Christmas traditions help make the season just that little bit more magical and create precious memories for you and your loved ones.
They bring a special kind of love for the holidays and are often carried on for generations.
Every family is different, having their own little traditions. I love hearing new ideas that would be nice to start with my own brood.
I recently started looking around to see if I could find any new ideas that I could introduce into our family’s Christmas celebrations but I quickly realised that we already had quite a lot of our own.
Here are some of the things we always do during the Christmas season
20 Christmas Traditions For Your Family
1. Here in the Nederlands, the minute Sinterklaas is back on his steamboat travelling back to
Spain (6th December) the decorations come out and the Christmas radio channels are put on – every day!
2. We visit a Christmas market where the kids get to drink yummy hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream and marshmallows and mummy gets to indulge in a lovely warm cup of Gluhwein.
3. Everyone bundles into the car and we do a driving tour of all the best Christmas light displays in the neighbourhood (I saw somewhere the idea of making an award and presenting it to the house with the best display – I think I might do that this year).
4. Bake mince pies and Christmas cookies then wrap them up in beautiful festive packaging. Together with a Christmas card, we take them around to neighbours and friends as a small token of appreciation for their friendship throughout the year.
5. Drinking yummy ‘Snowballs’ – advocaat (x 1 part), lemonade (x 3 parts), Lime (a dash of) + don’t forget the ice and cocktail cherries (only for the grown-ups of course!).
6. Buying a huge tin of Cadbury’s ‘Roses’ chocolates which are on display throughout Christmas for everyone to chomp on. This is very indulgent – I know – but we love it! (and as long as no one touches the ones in the purple wrappers mummy’s festive spirit remains intact!).
7. Getting all the delicious Christmas snacks and goodies out then cuddling up on the sofa and watching lots of cheesy Christmas films together.
8. The kids receive a personalised video message from Santa via the https://www.portablenorthpole.com/en/ website (my daughter was very worried when she found herself on the ‘naughty list’, although with Santa’s encouragement – he looked her straight in the eye and told her there was still time and he knew she could do it – she was able to redeem herself with good behaviour and get back on to the ‘good list).
9. On Christmas Eve we give the children a beautifully packaged present to open. This contains a pair of lovely new pyjamas which they can then go to bed in. When they wake up on Christmas morning they are already ready to be photographed in their smart new PJs opening all their presents.
10. Wrapping up a new book with a Christmas story that you can read to the children before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
11. Following Santa’s progress online on the google Santa tracker website https://santatracker.google.com
12. Making a footprint stencil and making snow or glitter footprints from the chimney or front door to where the presents are left under the Christmas tree (I love hearing the giggles as I complain about the mess he has left).
13. A pillowcase with gifts left at the end of the children’s beds (this is something my mum and dad used to do for us as kids, although it did get a bit much for them when I was still insisting – at the age of 18 – that they should still do this).
14. I give the children a new Christmas tree decoration every year so that when they are older and have left home they can take the baubles and memories with them.
15. Putting a mandarin, an apple, and some nuts in the kid’s stockings together with their little stocking fillers (I always remember my grandma and granddad saying this is what they always had in their stockings).
16. A huge Christmas morning breakfast including lots of cinnamon rolls and bucks fizz!
17. Pulling Christmas crackers at the dinner table, reading the bad jokes and everyone (yes everyone!) putting their paper hat on.
18. Pulling the wishbone from the Christmas turkey – it is always an honour to be one of the two people who get to pull this using only their little finger – when the wishbone breaks the one who gets the biggest piece is able to make a wish.
19. I shop all year for cute, fun, and crazy 99 ct table gifts for all our guests. These are opened at the table after dinner. This is so much fun and everyone loves it!
20. Wrapping up warm and going for a long walk after dinner.
Christmas Traditions
So tell me what traditions do you have at Christmas? I’d really love to hear them!
Feeling all Christmasy?
1. Here in the Nederlands, the minute Sinterklaas is back on his steamboat travelling back to
Spain (6th December) the decorations come out and the Christmas radio channels are put on – every day!
2. We visit a Christmas market where the kids get to drink yummy hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream and marshmallows and mummy gets to indulge in a lovely warm cup of Gluhwein.
3. Everyone bundles into the car and we do a driving tour of all the best Christmas light displays in the neighbourhood (I saw somewhere the idea of making an award and presenting it to the house with the best display – I think I might do that this year).
