49 Family Christmas Tradition Ideas to Start this Year
Some family traditions evolve, but it’s fun to get ideas for new traditions too! I loved my family’s Christmas traditions when I was growing up. We always opened a sister gift on Christmas Eve and I can still hear my dad’s voice in my mind reading The Night Before Christmas. I remember listening to Raffi’s Christmas album and lying awake in bed, unable to sleep on Christmas Eve. I’m sure I was asleep by 10 pm but it felt like I would never fall asleep.
Now, my family of four has established some of our own traditions. For three or four years, we’ve gone to the same place to pick out our Christmas tree. They make it fun with hot chocolate and decorations. We always get Christmas morning breakfast pastries from our favorite French bakery (yummm).
If you want to make this holiday season even more memorable for you family, here are some family Christmas traditions you can start this year!
Funny family Christmas traditions
So much of Christmas is sentimental and serious. Why not lighten it up a bit? If your family likes to be silly, these funny family Christmas traditions might have you all cracking up.
Have a competition on who can find the ugliest Christmas socks/sweaters/decorations
Have a contest each year and award the prize to the person who finds the ugliest Christmas thing. You can decide each year what that thing is – sweater, socks, decoration, ornaments, mugs, whatever! The winner gets bragging rights until next Christmas.
Get a ridiculous decoration that makes everyone laugh
When I was in high school, I bought this ridiculous singing Christmas tree (Douglas fir). My parents still have Douglas and every year the start of the Christmas season is marked by the singing of Doug. It’s been 20+ years and it makes me laugh every time. Find your Douglas fir.
Have a white elephant gift exchange
A white elephant gift exchange can get pretty hilarious. Everyone brings a gift that is funny, ridiculous, or not useful. Going around a circle, each person can either open a wrapped gift or steal someone else’s unwrapped gift. It’s always funny to see what sorts of gifts people have brought.
Decorate something instead of a tree (bush, coat rack, etc.)
Don’t want to buy a Christmas tree? No problem. You can easily string lights on another inanimate object. Decorate an outside bush for an al fresco tree alternative. Not into greenery? Decorate a coat rack or a watermelon or…whatever! The point is to be silly.
Bake cookies that are a little off (zombie gingerbread men?)
I don’t know about you, but I am a total fail at making beautiful Christmas cookies. Why not just acknowledge your utter lack of artistic skills and make Christmas cookies that are…a little off. Zombie gingerbread men? Sure. Upside-down snowman? OK. Do your worst.
Make a family photo “fail” your Christmas card feature
Sometimes it’s tiring seeing all of those perfect family photos on Christmas cards. Show what your year has really been like by putting a family photo fail on your Christmas card. Sometimes these are true fails while others are staged. But either way, it sure does make the Christmas card hilarious and relatable.
Have Santa hide one gift…why not? It’s like Easter!
Mix up holidays a bit and have Santa hide one gift. It’s like Easter at Christmas! It will keep the kids amused for a while while the adults have a Christmas cocktail or steal some chocolate. Win-win.
See who can come up with the most awkward Elf on the Shelf scenario
Now, I’m not advocating for anything inappropriate here. Of course I’m not. At least not if you have kids. But you can still come up with some funny scenarios for your elf. See who can think up the most creative, absurd, or confusing situation for old Elfie.
Magical family Christmas traditions
OK, back to your regularly scheduled Christmas programming. These ideas are guaranteed to add a little magic to your season!
Drive around and look at Christmas lights in PJs with hot cocoa
I always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights with my family when I was a kid. Even in Texas where it was always about 70 degrees in December, lights definitely put us in a holiday mood! Make it extra fun by wearing PJs and bringing hot chocolate to drink in the car.
Make an event of picking out your Christmas tree
Don’t just buy a tree any old place. Find somewhere with a little atmosphere! The tree stand close to our house plays music, strings up lights, gives you hot chocolate, and takes a picture of your family with the tree. You can look for your picture from the past year too. You could also try a Christmas tree farm. Have them cut your tree down for you, or try the saw yourself!
Go to a Polar Express production
Performers across the country are bringing the story of the Polar Express alive with performances on trains! My parents took the girls to one of these last year and it seemed so neat.
