15 Family Traditions for Christmas

Filling the holidays with Christmas traditions creates fun family time together and long-lasting memories. Here are some great ideas to consider when creating your Christmas family traditions.
1. Make the day after Thanksgiving into a Christmas holiday, "Christmas Season Begins Day." Turn on the Christmas music, put up the tree, and start your festivities. Make a tradition and a holiday out of a preparation day.
2. Christmas band. Your Christmas band may be a sophisticated bell choir or jingle bells strung on chenille stems. Do whatever kinds of Christmas musical instruments work for you.
3. Christmas music dance party. Cue up the music online and dance to festive holiday songs. Create dance moves to go with themes of the season.
4. Christmas newsletter. Children can each write an article about something they will be involved in, a Christmas play for school, a choir performance, a Christmas piano recital, and so on. Print your family newsletter just for the family or mail it out to your friends.
5. Holiday baking. Create a bake-off, try a new recipe, make family favorites, let children pick what you will bake together. Continue your baking through Christmas break, giving the children and you fun-filled days and activities to plan and look forward to.
6. Christmas sing along. Play the piano and hand out lyrics or just gather round and use your chosen Christmas music playlist. Sing loud and follow the singing up with much laughter.
7. Christmas story or scripture a day. Read together as a family. Set up a rotation or choose favorites to repeat.
8. Act out the scripture story of the Savior's birth. Do this activity on Christmas Eve or a time convenient for your family.
9. Christmas visits. Bake cookies and deliver, Christmas carol, or make cards to drop-off and wish those you visit a Merry Christmas to let them know you are thinking of them.
10. Make ornaments. Bead, paint craft sticks, cut and design fun foam, making your tree a family work of art.
11. Make homemade decorations. I love paper chains made from red, green and white construction paper. Banners, made of butcher paper, can be created, colored and hung. Decorate bedrooms and family rooms alike, spreading around the Christmas cheer.
12. Christmas movies. Take turns picking your favorite and watching as a family.
13. Twelve days of Christmas. Pick a neighbor or family. For the 12 days before Christmas, each day secretly deliver something. Ideas can revolve around numbers, 1 Christmas picture, 2 Christmas ornaments, or can be any Christmas theme, for example, each day deliver a piece from a Nativity set.
14. Secret service. Draw names in your family and each day do something to serve that person.
15. Secret buddies. Draw names for the exchanging of Christmas presents.