10 Holiday Traditions for Families

The holidays are a time for traditions. Family traditions can help you bond with your children and your spouse while giving everyone something to do during the holiday break. Traditions are not only fun, but they’re something that can last for years to come. Here are holiday traditions your family will enjoy. 

  1. Decorate the Tree

You can decorate your Christmas tree as a family every year. Get the kids in the holiday spirit by taking out the tree as early as Thanksgiving, or plan the perfect day to pick out a real Christmas tree. By decorating the tree, you’ll give your children the opportunity to express their creativity and enjoy time as a family. 

  1. Watch Holiday Movies

You can watch holiday movies any time of year, but there’s something special about watching them around the holidays with your family. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and your favorite women’s Christmas pajamas from Tipsy Elves so that you can enjoy a Christmas movie marathon with your family. 

  1. Visit a Tree Farm

If your family has never experienced what it’s like to have a real tree, you might want to consider taking a trip to your nearest tree farm. Letting your children pick out a tree makes them feel like they have an important job to do during the holidays, and it can also be a fun winter day trip for the entire family. 

  1. Volunteer

The holidays are about more than just giving each other gifts, so consider giving back every year and teaching your children the importance of helping others. There are many volunteer opportunities during the holiday season; just make sure that you volunteer as a family so that everyone can be involved. 

  1. Send Christmas Cards

Sending cards to your family and friends can brighten their day. If you’re lucky, your family might even end up on a refrigerator. While hiring a professional photographer might not be in the budget every year, you can take your own family photo and order custom photo cards from Snapfish to send to family and friends. 

  1. Bake Cookies

The holiday season is the wrong time to start a diet. Baking holiday cookies gives your kids something to do during the holiday break while you teach them a valuable life skill. Let your children decorate cookies using a Goldbelly cookie decorating kit. You can also bake cookies for family, friends, and neighbors and deliver them in a cookie tin. 

  1. Tour the Neighborhood

Do your neighbors put on light shows during the holidays? If they do, take the kids on a ride around town to see all of the beautiful lights on display. You’ll find everything from traditional Christmas lights to Santa riding his sleigh. 

  1. Go Shopping

While many people go shopping on Black Friday, others choose to wait until the chaos settles down. Whether you prefer being the first one in line or waiting to see what deals are left, consider going shopping for presents at the same time every year so that you’re not stuck shopping for gifts at the last minute. 

  1. Be Together

As your children grow older, they’re going to want to spend more time with their friends before and even during the holidays. By making sure that you are home on Christmas Eve and Christmas to spend time with your family, they’ll realize how important it is to be together during the holiday season. Being together is a tradition that any family can do, whether you’re eating dinner or having a movie marathon. 

  1. Make Your Own Tradition

There’s no reason to do what everyone else is doing. If your family enjoys doing something else before the holidays, consider making it a yearly tradition. Whether you spend the night before Christmas around the fireplace or shop after the craziness of Black Friday, a yearly tradition can help anyone get in the holiday spirit without much effort. 

Holiday traditions are meant to be passed down. So make sure that any tradition you choose is something your own children are likely to pass down to theirs.