Family Christmas traditions to start this festive season

I love the build up to Christmas, but something that I love the most about the festive season is the chance to start some family Christmas traditions, that hopefully my boys will do with their own families in the future.

If you’re interested in starting some family Christmas traditions but aren’t sure where to start, then here are some ideas that I hope you may like to consider.

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Month long tradition ideas

• Try Elf on the Shelf.
• Make your own advent calendar filled with edible and non edible treats for your kids.

Food traditions

• Have the same meal or side dish every year. For example, pancakes for breakfast on Christmas Eve, Christmas pudding with custard on Christmas Day, or a seafood starter for Christmas Day lunch.
• Make a food tradition you grew up with part of your family’s Christmas. For example, if you had smoked salmon at your grandparent’s house growing up, perhaps incorporate smoked salmon into your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meal.
• Do some Christmas baking with your kids, and eat what you’ve baked together.

Entertainment traditions

• Decide on a favourite family movie and watch it every Christmas Eve. Some great ones are Home Alone, Elf, and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.
• Drive around different neighbourhoods and look at their Christmas lights.
• Attend your local Christmas light switch on event.
• Read books with your children on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, some great books include The Polar Express, The Jolly Christmas Postman and Dear Santa.

Christmas tree traditions 

• Decorate your Christmas tree as a family.
• Put mini trees, or table top trees in your kid’s room with a few decorations that they can put on by themselves.
• Create a Christmas playlist and play it during meal times, or whenever the mood strikes.
• Buy each kid a decoration each year that they can have when they’re older.
• Let a different family member choose the Christmas tree topper each year.

Gift traditions

• Buy each family member three gifts – something they want, something they need, and something to read.
• A family Christmas tradition for extended family is Secret Santa, where everyone buys for only one other family member who they draw out of a hat, at a previously decided upon price.
• Schedule a day in your calendar to wrap all your gifts so you get it over with in one day. Make it a fun experience by listening to music, or eating a Christmas treat.

Christmas Eve traditions  

• Make a Christmas Eve box for your kids, which is a box filled with anything they need for a special Christmas Eve night. This could include slippers, hot chocolate powder, and treats.
• Let everyone in the house open one present.
• Let your kids get Santa’s and the reindeers snacks ready for their arrival.
• Have everyone in the family go to bed in matching Christmas pyjamas.

Christmas Day traditions

• Spend time with your immediate family before heading off on any other Christmas Day events. In this time you may like to open presents, or enjoy a quiet breakfast.
• Call family members you won’t be seeing during the day.

I hope there are some family Christmas traditions here that you’d like to start doing.

Do you have any family Christmas traditions?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.