See a kid-friendly Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a Christmas cultural tradition. If your kids are little and can’t sit through the whole performance, ask around. Some dance studios put on shorter, kid-friendly performances in addition to the full ballet. Ask your friends and neighbors – you might know someone who is performing in The Nutcracker!
Visit Santa
Not all kids like visiting Santa, but if they do you should definitely make this a Christmas tradition. You can usually catch Santa at the local mall during December. In recent years, we’ve gone to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop! Local churches and community organizations sometimes hold Santa meet and greets too.
Rent a cozy cabin for the weekend and get away
Fed up with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Rent a quiet cabin and get away together as a family. Skip the parties and the shopping, light a fire and just be together. Read books, play games, go snowshoeing, or just relax.
Slumber party under the tree
My sisters and I always begged to be allowed to sleep under the tree at Christmas. Obviously this won’t work well on Christmas Eve if Santa will be coming, but you could try it on another day. Spread out air mattresses, sleeping bags and lots of blankets and let the kids get cozy! They might not get much sleep but it will be a night they won’t forget.
Fun Family Christmas Traditions
Christmas should be fun! Add some joy to your holiday traditions with one of these fun Christmas activities.
Have a kid-friendly Christmas party
Why should grown-ups have all of the holiday party fun? Get your kids’ school friends together for a kid-friendly holiday party. Let them decorate cookies, watch a holiday movie, or exchange gifts. Your kids will love having fun with their friends before the holiday school break.
Choose a theme for your decorations
My grandma loved Snoopy and I always think of her when I see my Snoopy Christmas tree ornament. Have fun with your holiday decorations by picking a theme. It could be anything from sports to books!
Schedule a holiday movie marathon
There are so many good holiday movies and December is the perfect time to enjoy them! Pick a day, clear your schedule and settle in for a holiday movie marathon. Show your kids the classics (Home Alone, haha) or find a new favorite. Be sure to stock up on holiday snacks.
Buy a unique ornament for your kids each year that represents their interests for that year
If you’re the type of family that likes meaningful ornaments on your tree, consider giving your kids a unique ornament each year. It could reflect their age or their interests. This tradition will make it extra fun to decorate each year since the ornaments will remind you of years past.
Bake cookies (no zombies allowed)
Baking Christmas cookies is fun – because once you decorate them, you can eat them! Stock up on icing, red hots and sprinkles and let the fun (and mess) begin.
Go Christmas caroling
Does your family love to sing? Why not go caroling one night? If you’re too embarrassed to do it in your neighborhood, check with a local retirement home to see if you might visit.
Make a countdown to Christmas paper chain and tear one off each day
If your kids are anything like mine, the countdown to Christmas starts on November 1st. The genius teachers at my kid’s preschool taught me the perfect solution to this challenge – a Christmas countdown chain! The kids make a paper chain by stapling strips of paper together in a chain pattern. Tear a link each day until it’s Christmas.
Thoughtful family Christmas traditions
Christmas isn’t just about gifts and fun and decorations. It’s also about giving back and thinking about other people. These selfless holiday traditions will help your kids focus on others instead of themselves.
Adopt an angel tree child
Many businesses and community organizations have angel trees, and you can choose a child to buy gifts and necessities for. For some reason, the slip of paper with their names, clothing size, and favorite toys really connects with kids. It’s easy for them to understand that there’s a kid a lot like them on the other side of that angel tree form.
Donate money to the food bank
Around the holidays, food banks are trying to provide food to families for holiday dinners. They’re also making sure that kids get the food they need when schools are closed. The best way to support your local food bank is by donating money, instead of canned goods.
Help your kids buy thoughtful gifts for loved ones
If your kids are old enough, help them pick out gifts for their siblings, parents and grandparents. When they’re little, you can easily get into the habit of buying presents and saying they’re “from” your kid. But when kids are about 5 of 6, they can start picking gifts for those they love.
Write a letter to your kids each Christmas about the year past
Christmas is a great time to think back on the year. Write a letter to your child and keep it somewhere safe, or create an email inbox for your child so you can email them.
