Fun Family Traditions for the Holidays

Every family celebrates the holidays in their own way. Maybe it’s making your grandmother’s favorite cookie recipe, or letting the youngest sibling place a treasured Christmas tree topper. These family traditions can be a source of bonding for siblings, parents, and extended family, and are often our most cherished childhood memories. One could even argue that a family’s traditions are what keep them together. Because of this, it’s essential to keep existing traditions going, but that doesn’t mean your family can’t add a new one every once in a while. Check out these ideas for fun holiday traditions to add to your family’s repertoire!

Tried and True

A cookie party is a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer; the guests bring the cookies, you supply the festive storage containers, and everyone leaves with delicious treats. Decorating the tree is another opportunity. Invite family over for a fun night of snacks and drinks, and reminisce about everyone’s favorite ornaments. Other classic holiday traditions include caroling with friends and neighbors, and leaving out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Make It Personal

The best traditions are the ones that reflect your family’s personality. If your family is particularly close-knit, try dressing up in matching pajamas or sweaters and taking a fun family photo around the tree. For those whose parents and siblings are scattered around the country (or the world), a yearly Christmas letter or postcard chain can make the distance disappear. Does your family endlessly quote movies and TV shows? Since there are so many great Christmas themed movies out there, starting your own holiday movie marathon can be a fun way to pass the time after all the presents are opened.

Get Creative

Of course, there are many ways to celebrate that don’t involve gifting or other traditional holiday signifiers. You can volunteer at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen, or help animals in need by adopting a cat or dog from a nearby animal shelter. Light 12 candles, one for every month, and share stories and memories from throughout the year. You can also take a cue from other cultures and carve figurines out of radishes (Mexico); hide all the brooms in the house (Italy); or eat KFC (Japan).

What’s Your Unique Family Tradition?

Does your family do something nobody else does during the holidays? We want to hear about it! Hit us up on our Facebook or Twitter and share!