Ideas on Starting Your Own Christmas Family Tradition

Each family has its own traditions, whether it has to do with a particular holiday season or everyday life. Christmas is a wonderful time of year to create a family tradition that will one day turn into fond memories for your grown children. There are many different ideas you can use to create your own Christmas family tradition your family will enjoy.

A favorite Christmas family tradition of mine is driving the kids around town to look at houses decorated with Christmas lights and lawn ornaments. We have fun looking at all of the different lighting and decoration set ups of each house in the neighborhood and it's a great way to spend family time together during the hectic Christmas holiday season. After we return home I make my family hot cocoa to drink while discussing which houses were our favorites to look at.

Growing up my brothers and I often found gift certificates to our favorite fast food restaurant under the Christmas tree given to us by our grandparents. On Christmas morning after opening our presents our parents would make a trip to the drive thru to order breakfast. You don't have to visit a drive thru for a delicious Christmas breakfast however. You can create a breakfast feast which you recreate each Christmas as part of your holiday family traditions.

Perhaps the most popular Christmas family tradition is decorating the tree together. You can help personalize this tradition and make it your own using several different ideas. For example you could have the children place the ornaments on the tree in order of birth or decorate the tree while listening to your favorite Christmas music. You could even take it as far as having your child pick out or create a new Christmas ornament for hanging on the tree. After the years pass by you will have many different and personal ornaments to look at which will hold wonderful memories for your family.

Watching a favorite Christmas movie together is another great family tradition you can start. The Christmas movie can be the same one each year or you can select a different movie each year. There are many great Christmas themed movies to choose from such as A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, or Scrooge to name a few. Your family can cuddle together on the couch or the floor under some warm blankets with a bowl of popcorn and warm mugs of cocoa and enjoy the movie together.

We don't always realize how fortunate we are to have the things that we have. One great Christmas family tradition you can start would be to volunteer as a family for a local charity. You could contact your local soup kitchens or charity organizations to find out how you can help those less fortunate than you celebrate the Christmas season. If your family isn't able to volunteer you can make a special trip to the store to purchase toys, clothing, food, and other necessities to donate to your favorite charities. Your local mall may even have a giving tree where you can pick an ornament which gives details about a person in need and what they would like to receive.

You don't have to be crafty to create your own Christmas cards to mail out to family and friends. Some card stock, glue, glitter, paints, markers, and other craft supplies can help you create Christmas cards together with your family which is sure to be a lot of fun. Kids can use their own artwork to decorate the cards to add a personal touch. The recipients of your homemade Christmas cards are sure to enjoy them. Meanwhile you are creating a Christmas family tradition which will one day make wonderful memories.

Freshly baked cookies add a wonderful scent to your home during the Christmas season. You can access the internet to find many delicious recipes for Christmas cookies your family can make together. These cookies make great gifts for friends and family as well as delicious cookies for Santa to munch on during his visit. If you aren't much of a baker you can always find premade Christmas themed cookies at your local grocery store. While it may not be as fun as making them from scratch you can enjoy eating them with your family while watching that Christmas movie.

Christmas caroling can be a lot of fun. However it may not always be possible to do it in your neighborhood. Instead of roaming the neighborhood streets you can call family and friends using a speakerphone. When they answer you and your family can sing a Christmas carol to help spread the holiday cheer.

For the past few years my mom has made Christmas wreaths for me to hang on my front door using tree clippings, fallen branches, wired ribbon, and berries. I proudly display the Christmas wreath on my door each year for all to see. For complete instructions on how to make your own Christmas wreath click here. You and your family can gather your materials from nature, or local craft store, and decorate your own Christmas wreath together. You can even extend this family tradition to include friends or family who you make full size or miniature wreaths for. The wreaths would make great homemade Christmas gifts that won't break your budget.

One fun Christmas family tradition you could try involves exchanging gifts. Each family member has to either buy or make a gift for everyone else in the family while staying within a certain budget, say five dollars. Younger kids can have the assistance of a parent in purchasing or making a Christmas gift for other family members. The whole idea behind this tradition is to help your family see that it doesn't take a lot of money to give the perfect Christmas gift. The lower the budget the more creative the family has to be in finding a present for one another making it more fun than if they had a large amount of money to spend. Or your family could draw names from a hat and buy or make a Christmas present for just one family member.

Whatever Christmas family tradition you decide on it is sure to create wonderful memories for your family to enjoy. While the Christmas season can often be hectic you can take the time to relax with your family and create traditions to be passed down through the generations.