What are your Family Christmas Traditions?

A friend recently had a Facebook status asking for ideas about starting Christmas traditions with her 2 year old son. So I literally spewed all my family traditions into her post and then thought that it was a good idea to write them  in a post for all of you. 

Traditions for the month of December

• Buy a few Christmas themed stories (or borrow from your local library) and snuggle up each night to enjoy it together  for at least a week leading up to Christmas. I know some people who wrap the books up and have them under the tree. The children unwrap their bedtime story each evening leading up to Christmas eve. I have a box of books with a Christmas theme that is only out for the month of December ..and the rest of the year is packed away. It is like getting new books each year!
• Usually this happens a month or so before Christmas. Bake your cake according to the usual instructions but sometime during the process call each family member and have them stir the bowl. while doing this they stir a wish into the Xmas cake.
• Writing to Santa: An obvious one to do. Have your little one draw a picture, write a letter or email Santa. Take them to the post box and actually post it. Some people write the letters and then throw it into their fireplace while the fire is burning, as it disappears in the flames it goes up the chimney and is taken to the North Pole for Santa.
• Looking at the lights:  Go walking to find prettily decorated houses
• Make a new tree topper together each year: we choose whether it will be an angel or star and make one for our tree. It is a group activity and is the last decoration to go on the tree.
• Find out what Pantomimes are on in your area and go to a panto together.
• Get into the spirit by getting dressed and undressed each day to a Christmas sing along CD during December.
• Watch a Christmassy movie with special snacks on Xmas eve or other nights in December. Make favourite snack foods and have hot chocolate.
• Advent calendar: Buy a chocolate store bought calendar or make your own. I have a  reusable on with pockets that I fill. Since I have 3 children, I have 3 small items in each pocket. Sometimes sweets, sometimes a little toy-really whatever I can find to fit in the pockets!
• Selecting the real tree or building the fake one…I know this might sound cheesy but we all dress in jeans and red tops and Santa hats and go to find our prefect tree. I take along a camera and take tons of pics of us choosing and wrapping our tree and taking it home. It is the first Christmassy thing we do together on the first weekend in December and it helps get us in the mood for the season.
• Decorating the tree: We set up the tree and hubby and I make sure it is sturdy and we put the lights on it. Then we let the kids loose with the less fragile decorations and they fill the tree. All fragile ones are added higher up by myself and hubby.
• Make homemade gifts in a jar for teachers or friends. Early one in December we make gifts in a jar for friends, family and teachers. Sometimes these are edible like homemade chutney or jam or cake mixes and sweets and other times soaps and other smellies. Look below for the related posts which include recipes for the gifts in a jar.
• Make your Xmas crackers together. Decorate toilet roll tubes in festive paint colours and glitter and stickers. Using crepe paper, through the middle with the jokes and mini toys and sweets. They don’t bang when pulled but look like giant sweets on the table and are cheaper than buying them and you can match to your colour scheme.
• Decorate a gingerbread house or ice cream cone trees. Some years I find a gingerbread house that comes ready to assemble and we just follow the instructions. An alternative is to give each child a ice cream cone, turn it upside down and cover in green icing. then let them decorate their tree with little sweets…make a small forest of them and each child will have one they can eat the day after Christmas.

Traditions for Christmas Eve

• Do u have a chimney? If not then a Santa key is a good one..We bought a glittery gold one from a local department store and tied a red and green ribbon to the top. On Christmas eve we all go to the front door and tie the key to the handle. The children were concerned that anyone could use it to get into the house and I showed them that it does not fit the door and that it only fits if it is held by Santa. His magic makes it fit the door.
• Reindeer food: After hanging the magical key we go out onto the lawn and sprinkle reindeer food which we have made earlier in the day/week. They sprinkle the food all over til their bags are empty.
• Baking on Christmas eve. I like to have the children bake mince pies or Christmas cookies. We decorate and eat some and leave the rest for after Christmas day.
• When the children wake on Christmas eve morning or after their Christmas eve  bath, have them unwrap a new pair of winter pj’s to wear that night in preparation for Christmas morning.
• Don’t forget to put out a drink and snack on for Santa on Christmas eve. We have a special Santa plate for this job. The children choose what he might like and it varies year to year.
• Nativity service at church. We go to the carol service and nativity play at church to help the children remember the real reason for Christmas.

Christmas Day Traditions

• Hide a present in the bed on Christmas night..so after the day of presents, there is still a surprise small thing to open before bed.
• Before going to bed on Christmas eve, wrap the door leading to the room where the tree is closed with paper-kids break through to get in in the morning. Have your camera on hand for the hilarity!
• A video interview: Have your little ones sit on a couch or “Christmas throne” and ask them a predetermined list of questions each year either before or after Christmas or both! Do this each year as a cute record of how they change. Use the same basic questions and just add others as they get older.

I am sure some of you have other fantastic traditions. These are just a few from my family. Take a look at the other posts below for more ideas.

Carla

I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.