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‘Tis the season for festivities! Christmas traditions are something that NO family can do without.
If you really stop to think about it, though, what traditions does your family have or do that are actually special or unique Christmas traditions?
I mean, sure, we all gather and eat and open gifts, many of us attend church services, and most of us do the more common things of hanging stockings and lighting up the outside of our houses. But what can you think of that your family does each year without fail that you know most other families don’t do as a strictly ritualistic Christmas tradition?
While Christmas traditions can range from simple to elaborate, small to massive, the most important part of all of them is what they mean. And that meaning is: family.
Most every Christmas tradition you can think centers around those that you consider family, be it gift giving or enjoying a family meal together.
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Christmas Traditions Around the World
There are a variety of unique traditions around the world, many of which have been combined into our hodge-podge American celebrations. I bring this up because other countries and cultures can often be an excellent source of inspiration for coming up with your own new Christmas traditions!
For example, hanging stockings by the fire seems to originate from a combination of unofficial legend and the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas feast day (don’t know what that is? Read more here).
Christmas trees with decorations are actually credited to have originated the Germans. Who knew?
My personal favorite foreign Christmas tradition, however, has to be “jolabokaflod” which translates to “Yule Book Flood” from Iceland. Basically, most folks over there unwrap a book on Christmas Eve, then spend the rest of the evening cozied up and reading (I’d happily accept a new book for every gift-giving event, but getting one each Christmas sounds like a good start)!
Why Christmas Traditions Are Important
We’ve already started to touch on this, but I’ll say it again: the meaning behind Christmas traditions is family.
The legend that hanging stockings originated from included a dad worried about his daughters’ futures. The tradition of giving gifts is used to show your loved ones that you care about them (or at least in our house it is).
Traditions really don’t matter if no one cares enough to continue doing them, otherwise, they wouldn’t even be traditions.
The little things you do with your family, to make things special in their own way, in YOUR family’s way, are the things they will remember and pass on for generations to come. They’ll cherish the family Christmas traditions like always putting the pickle on the tree or having a big Christmas Eve dinner.
And that’s what simplifying your life is all about — making more time for the loved ones in your life, so that you can make memories like these traditions.
Whether your personal definition of “family” right now means you’re looking for Christmas traditions for families, Christmas traditions for singles, or Christmas traditions for couples, there’s something on this list for you.
Just about everything on this list can be used for anyone, regardless of your family size! See if there are any that you can start this year to make some new, lasting memories.
1. Elf on a Shelf
Now this is a fairly new tradition within the last decade or so, but it has absolutely spread like wildfire. I feel like pretty much once Thanksgiving is over, my Facebook feed fills up with daily pictures from TONS of friends doing this with their kids. Christmas traditions like Elf on a Shelf are a little too much work for my family, so we have not jumped on that bandwagon, but the concept is still a ton of fun.
Want some ideas to get you started? Check out this great list of Elf on a Shelf ideas our friends at The Savvy Couple put together!
2. Festival of Lights
Most cities and larger towns have their own versions of the “Festival of Lights.” Or maybe you’re like us and just happen to live not far from a very Christmas-happy neighborhood that puts on their own mini-version.
Regardless of where and what lights you look at, I love how this simple Christmas tradition can be easily one of the most magical!
Make it a point to pick the same night each December (like the Friday before Christmas, for example) and take the family to see the Christmas lights displays. Bring popcorn and hot cocoa for the ride to make it extra special!
3. Teach Kids Giving
While it may be a better activity for older kids, this is a life lesson that you cannot start teaching too early.
If it’s in your budget, take your kids to the store for a “help others” Christmas shopping trip. Have them choose what they think kids their age would like, then buy those to donate to a local organization.
You could also do this for free, by volunteering to help at local soup kitchens/food pantries, or even just ringing the Salvation Army bells.
4. Mail Letters to Santa
We started this tradition as soon as we reached our oldest’s first Christmas because it’s just too cute to wait!
We bought a cute little Christmas-themed mailbox, have our kids write their letter to Santa, and we “mail” it off with the mailbox flag up. The next morning we have them check that the flag is in fact down, meaning Santa’s mail-elf made it to our house!
If your kids are old enough to actually write for themselves (our kids are under age 4!), then you can find an awesome printable template at Somewhat Simple! I LOVE that it runs off the rule of 4 for gifting to kids!
5. Christmas-Themed Games
Found on A Girl And A Glue Gun
Can you think of anything better than combining Christmas traditions and games?
Me neither (the world could always use more fun).
