15 Christmas Traditions To Start With Your Family This Year | To Create Memories That Will Last A Lifetime
The older we get, the more we begin to sense that Christmas doesn’t feel like it used to. We discussed this in our post Why The Holidays Don’t Feel The Same Anymore (And How You Can Bring Back The Magic) . The traditions and magic that we create today, will be the nostalgia that our children long for when they’re older. If you grew up with magical Christmases, it’s so important to carry on that magic with your own children, even if we don’t necessarily feel it all the time.
Or- maybe you didn’t grow up with the best Christmases, and you’re looking to create new traditions from scratch. Perhaps you’re looking for new traditions to add to your existing ones. Regardless of why you’re here, we’re happy you are!
Here are 15 Christmas traditions to start with your family this year. Whether you choose some, one, or none at all, we hope this post inspires you.
1- Special Wrapping Paper
When I was a kid in the 90s, my mom purchased a huge roll of purple unicorn wrapping paper. Every year, she would wrap 1-2 gifts in the paper - usually something that I really wanted, or a special gift that year. As I got older, the gifts got smaller and smaller, as the roll of wrapping paper shrunk. I always looked forward to seeing that one gift under the tree each year. Eventually, she was left with a folded square of paper, which I now have in my home. I plan to make some sort of ornament or decoration with it, that I can bring out each year. It was a fun tradition that I always looked forward to.
2- Movie Night At The Cinema
We’re huge movie fans my household, and one of our favourite traditions is to go watch a holiday movie in theatres before, or just after Christmas. Some theatres have a special night to play the classics, or you can check out the new releases to see what’s playing in your area.
3- Start A Cookie Exchange
Gather up some of your friends and family, and host a cookie exchange night! Everyone gets to go home with a tray full of treats, and it’s a great way to socialize and catch up with everyone before the holidays.
4- Attend A Tree Lighting Ceremony
I grew up in a small town, that took the tree lighting ceremony very seriously. Every year on the night of the ceremony, the whole town would gather downtown, where they would hand out apple cider, and lit candles. There would be music, socializing, and a countdown to the big moment - the tree lighting. After the ceremony, the town hosted midnight madness, where every store had sales until midnight - kicking off the official start of the holiday shopping season. I have fond memories of shopping with my mom, or as I got older, running around town with my friends while my mom shopped.
Most towns and cities have some version of a tree lighting ceremony, and it’s a really wonderful tradition to take part in.
5- Send Christmas Cards
Sending cards in the mail, is in danger of becoming a lost tradition. Before my grandmother passed, she would send us a card for every occasion. The envelope would usually have holiday stickers on it, and her beautiful handwriting. I still have most of the cards she sent me, and there is something so special about recieving a card in the mail.
6- Donate To An Angel Tree Program
Show your kids what the season is really about, and take them to pick out an angel from your local angel trees! Many homeless shelters also have programs like reverse advent calendars, and donation lists to donate to.
7- Set Up Christmas Trees In Your Kid’s Rooms
When my son was a toddler, we set up a small 4 foot Christmas tree in his room. We bought ornaments that represented his likes at the time, and every year we add 1-2 new ornaments. It’s a fun tradition that we look forward to every year.
8- Start A Christmas Collection
Some people collect special dishes, Christmas village pieces, themed ornaments, snow globes, etc. My mom’s collection of choice actually started out as my collection - our Christmas Barbies. In my household, we like to collect ornaments from every trip we go on (or keychains that we turn into ornaments), and special ornaments that represent various events from our year. It’s become a fun tradition to see what ornaments we can find each year.
9- Change Your Christmas Tree Into A New Year’s Tree
This is a new tradition that I’m starting with my family this year! I recently inherited some really neat disco ball ornaments from my grandmother, which sparked the idea of creating a New Year’s Tree! We have a few different Christmas trees at our house, so this year, one of them will be turned into a New Year’s Tree, complete with New Year’s Eve decorations, and our wishes for the year ahead.
10 - Decorate With Heirlooms
There’s nothing cozier than a home filled with the inherited holiday decor that we grew up with. I’m been lucky enough to have been given my grandmother’s ceramic Christmas trees, along with many other pieces of holiday decor. I look forward to decorating with them, and creating the same feeling of warmth and magic for my child, as I had growing up.
11- Choose A Special Dinner For Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is a busy night - the kids are excited for Santa, you’re preparing for a long night of putting together doll houses and wrapping last minute gifts. What Christmas Eve needs is a quick and delicious meal that everyone can look forward to each year. Most years in my household, we do a taco dip and various other finger foods. You could do pizza, Chinese food, charcuterie, your favourite take-out, etc.
12- Drive Around Looking At Christmas Lights
Get hot chocolate from your favourite coffee shop, and take a drive around town looking at Christmas lights! Check your local Facebook groups to see where the best lights are ahead of time.
13- Make A Special Christmas Breakfast
Once the presents have been opened, and the kid’s settle down with their new toys, Christmas breakfast can begin! It doesn’t have to be complicated - cinnamon buns, bacon, eggs, waffles - the sky is the limit. Just don’t forget the coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
14- Elf On The Shelf
I know, I know. You’ve been avoiding it, because let’s be honest - it’s a huge commitment. We adopted our Elf, Griswold, when my son was a toddler, and honestly, it’s been a really fun tradition. Our elf doesn’t go crazy like some of them - he prefers an understated approach. Griswold likes to move around, and put on different outfits, but he’s not much of a prankster. Sometimes he brings us special treats, or ideas for activities we can do during the holidays.
15 - The CHristmas Eve Box
When my son was a toddler, Christmas Eve boxes saw a huge boom in popularity, and the trend has stuck ever since. On Christmas Eve, give your child a box, bag, basket, etc full of fun items they can use that night. Some ideas are:
Pyjamas
Hot Chocolate
A new stuffy
A new board game
Glow sticks
A squishy
A Christmas themed book
Their favourite candy
Popcorn and treats for a Christmas movie, etc
Leave a comment telling us your favourite Christmas tradition!
Special note: At Merrymake, we don’t believe in using AI for writing blog posts, so all of our posts are 100% written by the author. Yes, we really are just that witty.