8 Simple Christmas Traditions + A Giveaway!
I absolutely love Christmas for so many reasons. The first reason is that we celebrate Jesus’ birth. He stepped down from heaven so that we could have eternal life. Now that’s the greatest gift of all. I also love Christmas because of its traditions.
My husband Jonathan and I have adapted some traditions that we grew up with. And we have started several of our own Christmas traditions. I love traditions because they are a fun way for kids to feel connected to whatever event they are celebrating.
Here are 8 Simple Family Christmas Traditions to do this year. Several of these traditions our family currently does. I am excited to incorporate some of the other Christmas traditions into our family.
Christmas Ornament
Every year, go out together as a family and pick an ornament to represent the year. Another idea would be to get each child a new ornament for the year. Keep these ornaments in a separate box. That way when your child leaves home, they can have eighteen ornaments to take with them.
Christmas Movie Night
Plan a night to watch a Christmas movie together. There are so many great Christmas movies. Make popcorn and have other snacks while watching the movie. Some of our favorite movies are A Miracle on 34th Street, Santa Claus, Elf, and A Christmas Carol. (Be sure to enter the Christmas movie Giveaway. Details at the end of the post.)
Letter to Jesus
Lots of people write letters to Santa every year. But, the real reason for the season is Jesus. Why not write Jesus a letter of gratitude for all He went through for us? Take some time to talk about this letter with your family and remind them of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for them.
After writing a small and simple letter of gratitude to Jesus, slip inside a balloon and fill it with helium. As a family, send the balloon up to heaven.
Red and Green Gratitude Paper Chain
Each evening for the month of December, have each family member take a slip of red or green paper. On the sheet of paper, write one thing you are grateful for from that day. Hang this gratitude chain somewhere around the house and watch it grow.
Christmas Caroling and Pizza Night
Pick a night in December and go Christmas Caroling around your neighborhood or another place. Share the joy of Christmas with people. Afterward, come home and enjoy some pizza and soda pop together.
Christmas Lights Drive and/or Christmas Scavenger Hunt with Hot Cocoa
Pile the family in the vehicle and go look for Christmas lights. Some people put a lot of work into their Christmas lights display. Pack some hot cocoa and blankets as you drive around. Our kids love to wear their PJs too. Enjoy looking at the lights together.
Another idea in addition to the Christmas lights drive is a Christmas Scavenger Hunt. Create a list with things such as a nativity scene or a snowman to find on this hunt. Or use this FREE Printable on your Christmas Scavenger hunt.
Plan a special breakfast and use special dishes
On Christmas morning, plan to eat a special breakfast. Maybe it’s an egg casserole or cinnamon rolls. Or could just be scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. If you have Christmas dishes pull those out to use. Or before Christmas, head to Dollar Tree and get some “Christmas” only dishes. They have some fun patterns that are affordable.
Read the Bible together
My favorite Christmas tradition is reading the Bible story of Jesus’ birth. After our Christmas breakfast, we sit together on the couch. My husband Jonathan pulls out his Bible and turns to Luke 2:1-20. We all listen as he reads the story of Jesus’ birth. Even though I have heard the story of Jesus countless times, I still feel the excitement of the night Jesus was born.
Christmas Traditions
Hopefully, this post was fun to read. What traditions do you currently do? I would love to hear about it! Which tradition from this list of 8 simple Christmas traditions will you try out this year? Please comment below.
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Christmas Movie Giveaway
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You have until Monday, December 18 at 11:59 pm, EST to be entered in the drawing. I hope you win!
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Traditions include cookies for Santa (sometimes homemade but usually store bought) and mom (me) in seclusion wrapping all the things for the entire day Christmas eve. [That’s one tradition I hope to change this year.] I’ve also sent out a photo card and made photo calendars for the past 15+ years but I stopped doing this last year. I’m thinking more about one long catch up letter by email or to be included in a holiday mass mail out instead. Mama is SO tired and all I really want to establish is a tradition of peace filled silence and rest in this season.
Thank you for sharing your traditions. I am sorry you are so tired right now. It is a full season for sure. I just prayed that you will be able to establish that tradition of peace filled silence and rest in this season that you desire. Jesus is cheering for you! (Matthew 11:28-30)
Thanks!
Sharon in Texas
I just want to share a thought how amazing it actually is that Jesus – the son of God – God himself – decided to come down, willingly grew in a woman’s womb, lived here for 30 something years and only then started preaching. He did it out of love so we can be made whole and restored again, to give us a way back to the father. ✨
Yes, it truly is amazing!! God is so gracious and kind.
Our favorite traditions is watching It’s a Winderful Life as a family. Most years we then have a family slumber party, but the older we get, the harder it is to not sleep in our beds! ????. We also take one evening to go eat at Chicfila, go see the Christmas lights at a subdivision close by that does it up right, then get fresh donuts at Krispy Kreme. Another family challenged us to count how many nativities there are in this subdivision. They got 49. We usually take my father in law with us and he looks forward to going every year! My daughter and I also watch White Christmas together at some point, usually when we make Christmas cookies to give to my uncle for Christmas. We also have a manger that we fill up with hay from simple little things that we do to serve others. (The Giving Manger) We didn’t really have a lot of traditions growing up, so it is fun to start our own with our kids. We have tried different things, but these are the ones that have stuck.
Thanks for sharing all these traditions!! I love the giving manger idea. 🙂
What an inspiring post! Even though this is my favorite time of year, I’ve been feeling slow to get into the holiday spirit. So I appreciate the reminder of why we even celebrate, as well as the different yet simple ideas for family traditions, especially the letter to Jesus! Thank you!
Lorraine- I just prayed for strength and peace for you.