Creative Holiday Traditions for Your Family

Have you ever wondered where a particular holiday tradition came from? Exploring the history of the things we do every year around this time is a great way to make it ever more personal. As we look at Holiday traditions, I hope you'll be inspired to adopt a few or make up a new one!

*Christmas Stockings - Most agree that this tradition came from the tale of St. Nicholas, who lived in the fourth century and was said to have done many good deeds, including helping three girls who were left without any dowry. The stockings are thought to have come in because the three girls had their stockings hung by the fire to dry and St. Nicholas threw bags of gold through the window - or some say down the chimney - and they landed in the stockings.

Celebrate this tradition by making your own stockings at home either with real woolen socks or with felt or any other material on hand. Victorian stockings are particularly beautiful and fun to make. Visit the links below for ideas:

Free Stocking Patterns
Christmas Stockings information and patterns
Crochet Stocking Patterns
Victorian stockings
Stocking stuffer ideas

*Luminarias - In Spain during the 17th century, it was tradition to light the pathways in town as if lighting Mary and Joseph's way to Bethlehem. Luminarias are now made with many kinds of materials to create a welcoming atmosphere in front of a home or along a path.

Try placing candles in hollowed out blocks of ice, weighted paper bags, dried and hollowed gourds, empty tin cans.

*Gingerbread Houses - Gingerbread has been consumed all over Europe since the 11th century at least, but the tradition of making gingerbread houses comes from Germany and the tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Read about the history of Nuremberg gingerbread
Traditional gingerbread recipe
Get gingerbread patterns
Gingerbread House101

*Advent Candles and Calenders - Advent is the season of remembering the coming of the Savior - Jesus Christ, and looking toward his second coming. Churches and homes sometimes display advents candles that are burned in succession with scripture usually being read at the lighting of each. Advent calenders usually begin on December 1st and mark each day until Christmas. Making an advent calender is a great way to remind your family of the importance of this season, and to build up anticipation for Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Felted pockets advent calendar
Christmas Advent Calendar 2007 on Flickr
Family Advent calendar ideas
Advent Tree
Advent Wreath
Hat and Mittens Advent Calendar

Some traditions are simply seasonally appropriate activities that families decide to do every year at a certain time. You may already incorporate some of these into your holiday season.

*Candymaking
*Pinecone firestarters
*Christmas wreaths

*Dry sliced citrus fruit and string them with cranberries for garland.

*Make your own ornaments for the tree.

*Use old fashioned potato stamps to decorate a holiday table cloth.

*Make pine cone bird feeders.

*Design and make Christmas cards together.

*Make fun decorative bead or fur Christmas tree like these at Roxycraft.

*Recycle last year's Christmas cards.

Also visit Craft Renaissance for ideas that help others and get the whole family involved with giving to charity!