Creating Family Christmas Traditions
Christmas is a magical and exciting time for children, and you can enhance this wonderful time of year by establishing your own special family traditions… Christmas traditions are important to families as they provide a sense of security, belonging and love , while building strong family ties.
The run up to Christmas can be an extremely busy time with parents scrambling to find the perfect gift and stress levels often at an all time high. This Christmas why don’t you relax, take some time and make Christmas about being together, bonding, laughing and having fun. For years to come, children won’t remember the gifts they received, but the wonderful memories and traditions you create will last forever…
Decorate the Christmas Tree
Take advantage of the occasion to decorate the Christmas tree each year by choosing a special day, then put on Christmas music and let the fun begin. Let the children help by sorting the decorations, testing the lights, and hanging the decorations where they can reach them.
It’s great to have some homemade or personalized decorations to give your tree a family vibe. You can make your own decorations out of bread dough or buy large Christmas balls and write the children’s names on them with glitter glue pens.
Watch some Christmas movies
Have a movie night, grab some extra pillows, and snuggle up with the kids on the couch. Pop some popcorn or enjoy ice cream and watch a fun holiday movie.
Great Family Christmas Movies:
National Lampoons Christmas Holidays
Home Alone and Home Alone Lost in New York
Elf
The Grinch who stole Christmas
Polar Express
the christmas star
Christmas lights and displays
Pack everyone in the car and drive around looking at the Christmas light displays. Many stores and businesses offer fantastic displays that children will love. Make a night of it, go out to dinner or pack a picnic to have at a local park, then run or play while you wait for the lights to come on.
get the kids involved
From painting wrapping paper to choosing gifts for grandparents to baking cookies, get the kids involved, it may take a little longer but it will be a lot of fun! Children love to give, so let them share their efforts with family and friends. Individually wrapped gingerbread men or small packets of candy and cookies make great gifts for school friends, teachers, or neighbors.
family photo
Take a photo of your family in a special place (perhaps by the Christmas Tree) every Christmas Eve. Set up the camera (or invite a friend to take the photos), put on some Christmas hats, and include the family pets in the photos, too. Children will love looking at the photos as they grow, to see how much they have changed from one year to the next.
Grandparents
Share your children with their grandparents; They could have a special day at their grandparents’ house to help put up their Christmas tree or to bake some special treats. This is a great opportunity for you to do some last minute shopping too.
Good night
Have a ritual of serving milk and snacks for Santa and something special outside for the reindeer. Sit back and relax with a hot chocolate with marshmallows and some holiday cookies and explain to the children what will happen the next day before tucking them into bed.
When creating your family traditions, you can choose to do some of the things you did as a child or incorporate some cultural or religious ideas: – Candlelight carols, church services, advent calendars, special Christmas stories, and Christmas candles are more excellent ways to celebrate the fun of Christmas.
By creating your own family traditions and repeating them each year, you will create a strong family bond. Children will have something to look forward to each year and will experience a sense of belonging and know that they have a special place in the family.
So be sure to take the time this year to plan new holiday traditions for you and your family and start creating memories that will last forever!