Christmas Traditions for Kids: Making the Holidays Special

Kids can be one of the greatest joys of Christmas time. Their natural sense of wonder and delight make the holidays more enjoyable for everyone by reminding us to slow down and savor the moment instead of bustling from task to task. Starting Christmas traditions with your kids (or nieces and nephews, or friends' kids) can be a very rewarding way of bonding.

Calendars

'Countdown Calendars', which have a Christmas theme for example, a "tree" with a new decoration to add each day, and are often available in soft varieties, are a great way to introduce younger kids to Christmas and share the excitement over upcoming festivities. You can also use a regular calendar, or one you make yourself, and cross off the days or cover them with stickers. Set aside a certain time of day to do your Christmas calendar.

To make this tradition even more fun for you and for the kids, tell Christmas stories or talk about your favorite Christmas things each day when you mark the calendar. The kids will definitely get excited about a little uninterrupted time with you in this busy season.

Decorate by Days

As long as you are counting down the days until Christmas, why not make each day special and exciting? Sort your Christmas decorations with a little for each day, or just divide between weekends or a few days a week. Store the decorations by group and mark "decorating days" on your calendar if you will not be doing some every day.

Making this a Christmas tradition has a few benefits. First, it gives you and the kids more days of fun together, to enjoy the Christmas season. Second, it gives your kids more days to be excited about (which is especially great for younger kids who aren't as good about waiting). Finally, it helps ease some of the stress of decorating when you break it into smaller, more manageable parts.

Homemade Gifts and Cookies

Giving homemade gifts and/or cookies is a great way to keep things personal. Homemade gifts that are simple enough for kids to help make can still be delightful - and your friends and family are sure to appreciate something so thoughtful. Check out my article Homemade Christmas Gifts: A Great Idea for Everyone on Your List for some projects to try.

Not quite ready to let your kids near the electric mixer or (gasp) the oven? Sugar cookies are fun to cut out and decorate, or cookies that need to be rolled in sugar or other toppings can also be neat for kids. Even something as simple as letting them pick a type of Christmas cookie to make can be exciting, since it is the spending time together that matters most to kids. Once you've made this a tradition for your family, you may find them thinking up their own ideas for next year.

Individual Shopping Trips and Gift Wrapping

This is an especially great tradition for families with more than one kid, or for kids (such as nieces and nephews) who don't live with you. Set aside a special day for you and each kid to do their Christmas shopping, or just to finish up those last few Christmas gifts they didn't get on their first trips. You can also make this a time to help them wrap their gifts. Making this a tradition gives them a special day for just the two of you to look forward to at a time when you are very busy.

Besides giving you bonding time with each of your kids, this makes Christmas shopping a little easier. Kids won't have to try to hide siblings' gifts from curious peeking. You get a more relaxing trip with no bickering. Yes, you will have to make more trips, but you may find this is a Christmas tradition worth keeping.

Christmas Eve Presents

Even if you spend Christmas Eve at home, it is still a fabulous time for traditions. Gather the family around the tree for a discussion of the true meaning of Christmas or a reading of Christmas stories. Ask kids what their favorite tradition is, and what other ideas they might have for next year. Then to focus them on Christmas as a time of giving, ask tem about the gifts they will give: who was easiest to shop for? Who will be most excited with their present? Were they able to get everyone just what they wanted to? Show them how exciting it can be to make others happy, and how fun to give.

It can also be neat for kids to get to open one or two presents the night before. If you have a couple of kids, you can have them give the gifts that they bough each other. This will help reinforce to them how much fun it is to give. Also, they will now have a couple of new toys to play with until it is time for the rest of their presents.

When creating Christmas traditions for kids, remember to keep them simple and fun. Structure them to be age appropriate, but also make notes of any fun ideas that might be better when they get older. This way your Christmas traditions can evolve with your kids, keeping their interest and giving them even more to love about Christmas.