Having a specific game to play every year really brings another level of fun to your Christmas traditions.
I think my favorite one might be this printable Christmas-themed charades game, from A Girl and A Glue Gun! While this is probably a lot more fun with a family crowd, like at the family holiday party, this is still a fun idea even if it’s just with two people!
6. Bake Christmas Cookies
Found on Dessert For Two
Sure, maybe you’re not an expert baker. If that’s the case then just put in the little effort to buy the Pillsbury pre-made roll of sugar cookies that you just cut and bake.
If you’re looking to really dive into this with your kids though, you’ll LOVE this sugar cookie recipe from Dessert for Two. I mean, look at those cookies — how insanely cute (and beautifully simple) are they?! Nothing says Christmas like decorated sugar cookies!
7. Christmas Eve Box
This is definitely our family’s FAVORITE Christmas tradition! The concept is this: you get a box, fill it with the same sort of things every year, and open it as a family to enjoy your Christmas Eve time together.
(We wrapped an old copy paper box with it’s lid, inside and out, and it was a total pain in the butt to do. If it ever needs replacing, I’m buying a pre-decorated/reusable gift box instead!)
For our family, we call it the “Family Jammily Box.” (Great name, I know!)
Our contents include:
- New pajamas for everyone (not necessarily Christmas-themed, just coordinated — one year our theme was just “dinosaurs”)
- A Christmas-themed book to read that night at bedtime
- A new family movie
- An ornament for the tree
8. Get a Real Christmas Tree
This is another one of our family’s favorite holiday traditions. Sure it’s a lot of work to chop and haul a full-grown tree (unless you choose pre-cut, of course), but it is so much fun to spend time as a family, searching for just the right one. The excitement highs and then disappointment lows of your perfect tree having a hole in the branches on the other side just cannot be matched!
Our kids love the chance to play in the snow while we hike around the fields too! Talk about a memorable photo op!
(You can search for a tree farm near you, here.)
9. Give the Gift of Reading
Remember how we talked about the Icelandic “book flood” tradition? I LOVE this take on it (although it’s admittedly a bit expensive). If you ask me, Christmas traditions with books are the very best ones!
Wrap 25 books for the kids to unwrap, one each day, and you’ll have a new bedtime story every night until Christmas.
For adults-only families, maybe make it an every other day or weekly thing, so you actually have time to read them! I know this year I’m asking my husband if we can start a new tradition of “Santa” putting a book in our stockings! 🙂
10. Make a Gingerbread House
Yet another Christmas tradition without Santa, building a gingerbread house has to be one of the most delicious traditions out there! It’s easy to find a kit for them anywhere these day, with pre-made cookie shapes and everything.
I wish we hadn’t bought a kit already, because how cute is this Grinch-themed gingerbread house kit?! Make your building even more special by having the movie playing while you built it (I’m all for the original movie, myself!)
11. The White Elephant Gift Swap
This is a great idea for how to have lasting Christmas traditions for friends to do with each other. Haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about? This article from the official White Elephant page should help explain the rules.
It’s sort of a combination of a Secret Santa and a raffle with a twist, but either way, it’s a ton of fun!
12. Christmas Gratitude Cards
It’s never too early to start working on teaching our kids gratitude, or to work on ourselves being more grateful for the things in our lives.
All you have to do for this beautiful tradition is give each family member enough Christmas cards for the remaining family members (I’m a fan of having a variety box of cards so no two people get the same design)! So in our family of 4, each person would get 3 cards. Each person then writes a heartfelt message to the other family members, telling them what they love about them and why they are grateful to have them in their life.
Bonus: The “Thank You Anyway” Gift
This is a silly little something that we invented to teach our kids that gratitude matters. The basis for it came from my grandmother, and it developed over time into what we do with them now.
Each time they get a gift (birthday, Christmas), they get what most people would call one totally garbage gift — a toilet brush, oven mitts, a plunger, a laundry basket, etc.
Obviously a 1-year old has no use for a toilet brush of her very own, but someday she will move out and have that laundry basket filled with those odd useful household items that don’t cost much alone but can be a bear to collect by yourself. By the time my kids are grown, they’ll have a laundry basket, cleaning supplies, flashlights, etc, and hopefully, truly appreciate their mother’s little touch of crazy as they grew up.
(Or at least that’s what I’m hoping for!)
What Christmas traditions do you love the most with your family? I’d love to hear about it with a comment below!
Be sure to pin this post for later, so you can refer back as you plan your holiday festivities!
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