15 wholesome family traditions to start for the holidays
The holiday season is a wonderful time of year to gather with loved ones and spend intentional time together. One of our favorite ways to inspire connection and form lasting memories is to start a family tradition!
But, how do you actually start a tradition? Well, we’re here to help! It really only takes one good idea to create a sentimental holiday tradition with your family. We’ve dreamed up a list of unique ways to create holiday magic with fun ideas that are easy to repeat every year and will delight the whole crew, from toddlerhood to adulthood!
1. Create a book advent calendar
This is a fabulous way to make family reading something everyone looks forward to! Choose 25 books (feel free to use ones you already have at home, or mix in some new ones) and wrap each one and label them with a number. Every night leading up to Christmas, have your little ones pull the next number from the stack, unwrap the book, and read it together! Check out this video for more on how to do it.
2. Host a Christmas tree sleepover
Choose an evening leading up to Christmas to have a family sleepover by the tree! This is a tradition you can do without buying any additional materials — just pile up blankets and sleeping bags, bring their favorite stuffed animals, and enjoy a mug of hot cocoa while soaking up the magic of those glimmering tree lights! Psst… we recommend December 23rd, because if you do this on the 24th… you might disturb Santa 😉
3. Pick out memory ornaments
There are all kinds of sweet traditions you can start with ornaments! Try picking out a new ornament as a family to represent the year, and have everyone in the family do a sketch of it for your “ornament log”. You can even pick an ornament with symbols that represent a specific milestone so your tree truly tells your life story each year! Or, try buying a clear ornament and fill it with papers with special memories from the year written on them, as a holiday time capsule.
4. Start a holiday watch list jar
Write the names of all of your favorite holiday movies and TV show episodes, fold them up, and throw them in a jar (or a bowl, if you don’t have a jar on hand). In order of youngest to oldest, have one person pick out a slip of paper each day to decide what you’ll watch! If you need some inspiration for what to add to your jar, we’ve got a list of all the holiday classics here.
5. Surprise everyone with a Christmas Eve board game
Each year, have a different member of your family be in charge of picking a board game to get, wrap, and place under the tree! Then, on Christmas Eve, unwrap it as a family and spend the evening playing!
6. Plan a tree decorating pajama party
Whether you’re a “decorate immediately after Thanksgiving” family… or you have more of a “we’ll do it right before Christmas” mentality, make the decorating process extra special by turning it into a cozy family pajama party! Bonus points if everyone gets matching fuzzy socks to wear!
7. Decorate with Polaroid ornaments
Take photos of your favorite December moments and hang them off the tree branches using a hole puncher and ornament hooks!
If you don’t have a polaroid camera, you can absolutely decorate your tree with photos you have printed, or you can cut photos into squares and add polaroid-shaped frames using cardstock to create the same effect!
8. Baby’s first ornament
Let your little one pick out their very first ornament for the tree! Take them to a local store, or lay out a bunch of ornaments you already own, and see which one they reach for. Make sure you take a photo of them with the ornament to save the memory!
9. Get a mini tree for the kiddos
Your little ones look forward to helping decorate the tree every year, so getting their own mini tree is such a fun way to give them a chance to express their own holiday style! This also serves as an extra piece of decor you can put near their rooms to spread the Christmas cheer around your home. It’s a total delight seeing how their decor style changes over the years.
10. Christmas pajamas from Mrs. Claus
We don’t see why only Santa should have all the gifting fun! Have Mrs. Claus deliver some festive pajamas on Christmas Eve so everyone can be extra cozy the next morning.
11. Write each other annual letters
Teach your family the true meaning of the holidays by taking time to express your love and gratitude for each other. Writing a letter to your little one is a great way to document some of their memories and milestones from the year — consider keeping them all in an envelope so they have something to look back on later. A folder of letters from over the years makes for a very sentimental send-off gift when they’re going to college! (Woah, time flies — we know, we know.)
12. Bake for the neighbors
Each year, pick out a recipe to make for your neighbors. Deliver these treats with your family, and you may even start a neighborhood baked goods swap tradition!
13. Pick out special wrapping paper
Choose unique wrapping paper for each family member, then wrap all of their gifts in their delegated paper! Add a swatch of the paper at the bottom of each person’s stocking to reveal which gifts belong to whom, then watch with delight as they get surprised by which are for them.
14. Breakfast at the North Pole
What’s more fun and festive than Christmas morning at the North Pole? Turn a holiday brunch into an unforgettable experience for your little ones! Try dusting pancakes or waffles with powdered sugar “snow” or even having hot cocoa with breakfast — what a treat!
15. DIY your own New Year’s Eve ball drop
Ring in the new year with a ball drop that you can schedule to happen before bedtime! Create your very own “balloon drop” at home by following these simple steps.
So, let the holiday magic begin! We can’t wait to see which of these unique holiday traditions you choose to make some memories with your family. Tag us on social media @evite to show us your favorite moments!
Plus, if you’re in planning mode, check out this helpful checklist with everything you need to stay on track this holiday season.
Happy holidays!
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