Creating new Christmas traditions is one of our most favourite things to do at this time of year. There are so many fun and exciting activities that you can introduce, which get everyone involved. Though, the prospect of developing new and meaningful traditions that will last can be a bit difficult to navigate. Below are our top tips for creating new Christmas traditions that your family and friends will love.
Research and Reflection
Carrying out some initial research and reflection is a good place to start. Reflect on your childhood Christmas to remember your traditions that may have been forgotten. You are sure to collect a diverse range of answers by asking friends and family about their Christmas traditions. You can do this in person and via your social media platforms. Questions to ask yourself and others could include:
- What are you favourite childhood Christmas traditions?
- What are some current Christmas traditions?
- Why did/do you enjoy these traditions?
- What traditions do you share with your kids?
Gather and Expand Your Ideas
At this stage you would have already gathered ideas from friends and family but it’s time to delve deeper. Time to search the web for some creative inspiration. Perhaps you have an idea about the kind of tradition you want to create, but need some more information on how exactly to go about it. This is the time to take advantage of the amazing online resources that are so readily available to discover how families around the world are celebrating with their Christmas traditions. Pinterest is an easy go to with a large variety of images, advice, shops and links to articles where traditions can be explained further. You should also take note of your kids’ favourite activities, interests and talents and incorporate these where possible to create special traditions uniquely targeted to them for long lasting traditions they never want to stop.
Select Your Favourite Traditions
There are so many Christmas traditions how can you choose? Below we created a list of some of our favourite Christmas traditions to help get you started.
- Kid Friendly Christmas Tree Decorating: Use anything unbreakable for your kids to assist in decorating the Christmas tree such as ribbon and felt. This way you won’t be worried about any precious items getting broken or the kids hurting themselves. It may not win any interior design awards and you might have to leave your precious tree ornaments for another time, but everyone will have so much fun doing this together, and you will be left with a truly unique Christmas tree display. Or if you simply cannot bear to be without an immaculately dressed tree, maybe you could have a main tree and a “kid friendly” tree?
- Christmas Light show in a Sleigh: Children of all ages love the magic of Christmas lights. There are so many opportunities to take advantage of the amazing light displays that are created, and bettered, year on year. This Christmas tradition requires very little time or effort (unless you are one of the fantastic households that transform your house every year) yet brings such joy to the festive season. A fun and easy way to see your entire neighbourhood’s Christmas lights and displays is in a sleigh (aka your car!). This is the perfect idea, especially for families with younger kids who can already have their pyjamas on and get comfy in the back seat. That way, once their little eyelids cannot hold on for one more twinkly light they can drift off to sleep while the older ones continue to enjoy the sights.
- Santa and Reindeer Food: Baking and decorating is a massive part of Christmas so why not make a day out of it. Setting aside an annual Christmas baking day gives time for kids to really be a part of the Christmas preparations, which can get a little messy but is half the fun of baking! They will love getting creative and decorating delicious treats to give to friends, family, Santa, his reindeer and probably steal a sneaky piece or two for themselves. A great and simple recipe for reindeer food is to create a mix of oats, birdseed and glitter to sprinkle across your front lawn to guide the reindeer to your home!
- The Season is About Giving and Caring for others: Create age-appropriate opportunities for kids to learn about the season of giving. You could make hand crafted cards if they’re younger or volunteer when they’re older. Make a point of talking about, and listening to, what each person is grateful for. Use this to remind them that there is much more to Christmas than receiving presents.
- Love Note Advent Calender: Swap out chocolates for sweet love notes to your kids. Write what you love about your kids for a daily dose of love that will boost some feel good feelings.
Christmas is about everyone enjoying themselves and the precious memories that are made and cherished. Remember, the key to incorporating new Christmas traditions is to customise traditions to your family and friends to ensure those special moments are memorable for years to come. Creating enjoyment and building the anticipation is part of what makes a Christmas tradition so memorable.
We hope these tips inspire you to create long lasting Christmas traditions. We’d love to hear from you! Share your Christmas traditions with us via Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.