10 Holiday Traditions to Make the Season Bright
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
The Christmas trees, the lights, the music, the smells… This is truly a magical season. And the traditions we share with family and friends are part of what makes it so special.
Our family loves the holidays. We go all out with a big light display, and THREE trees, and an Elf on the Shelf, and paper snowflakes, and handmade ornaments… You get the idea. Wes and I both grew up in homes where the holidays were filled with joy, and we have very special memories from our childhood Christmas’. That’s probably why we enjoy it so much now that we’re parents. We’re getting to create magical memories for own children, and we get to relive the wonder all over again.
Since the holidays are such a special time of year in our home, I wanted to share some of our favorite traditions (old and new). I also took a poll recently, and am including your favorites as well!
Here are 10 Family Friendly Holiday Traditions to Add to Your List:
Tree Cutting - there are lots of ways to choose a Christmas tree, but our family opts for an adventure. We drive to the El Dorado National Forest near my hometown and cut trees from the forest. It’s a newer tradition, but it became an instant favorite. A word to the wise: remember that your perception of size may be a bit off when you’re out in the forest. That tree you’re cutting down is likely a few feet taller than you think. ;) Just be prepared to trim off a bit when you get home.
Hanging Lights - Whether you prefer simple white lights, a statement wreath, or full-blown Griswold, this is another wonderful holiday tradition. Play your favorite holiday album, make some hot chocolate, and grab the ladder. Our light display takes a couple days to complete, and it’s definitely Wes’ area of expertise. But, the kids and I jump in here and there to lend a hand. This is also one of the favorites mentioned in my IG poll recently.
Hooky Cookie Day - this is an oldie, but a goodie. I’ve been doing hooky cookie days since I was a kid, and it’s such a treat to carry on the tradition with my own kids. We surprise the boys the day of and instead of rushing to get ready for school, we cozy up on the couch and watch a Christmas movie. Then the baking begins! As the kids get older we will introduce more recipes, but for now we stick with the family favorites: sugar cookie cut outs, peanut butter blossoms, and white chocolate Chex mix. Another beautiful thing about Hooky Cookie Day? Seeing friends share this tradition in their homes, too!
Handmade Ornaments - Our trees are full of handmade ornaments from when we were kids, and it is such a gift to be adding pieces from our own kids. We have a tradition of making a new ornament to gift each year. We’ve done salt dough, cinnamon dough, painted globes, painted pinecones, and more. It’s one of my favorite traditions especially because it allows us to get crafty.
Advent Calendar - We recently invested in one of the fun advent calendars with pockets. I love a good countdown (remember the paper chains?!), and this is such a way to channel that anticipation into a fun activity. A friend told me she puts notes, or affirmations in the pockets along with candies. I love this idea, and am definitely going to mix it up next year. Letting the kids find candy at 6:30am for 25 days straight was not the best choice.
Gingerbread Houses - This was another favorite tradition shared in my poll. I love the idea of making this an annual, family tradition. We’ve seen many people create competitions where they break up into teams and each team decorates a gingerbread house to be judged later. It’s a great activity to gather the family around, and work together.
Christmas Books - We keep a bunch of our favorite holiday books in our living room during the season, and we often gather on the couch to read one together. A couple of our favorites are the Jolly Christmas Postman, and Charlie Brown Christmas.
Christmas Light Drive - There are lots of neighborhoods in our town that do awesome light displays. We like to load up in the car the week before Christmas and drive around to admire the lights. If you’re local to Sonoma County, here is a great map of areas to check out. (P.S. Our house might have made the list!)
Christmas Eve Pajamas - I know this is a popular tradition for many families, and I can certainly see why. Each year on Christmas Eve the family (or just the kiddos) gets to open a new pair of pajamas. This way you’ve got super cute jammies for all of your Christmas morning photos. Our Elf also brings the boys new pajamas earlier in the season. I am a sucker for matching Christmas jammies.
Reindeer Food - We were introduced to this by my sis-in-love, and each year on Christmas Eve the kids get to mix up their own bags to sprinkle on the grass that night. It includes oats, carrots, celery, and glitter. The boys love tossing it all over the front lawn so Santa’s reindeer can have some goodies, too.
Some of these may be new to you, and some may be well established over the generations. I hope they inspire and remind you of some of your favorite holiday traditions. Merry Christmas, all!