Every family has traditions around the holidays, whether you started them years ago or want to start them this year. We like to keep things fun and simple around the holidays since we are already busy. I’m so excited to share some of our family’s holiday traditions and maybe spark some ideas of things to do with your family around the holidays this year.
Matching Pajamas
One of the first traditions that I started when we had our oldest was getting everyone matching Christmas pajamas. It seems silly but it is an easy way to get in the holiday spirit and now that I have toddlers, they think it’s so fun to wear the same clothes as their parents and siblings. We always get a picture too! Honestly, my husband thought we were silly the first year but now he likes getting a new pair of comfy pajamas. You can get matching pairs of pajamas for the whole family from many places. Our favorite is Caden Lane because they have the best prints and they are the most comfortable.
Go to see some lights
Where we live there is a botanical garden that every year sets up a large light display and we make sure to go. It can be cold but it is so fun to see the light set up each year and my kids enjoy it. There is also a Santa and Mrs. Claus. There is also a park that sets up lights that you can drive through for free. This is a great way to see the lights without having to be cold. This year I want to see if some neighborhoods in our area have lights set up and maybe take a walk or a drive around.
Make some cookies
One of the easiest ways to get in the holiday spirit is to bake. I’m a big fan of baking things from scratch and also baking the cookies you just put in the oven, because both ways are delicious. My kids love to make cookies, rolling out the dough, using cookie cutters and all the sprinkles are their favorite parts. Buying premade cookie dough and some sprinkles is an easy way to make some quick cookies with your kids and although messy, they will love it!
Photo Advent calendar
Advent calendars are a fun and interactive way to countdown to the holidays. One tradition that we started last year was the photo advent calendar. Every day we would take a picture and add it to the advent calendar we had that held them. My kids loved taking a pictures every day! After the holidays we added them to a little album and have kept them. We used one of the Instax cameras so we immediately printed the photo which my kids thought was just so cool since they are used to just looking at them on a phone or printed on the wall.
As a millennial mom, the camera brings me back to my childhood when we had Polaroid cameras. It’s a fun tradition that you can look back on each year and see how your kids have grown and to document the things that you did around the holidays each year.
Watch a holiday movie
Every year we love to watch holiday movies. There are so many to choose from but a favorite in our house is of course The Grinch. Since the holidays are just beginning my kids have already asked to start watching it which full disclosure we have twice! While it’s getting cold outside it is the perfect excuse to stay inside and cuddle on the couch to watch a holiday movie to get the season started. This year I found a whole list of movies that we might try to watch and see if we can find another family favorite.
The holidays are a busy time so it is important to take some time and have a little fun and of course, relax. These are just a few of our family’s holiday traditions. Hopefully, they will give you some ideas of things that you can do this year that maybe you haven’t done before and could become a new tradition.