Good Holiday traditions to start with kids?

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  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    We have a few traditions.

    We always go to the Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree. Then we come home, turn on Christmas music, make hot chocolate and grilled cheese and decorate.

    We always go to my Grandmother's on Chistmas Eve. We've been doing that since before I was born and I'm 3-0.

    My son is 3 so for his first Christmas I started the tradition that he gets new jammies and a book to open Christmas Eve. We open the gift, put on the jammies and sit by the fire place and read his new book before leaving out Santa's cookies and the treats outside for the reindeer.

    Also, we still have Santa at my mom's house. This is a magical time and year and even though we do not celebrate it because of Santa or trees, this adds to the magic and the fun.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    We always read The Night Before Christmas. We have him go through toys to donate. I have him only has Santa for 3 things so that he understands that most of the gifts he get were given to people who've worked hard to have the money to get them for him, but of course Santa always gets him more than 3 things :) I can't wait to read more ideas because I would really like to incorporate a few more meaningful things as he gets older! A family we are friends with bakes soft pretzels together every year on Christmas because one year they were home with sick kids and didn't have anything else to do, now it's a big deal and the kids look forward to it all year!
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    These are a few of my families traditions

    - decorating - we all decorated the tree together
    - cake making - we had to make a wish with our eyes closed while stirring the christmas cake, and now, at the age of 34, my mum still phones me and my sister when she's stirring it and gets us to make a wish!
    - we used to write a letter to santa every year via the post office and we got a letter back.
    - we were asked to give away toys we didn't play with anymore leading up to christmas
    - on christmas day, we get dressed up for christmas lunch in what were our "party frocks" as kids, but basically anything nice
    - we had handmade crackers on boxing day that my nanna made, and often we'd help her make them on christmas day
    - we went carol singing with the local church on christmas eve

    I think that's it!
  • aimeezingone
    aimeezingone Posts: 28 Member
    Bake a birthday cake for Jesus
  • littleenginethatcan
    littleenginethatcan Posts: 264
    We turn on Christmas music, while we decorate the house.
    We go to a Christmas Tree Farm, and all search for the "perfect" tree. They always have hot cider, and a fire to roast marshmellows and make smores.
    We make Christmas cookies for Santa, and Reindeer food. The kids sprinkle the reindeer food outside.
    We bake Stollen (a type of bread) for Christmas morning.
    We interview the kids, with the same questions each year. It's funny to watch how the answers change as they get older.
    The kids write letters to Santa.
    We adopt an "angel" from the Salvation Army, and my children also give presents to charities.
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
    Advent calenders. Advent wreath with candles for Sundays.

    We read this story every year for the month of December: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/a-st-nicholas-story/

    paint wooden ornaments to use as gifts or gift tags on presents (I like to incorporate photos of the boys in these Check a crafts store for selections)

    Picking out a tree on black Friday, decorating it as a family.

    Lots of Christmas songs! We go Christmas light looking in the car.

    I have heard of families that allow children to open one present on Christmas eve, usually something like pajamas that they then wear to sleep.

    Letters to Santa.

    Baking cookies, then leaving some for Santa with a glass of milk (and maybe a carrot for the reindeer)

    Reading the night before Christmas
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    We make a pork roast with veggies (cooks low and slow). We watch Christmas Vacation. We laugh like it's the first time we've ever seen that movie. The next morning I make eggnog French toast and serve it with strawberries and local maple syrup. We drive to our parent's houses 100 miles away and drink and eat the day away. :)

    I'm also 1/2 Jewish so I get twice the holidays.
  • SinIsIn
    SinIsIn Posts: 1,865 Member
    We put up the Christmas tree together! We used to go out and drive around and look at the christmas lights and how the houses are decorated... but no one really does that anymore around here.
  • scs143
    scs143 Posts: 2,190 Member
    We have a few too-

