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 lead up to Christmas can be an extremely hectic time with parents running around trying to find the perfect gift and stress levels are often at an all-time high. This Christmas, why don’t you relax, take some time, and make Christmas turn into being together, bonding, laughing, and having fun? For years to come, children will not remember the gifts they received, but the wonderful memories and traditions that you create will last forever …

Decorating the Christmas tree

Take advantage of the occasion to decorate the Christmas tree each year by choosing a special day, then put on some 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 custom decorations to give your tree a familiar feel. You can make your own decorations out of bread dough or buy large Christmas baubles 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. Make popcorn or enjoy ice cream and watch a fun Christmas movie.

Great Family Christmas Movies:

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Home Alone and Home Alone Lost in New York

Elf

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Polar Express

Christmas star

Christmas lights and displays

Pile everyone into the car and drive around looking at the holiday light displays. Many shops and businesses offer fantastic displays that children will love. Make an evening, 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, let the kids get involved, it may take a little longer, but it will be a lot of fun! Children love to give, 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. Kids will love looking back at the photos as they get older, to see how much they have changed from year to year.

Grandparents

Share your children with their grandparents; they could have a special day at their grandparents’ house to help prepare 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

Make a ritual of getting milk and snacks for Santa and something special outside for the reindeer. Sit back and relax with a hot chocolate with marshmallows and enjoy some Christmas 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: – Carols by candlelight, Church services, Advent Calendars, Special Christmas stories, and Christmas candles are the most 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 some new Christmas traditions for yourself and your family and start creating memories that will last forever.

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