Traditions that Will Delight Your Family and Friends This Holiday Season

Creative Christmas Traditions One tradition your family will certainly enjoy and look forward to is to make photo ornaments! As your children grow, so will your collection of ornaments. There are creative ways to make ornaments using Popsicle sticks, magnets, Styrofoam and cotton balls and many other decorations. Just be sure to include the child's name and the year of that particular Christmas. This tradition will make decorating the tree each year even more memorable and fun. They will love looking back at their previous ornaments and you'll enjoy watching their artistic talents develop.

Another great tradition that your family will certainly enjoy is a give-away day. Give the kids a chance to become real live "Santa's helpers" and donate some of the toys, books, clothing and other items they are no longer using in order to make a difference in the life of a needy child. Teach your children the value and blessing of giving as well as how to make a difference in the world. There are plenty of charitable organizations that will readily accept used toys and clothing, especially coats!

Another tradition that will inspire your little ones to become active readers is a Christmas Advent book-a-thon. Simply check out or purchase a variety of Christmas and holiday picture books and write each of the titles on a piece of gift wrap. Collect the titles in a glass bowl or gift bag and pull out one title each night. Your children will gain literacy skills as well as enjoy the surprise each night!

Another way to make the holidays even more exciting is by making an advent surprise calendar. Instead of 24 little gifts or pieces of chocolate, have everyone in the family put in an equal number of requests into a gift bag or holiday jar. The requests should have a monetary limit such as five to ten dollars. For example, if you have 6 people in the family, everyone gets four requests. Once the requests are written they should be collected in a gift bag and one request may be drawn each day in the month of December. Because this kind of gift giving can get expensive, you may want to have at least two requests per family member be free. For example, one request might be for a night off of chores, or for a chance for the whole family to sit together and watch It's a Wonderful Life. This is one tradition that the family will look forward to and enjoy throughout the month of December.

Another tradition that will not only bless your family, but others in the community as well is to take those Christmas goodies on the road. In order to honor those who work through the holiday season for our protection, why not bless them with a parcel of Christmas goodies such as decorated cookies or fudge? Local firefighters and police officers will certainly appreciate the thought and your children will get a chance to thank them up close. You'll also teach your children to appreciate those who serve and work through the holidays.

Of all the holiday traditions, the ones that will become most special are the ones in which the family comes together and unites in order to serve a greater good.