    We go look at the windows in the city and tree at Rockefeller (we live just outside NY city)
    We started elf on the shelf this year and my 6 year old loves it.
    We also clean out and donate all the toys that are in good shape and throw those that aren't
    We bake cookies
    We do the advent calendar.
  • owengem
    owengem Posts: 131 Member
    Have you thought about tracking Santa with NORAD?
    It's really fun to see Santas journey, you can watch online all day AND it get the kids to bed cos they know he's coming it won't drop their presents off if they aren't asleep x
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
    My family has done many of the things mentioned on this thread & will continue to do so. But here's one that I do w/our son:

    When my son was newborn, we got several "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments from family and friends. I thought, wouldn't it be neat to have at least one special ornament for each year while he grows up. When he was little, I picked them out for him. As he grew older, I had him select the special ornament. Over the years, he has chosen all kinds to match his interests: trains & planes, a trumpet when he was in the marching band, a bitty camera one when he got into photography.....you get the idea. The trips to select the ornament are always special. After carefully selecting his ornament, a special lunch and/or afternoon ice cream tops off the day.

    My son is 19 years old now & we enjoy going thru those special ornaments each year. My plan is to let him take them with him when he moves out on his own ( I many keep a couple from the very first year). That way, he can always reflect on Christmases gone by as well as enjoying the current Christmas.
  • seventwenty
    seventwenty Posts: 565 Member
    Favorite memories of Christmas/things that would make traditions:

    Sledding, skiing, ice skating etc if you live in a community that is cold enough to do it.
    Driving around looking at Christmas lights
    Christmas classics on stereo, egg nog in my cup, and a fire going. Clear Channel's overplaying Christmas covers may ruin this for you, but Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Ella Fitzgerald, Andy Williams, Louis Armstrong etc. just put me in the holiday mood.
    New Ornaments every year
    Lionel train set!
    Adopting an angel
    Working at a food bank

    For the adults
    Mull Wine. I've been making it for my family for the last 5 yrs, and I'm starting to get pretty good at it.
    Jingle bell underwear... oh come on, like you haven't thought of it.
    "Hiding" presents. My sister, a few yrs back, wanted an iPod for Xmas, and her BF turned husband and I chipped in for it. We didn't put it under the tree; we hid it in the couch. After we'd opened all our presents, I hemmed and hawed a bit, my sister-- a little bummed for not having an iPod, but she was stoked for her other gifts like one of those seat belt bags-- finally felt the "bump" in the couch cushion and went to investigate. Her eyes widened, as she knew what I did. To this day, she claims the couch is a better gift giver than me.

    A consideration for those of you travelling this holiday season, especially on Christmas: Recall that the flight crew and flight attendants stand a great chance of not being with family this Christmas. Bring a present for them. $5 gift cards to Starbucks, a SHRINKWRAPPED box of chocolates (seriously, would you trust home baked food from a stanger?), or similar go a long way. My dad, a retired airline pilot, always managed to be home for Christmas or fly us to where he was for Christmas, save once or twice. I can tell you, being away from family on Christmas to ensure other families are together on Christmas is nice, but it wears a bit on the crew.
  • flutterby6973
    flutterby6973 Posts: 50
    me and my son do elf on the shelf ... he's 8yo and still loves his "elfer"
    we also drive around for christmas lights, hot chocolate with x-mas tree marshmallows ... mmmmm (sorry thats naughty)
    dancing and singing to x-mas music (love ella, bing crosby, armstrong, and other classics)
    we also try to watch every x-mas movies that comes on tv ... last night was rudolph!
  • beeblebrox82
    beeblebrox82 Posts: 578 Member
    Every year since I was a kid we went to the store to pick out one ornament, and my mom put the year on it. Every christmas we (four boys) would have our own box of ornaments to hang on the tree.

    When I moved out I had about 15 ornaments (lost a few over the years) that meant something special to put on my own tree. Now that I have kids we've started the tradition with them. Just this weekend I was showing my 4 year old an ornament that I got in 1986... when I was 4 years old. Fantastic tradition.

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