Start Your Own Holiday Tradition

Start a collection of tree ornaments for the kids
This is one of my favorites. Every year you buy your children a new ornament for the tree. Better yet, come up with a great way to make some. Then every year you have more ornaments to add to the tree and it makes the Christmas tree more special knowing that every ornament you put on the tree was given to you by someone special or made by you and your children. This is a great way to make memories with your family.

Have a Christmas Eve potluck
Many people like to get together for the holidays. Why should one host (ess) have to go to all the trouble by themselves? Have everyone you invite bring a creative dish of their own. Hour devours, finger sandwiches and special drinks are a big winner.

Open one special gift on Christmas Eve
Whether or not you have people over on Christmas Eve, sit down with your family and open up one special gift on Christmas Eve. This will alleviate some of the holiday anxiety on the kids and bring that extra special touch to Christmas Eve.

Send gift filled stockings to far away friends and family.
This is an inexpensive way to let your friends and family in far away places, know that they are special. The best thing to do is go to the after-Christmas sales and pick up as many little items (and your stockings) as you can. This is a great start to the following year. Stockings can be full of all sorts of little things that don't cost very much to get but when you add them all up, it makes a great gift. You can add candles, small games, candy, flavored coffee's, perfumes and so much more. Great when you have many children to buy for.

Variety is the spice of any holiday dinner.
Many families these days are of mixed spiritual backgrounds. I know a family that is Jewish on one side and Christian on the other. Every Christmas dinner, they mix the traditional Turkey, but instead of the traditional side dishes they make some Jewish dishes such as potato latkes instead of mashed potatoes and buy Challah (a type of Jewish bread) instead of making the traditional rolls.

Take your own holiday photos and make them into gifts.
This isn't a new concept, but it is a good one when you have many Christmas cards to send out and much of your family is not near you. Take annual photos of your family and incorporate them into your very own custom Christmas cards. You can go a step further and incorporate them into any gift really. Have T-shirts made, custom coffee mugs or key chains.