childhood. (Now if only it was really easy to remember to always help Elf get set up for the next morning’s surprise…)
(4) Listen to Christmas music — every chance you get!
Find some favorites. Play it during dinner and nighttime routines. Listen in the car, too. We loooove Pentatonix and I’m personally kind of obsessed with Michael Buble Holiday Station on Pandora.
(5) Admire Christmas lights + plan special family outing.
Take a night to make this an annual outing. Is there a special lighting display somewhere in your area you could visit and then go out for dinner or dessert somewhere? Is there a neighborhood that goes all out with lights that you could drive or walk through together? There is by us! If you’re local, we like to go to Candy Cane Lane and then Organ Piper Pizza – they play holiday carols leading up to Christmas and it’s SO fun. The kids love it!
(6) Take your kids Christmas shopping.
Take your kids Christmas shopping. Yes, you heard me right. Take your kids to the store. (GASP!) Let your children pick out gifts for one another, or even let them pick out a gift for Dad or Grandma + Grandpa. See what they come up with. I bet it will be entirely unique and creative to what their little hearts have in store. Get those little ones of yours involved in the budgeting, selecting and GIVING of at least one gift each season.
(7) Decorate the beloved cutout sugar cookies.
Frosted sugar cookies make every child happy. Have them bake with you + help with cutouts (or not), but most certainly let them get messy with frosting and creative with sprinkles + toppings. Keep pictures year after year of their cookie progress. ☺️
(8) Give back.
What can you do as a family to give to those in need during the Christmas season? If you have older children, perhaps it’s donating your time at a food bank or serving a meal to the homeless. Maybe it’s letting your child(ren) get involved in choosing a sponsor child/family – or gifting your current sponsor child/family something extra special for Christmas. (We love Compassion International!) Whatever it is, keep this in your Christmas traditions to bring even more meaning and generosity to the season.
(9) Read the Bible together.
I grew up with the Christmas Story read from the Bible in both English and German every Christmas Eve. It’s such a memory to me + I truly believe reading the Word is the best way to celebrate and honor the sacred birthday of our Lord and Savior. Take turns reading it on Christmas Eve, or have the same person read it aloud. It’s a beautiful thing to do.
(10) Make and serve a tasty Christmas morning breakfast.
Cinnamon rolls! That’s ours, at least. We don’t have them often, but it is a Christmas morning tradition to have hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It’s a treat that everyone looks forward to. Is there a family recipe you have? A sweet treat your family would love to have on this one special morning? Find what makes your people happy and make it a yummy tradition.
I look back on my childhood and recognize the traditions we had during the Christmas season with such fond memories. It’s exactly what I want for my kids + I want the traditions we’ve created to encourage us to slow down and enjoy the time of year that flies by way too fast. Year after year I will look forward to making these memories together as a family, and think back to when it all began. ❤️
Merry Christmas season to you and yours!
XO