4. Bake mince pies and Christmas cookies then wrap them up in beautiful festive packaging. Together with a Christmas card, we take them around to neighbours and friends as a small token of appreciation for their friendship throughout the year.
5. Drinking yummy ‘Snowballs’ – advocaat (x 1 part), lemonade (x 3 parts), Lime (a dash of) + don’t forget the ice and cocktail cherries (only for the grown-ups of course!).
6. Buying a huge tin of Cadbury’s ‘Roses’ chocolates which are on display throughout Christmas for everyone to chomp on. This is very indulgent – I know – but we love it! (and as long as no one touches the ones in the purple wrappers mummy’s festive spirit remains intact!).
7. Getting all the delicious Christmas snacks and goodies out then cuddling up on the sofa and watching lots of cheesy Christmas films together.
8. The kids receive a personalised video message from Santa via the https://www.portablenorthpole.com/en/ website (my daughter was very worried when she found herself on the ‘naughty list’, although with Santa’s encouragement – he looked her straight in the eye and told her there was still time and he knew she could do it – she was able to redeem herself with good behaviour and get back on to the ‘good list).
9. On Christmas Eve we give the children a beautifully packaged present to open. This contains a pair of lovely new pyjamas which they can then go to bed in. When they wake up on Christmas morning they are already ready to be photographed in their smart new PJs opening all their presents.
10. Wrapping up a new book with a Christmas story that you can read to the children before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
11. Following Santa’s progress online on the google Santa tracker website https://santatracker.google.com
12. Making a footprint stencil and making snow or glitter footprints from the chimney or front door to where the presents are left under the Christmas tree (I love hearing the giggles as I complain about the mess he has left).
13. A pillowcase with gifts left at the end of the children’s beds (this is something my mum and dad used to do for us as kids, although it did get a bit much for them when I was still insisting – at the age of 18 – that they should still do this).
14. I give the children a new Christmas tree decoration every year so that when they are older and have left home they can take the baubles and memories with them.
15. Putting a mandarin, an apple, and some nuts in the kid’s stockings together with their little stocking fillers (I always remember my grandma and granddad saying this is what they always had in their stockings).
16. A huge Christmas morning breakfast including lots of cinnamon rolls and bucks fizz!
17. Pulling Christmas crackers at the dinner table, reading the bad jokes and everyone (yes everyone!) putting their paper hat on.
18. Pulling the wishbone from the Christmas turkey – it is always an honour to be one of the two people who get to pull this using only their little finger – when the wishbone breaks the one who gets the biggest piece is able to make a wish.
19. I shop all year for cute, fun, and crazy 99 ct table gifts for all our guests. These are opened at the table after dinner. This is so much fun and everyone loves it!
20. Wrapping up warm and going for a long walk after dinner.
Christmas Traditions
So tell me what traditions do you have at Christmas? I’d really love to hear them!
Feeling all Christmasy?
Snowballs sound yummy! I love your traditions! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Stinkerklaas, thanks for lesson. 🙂 I pinned your post to our Mommy Monday Blog Hop board, thanks for sharing! XOXO
Hi, Thanks for stopping by. Yes Sinterklaas is one of the Dutch Traditions I had to get used to….whilst it's really a fun time for the kids, it really does get exhausting with the 2 big celebrations going on in the same month – I can't help feeling that dear 'Sinterklaas' muscles in a bit on my Christmas time (I'm a total Christmas nut – I love it). Thanks v.much for sharing my post, it is much appreciated. I'll see you back at the blog hop later x
Lovely, lovely traditions! 🙂 Giving kiddos tree decorations every year is a such great and thoughtful idea! Every decoration symbolises a year in their life and means something special.
Santa is very important guy in Poland (where I come from)
too! And it all starts on 6th of December as well. Santa checks up on kiddos and leaves them sweets and fruits near their winter boots. But there's a condition: boots need to be sparkly clean! I loved that when I was a kid 🙂
I love that you can check Santa's progress online – so cute 🙂
Ha ha …. I like that, clean shoes, I'll have to remember that for next year when they put their boots out. This year the girls decided last minute to put shoes out for their dolls too, luckily I already bought a few little miniature bits and bobs which were perfect for the little shoes.