Volunteer
Volunteer your time at a soup kitchen, shelter, nursing home, or pet rescue this holiday season. It can be harder for organizations to find volunteers during the busy holiday season, so help out where you can.
Send a care package to a soldier or faraway relative
If you know someone in the military who will be spending Christmas overseas, send them a care package to let them know that people are thinking of them. Care packages are also great for far flung family members.
Invite someone over for Christmas Eve/Day
If you know someone who will be on their own for Christmas Eve or Christmas day, invite them over. (If they decline, accept it gracefully).
Christmas Eve traditions
Christmas Eve can be so much fun, but sometimes it seems to drag. Often, kids are in a hurry to get to Christmas already! The weather might be dreary, the kids are off of school, and it’s easy to get cabin fever. It helps to have some Christmas Eve traditions to look forward to.
Open one present
Growing up, we always got to open a “sister present” on Christmas Eve. It was the highlight of our day. Now my kids do the same.
Wear matching PJs
Some families buy everyone matching PJs for Christmas eve. Why not be festive and coordinated?
Read The Night Before Christmas
I love love love reading The Night Before Christmas on the night before Christmas. My parents always read it to us and now my family reads it.
Mix it up with The Polar Express, The Cajun Night Before Christmas, or another favorite
You don’t have to stick with the classic Christmas Eve story. Pick a more modern holiday classic to read to your kids.
Watch a Christmas movie for grownups while you’re waiting for the kids to fall asleep
This is one of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions. Every year, my husband and I watch a Die Hard movie while we’re waiting for the kids to fall asleep. OK maybe they’re not technically Christmas movies but the first few are around Christmas and this tradition amuses us. Feel free to pick Bad Santa or something else!
Put out milk, cookies and reindeer food
Help your kids put out milk, cookies, and reindeer food before they go to bed. And if “Santa” likes beer instead of milk…no judgement.
Write a note to Santa
If your kids need an activity on Christmas Eve, have them write a letter to Santa or draw a picture for Santa.
Play a board game
If you’re running out of things to do, play some board games as a family. You can even make it a family game night!
Follow the Santa tracker (NORAD)
The NORAD Santa tracker is so fun! You can watch Santa’s progress across the globe. And your kids will be VERY motivated to go to bed when they see Santa getting close.
Make a hot cocoa bar
Hot chocolate is always fun around the holidays. Mix it up by creating a hot cocoa bar with plenty of toppings – whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, tiny chocolate chips, and so on. Yum!
Christmas Day traditions
Christmas Day traditions will help your family make memories for years to come!
Stockings before breakfast
In my family, we were always allowed to open our stockings before eating breakfast. We could usually sneak a piece of chocolate or two, in addition to checking out our stocking stuffers. We had pretty small stockings but my parents could fit so much in there. Magic! After we all opened our stockings, we could pause for breakfast.
Eat candy with breakfast, what the heck?
I need protein and caffeine at Christmas breakfast, but a little breakfast chocolate never hurt anyone. If not now, when?
Christmas Day hike, jog or bike ride
After candy, cookies, and sitting around inside, your family might be itching for some exercise. We love to take a Christmas Day hike to whet our appetite for Christmas dinner or to make room for dessert!
See a movie
If you’re looking for something to do in the afternoon, go see a movie! Movie theaters are usually open on Christmas day and it’s kind of fun to go to a matinee.
No phones until noon
Create a “no phones” rule until noon. Sure, your kids (and spouse) might grumble but you’ll be able to focus on each other, as a family, for just a few hours.
Stay in PJs all day
If you’re the type of family that stays home on Christmas day, do you even need to get dressed? Enjoy those matching Christmas PJs all day long. It’s not like anyone will know (unless you have to walk the dog).
Hold a Christmas open house for people to drop by
If you like to be social on Christmas Day, you could have an afternoon open house. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to stop by for a festive drink and a small bite to eat.
What are your Christmas traditions?
I have included a few of my family’s Christmas traditions on this list, and many more that I think would be super fun to start! I’ll definitely be adding a few of these to our Christmas traditions this year.
What are YOUR favorite Christmas traditions? I’d love to know more about your favorite traditions from when you were a kid, and what your family enjoys today.
