There are many people who spend their entire lives looking forward to the Christmas season. It means so much to them when they enjoy the decorated trees, beautiful lights and Christmas cookies. The world goes into vacation mode during the last week of the year. It’s the time to eat, drink and be merry. If you are looking to develop a few healthy Christmas traditions with your family, there are so many options to consider. Whether you choose to do a few of these options or all seven, these are great options to lay the right foundation.
1. Gift Exchanges
If you have a large family, Christmas gifts can get pretty expensive. As a family, you can create a rule where everyone is forced to stay within a certain budget. It could be that no one’s gift is more than $25. As parents, you can choose whether or not you’d like to do more. However, you could decide to create systems like that so that no one feels financially drained after the holiday season is over.
2. Matching Pajamas
Many people like the idea of taking lots of pictures in matching pajamas. It’s a great idea to purchase special Christmas Pajamas from Lazy One. Those pajamas are ones that the family only wears on that day. It’s the official attire for the time when you all open up gifts in the morning. Plus, if you take a look at the trends, you’ll see that this is a popular concept on Instagram. A lot of people love taking pictures in onesies.
3. Family Christmas Cards
Schedule a family photo shoot. You can send out a family Christmas card every single year. This can be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. It’s a chance to show them your family and how everyone has grown. It’s best to do the photoshoot in November. That way, everyone can receive your Christmas cards in time for the holiday. You can choose to do a theme each year. One year, the theme might be a specific color. Another year, the theme might involve the major events of the year. You can choose to dress up like specific characters or wear formal attire. Have fun with it and make it your own.
4. Christmas Day Movie
Each year, there are major blockbuster hits that hit the movie theater on Christmas Day. After the family has devoured the scrumptious holiday meal, take everyone to go see a movie. Granted, some people might fall asleep in the movie. However, it’s a fun way to do something as a family outside of the home. This could be a great tradition that you do with other families as well. Invite friends who might be spending the holiday alone.
5. Family Night Out/In
Just like couples do date nights, you could do a family night in or a family night out. For a family night in, you can pop some popcorn, get some other snacks and enjoy a great movie. You could also take this time to interact with each other and have a game night. For the family night in, you could invite friends over. It’s definitely a good idea to do a family night out. For the best adventure, choose to do something that is directly connected to the holidays. If the holiday lights are on display in your city, you all can go enjoy them. You can go see Santa Claus and take pictures with him. Go ice skating and enjoy hot cocoa at the rink. These are things that you can only enjoy during the holiday season so take advantage of them as a family.
6. Volunteerism
The holiday season is also a time when people are very generous and giving. You should cultivate that same spirit with your family. Find places where you all could spend an evening volunteering and serving others. You might decide that you’d like to pass out food to the homeless or wrap gifts for those who are from low-income households and can’t afford gifts. Just make sure that you do more than give money. Give your time and energy as a family to support others.
7. Concerts/Plays/Religious Ceremonies
Take a trip to the theater and become a patron of the arts during the season. Take everyone to see a live show or play that’s in town for the holidays. If your family is a religious bunch, make sure to attend the Christmas services. These are special ways to connect with your family and reinforce different traditions.