Christmas Traditions are a part of what makes this time of year so much fun. We roll out our Christmas lights, string the tree with lights, hang our favorite ornaments, and cook a feast fit for a king. However, some traditions over the last three decades have been vastly changing due to the further modernization of our society and pop culture’s ever changing landscape. We’ve asked our readers to send us their Christmas traditions: Old and new!
Here’s a list of the top ten Christmas Tradition favorites that bring magic to Christmas!
- Ugly Sweater Christmas Party – Break out the craft supplies and horribly gaudy Christmas decor and go all out. These Christmas parties are all the rage and totally fun. This year, my entire family is actually opting for the ugly and forgoing the traditional pomp and circumstance. Since their acceptance into every day winter wear, ugly Christmas sweaters sell-out fast and I suggest purchasing yours before Thanksgiving!
- Elf on the Shelf– He’s creepy, he’s sneaky, and he’s got that look in his eye! Your kids will love the Elf on the Shelf, and at the same time, hate him. It’s a great tradition to start with kids around the age of three and up. This year will be our second year in adopting the tradition and it will be a totally different experience than last year. What’s your favorite hiding spot?
- Making a Holiday Ornament – Whether it’s your kids making them, or yourself, homemade holiday ornaments have become a must have on your Christmas tree. The greatest place to purchase bulbs and other clear glass ornaments are from Hobby Lobby. These ornaments are cheap and also allow for a variety of designs.
- Family Christmas Cards- Christmas cards used to simply be a signed letter or decorative card and nowadays it’s how hilarious your family is during the holidays. Go big, or go home. Last year, Fox and I used our photo from Halloween where we dressed up as Luke Skywalker and R2D2. I designed the card myself and uploaded the image to Shutterfly – the most affordable print maker.
- Watching “Christmas Vacation” – A classic Christmas movie, if you haven’t seen it, run to netflix, amazon instant play, or whatever you have and watch it now. This film is our family tradition and we use quotes from the movie year-round – “It’s all apart of the experience.”
- Creating Reindeer Food – This craft is super simple and quick. Just pull some oatmeal, glitter, decorate a mason jar, and POOF! Magic Reindeer food.
- Setting out Snacks & Treats for Santa – A staple in everyone’s family. Set out fruit, veggies, snacky foods, or cookies. We take the time to make frosted sugar cookies and ginger bread men each winter and include the cookies in with an assortment of fruits and veggies.
- Creating a Holiday Playlist– Every single traditional Christmas song has been redone a million times. There are some newer alternatives that have been created over the years and allow for a Christmas mix with variety, spunk, and a non-traditional vibe. My favorites include Bing Crosby mixed in with Relient K and Michael Buble.
- Going Bigger With Decorations- Creating an ode to Christmas in and out of your house has become more of an expectation than a tradition as of late. My opinion? Do what you want! Make it big or keep it small, whichever way you choose to go, it’s about decorating in a way that makes you feel good about the holidays. My house is a combination of snowflakes and galaxies. It may sound gaudy, but just wait until later on in the season for photos.
- Setting out Presents Christmas Eve– Most families set their presents out over the course of a whole month (like mine), but the fun with setting them out on Christmas Eve is the illusion of “Santa” placing them there!
Have a Christmas tradition we left out? Send us a message and let us know, or comment below with your favorite tradition.
