Christmas is a truly magical time of the year, there’s great food, wonderful music, family-focused films, the tree and many fantastic traditions that are often unique to each family. You may include several different traditions or just choose one that’s special to your family, either way, traditions make a lovely addition to this already fantastic time of the year.
Whether it’s new pajamas for Christmas Eve or a tour of the local lights, there are some truly unique traditions that you might want to add to your family routine:
Family Matching PJ’s
This is a trend that has skyrocketed in popularity, you can now buy complete sets of matching pyjamas that are suitable from baby right through to mommy and daddy, some have different phrases on them some are traditional. It’s completely up to you and what suits your family. It’s the perfect Christmas eve tradition and looks fantastic on Christmas morning when you’re opening your presents. Not only this but the family is bound to look adorable in their matching set.
Reindeer In Here
This is an alternative to the elf on the shelf. Not everyone is a fan of elf on the shelf because it can come with a lot of expectation. Children are bound to love this Christmas tradition. He works as Santa’s little spy, you can create your own story about the cuddly and sit down with the children to explain why he is there. He has come to learn about your children and then go home to Santa to let him know. And where does Santa live? The North Pole of course!. This opens up the opportunity to tell your children all about Santa’s home and his workshop. The children can name him themselves and play with him how they want, meaning that parents aren’t expected to place him around the home stage the mischief like with the elf on the shelf. This is definitely one less thing to worry about in this already busy holiday.
Home-made Christmas Decorations
A great way to add a personalized touch to your Christmas is to have a day each year and make a Christmas decoration for the tree. By the time the kids have grown, you will have a tree full of the decorations they have made over the years, which will also make for a nice gift when they eventually have their own tree. Of course, if you like to have a pristine, well-decorated tree you may want to have a smaller tree available for the children’s decorations as time goes on.
Reverse Advent Calendar
Everyone loves a good advent calendar, and children get very excited about them. Who wouldn’t love finding a piece of candy or a small surprise every morning? Have you heard of the reverse advent calendar though? It’s where you put something in a box every day leading up to Christmas. It can be food items, clothing, toys or even toiletries. You then donate it to help those who need it and are struggling at Christmas time.
Leaving Santa’s Treat
This is probably one of the most famous traditions out there when it comes to Christmas eve. You see it all over the Christmas movies and children even talk about in the lead up to Christmas, discussing what they’re going to leave Santa and his reindeer. It’s an old tradition but it’s definitely a good one. Leaving cookies, mince pies, fudge and a glass of milk or whiskey to keep Santa warm is a wonderful Christmas tradition that nearly every family perform on Christmas eve. Don’t forget the reindeer either, they will very much appreciate some water and a carrot or two.
North Pole Styled Breakfast
Christmas morning is a very busy morning, so you may be forgiven for not having a huge breakfast and just cracking open the biscuits. However, you could choose to enter Christmas day in a really magical way and have a north pole style breakfast. Give everything a Christmas theme. Decorate the table, have bucks fizz and eat Christmas tree shaped crumpets.
Homemade Advent Calendar’s
Homemade advent calendars are a lovely touch to any family Christmas, of course, you are probably going to of had to make them before December but it’s something that you could plan for next year. You can buy things like wooden calendars, or fabric if you’re a dapt hand at sewing and create your own advent with little pockets for a sweet treat each day. You can put whatever you want in your advent calendar, which is perfect for people who aren’t as keen on the standard square of chocolate.
Christmas Eve Box
This is another fast-growing tradition that is lovely for Christmas eve, it ramps up the excitement for the big day. You can make up a special box for your little ones with Christmas themed gifts like new pajamas, a chocolate Santa, a new book, a Christmas film to watch before bed, a bauble for the tree or maybe even Santa key as he obviously needs that to get in the house if you have no chimney!
Elf On The Shelf
Ok, so we had to be fair and include Elf on the shelf as a tradition for your family. It’s being received kind of similar to marmite. You either love it or hate it. It can take a lot of preparation to think of ideas for mischief for the elf to get up to in the night but there are plenty of ideas across the internet that can help you out. Have a look at Pinterest to start. Set him up and get ready for the morning laughs from the children.
Santa’s Footprints
If your kids need a little extra support in believing in Santa with some solid evidence then this little trick is a little bit sneaky. Cut out some footprint shapes from paper or card and then sprinkle over icing sugar, glitter or flour to leave a trail of Santa footprints. If you want to make it even more realistic you could always use fake snow.
Homemade Cards
If you don’t mind getting a little messy and your kids love arts and crafts then there is no better Christmas tradition than making your own Christmas cards. It’s something that the whole family can get involved with, and it adds a personal touch for the people receiving them. Get some glitter, card, colored paper, stencils and stickers and spend the afternoon creating some beautiful cards.
A Movie Under The Tree
Ok, so we don’t literally mean under the Christmas tree, but setting up a cozy den on the living room floor next to the tree with pillows, blankets and cozy PJ’s is a lovely way for the family to watch a Christmas movie. You could even create Christmas themed snacks like candy canes, colored popcorn and gingerbread men.
Gingerbread Houses
Something that a lot of families add to their Christmas traditions is baking and what better way to do this than creating a traditional gingerbread house. You can even buy kits for a reasonable price or of course, make your own. Make sure you are ready with plenty of sweets, icing tubes and sprinkles to make it look magical. Don’t forget the gingerbread people who live in the house and the icing sugar to make it look snowy.
Christmas Light Tour
If you live somewhere that really gets into the Christmas spirit then you could think about taking a Christmas light tour. Now, this isn’t something that you can book it’s something that you create yourself. You can either walk around you nearby streets and see al your neighbour lights or take a drive and see if you can spot the streets with the most lights. It’s something that the kids will definitely get excited about. You may want to go for a drive one night to scout out all the best streets beforehand. Just so the kids aren’t left disappointed.
Family Photos
Although it may seem obvious to take a picture around Christmas time, it always seems to be that one person is missing from the picture and hiding behind the camera. It’s surprising how difficult it can be to get the whole family in one picture on Christmas day. You’ll be thankful in future years that you made it a tradition to at least all sit down for one picture together on the big day. Dress up nice, wear your matching PJ’s or best Christmas jumper and say ‘cheese’. You could always get a special photo album for this photo and collect them across the years. It’s something that can be passed down through the generations too. Don’t forget to continue the tradition with grandkids too.
These traditions are all magical and will be sure to make a wonderful addition to your family Christmas. Of course, Christmas is all about family and spending time together. That’s what family traditions are all about. Do you have any family traditions that you do every Christmas? Please share them in the comments section below.
