How to Create Holiday Traditions with your Family

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By shefveland
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Create Holiday Traditions with your Family

When the holidays arrive, does your family talk about all of the fun things they remember from the last year? If not, maybe it's time to come up with some holiday traditions for your family to enjoy and pass on to their families.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Family heirlooms
Christmas ornaments
A box
Time
Effort

Step 1

What kind of tree do you use? If you don't use an artificial tree, try packing your family up and heading to the tree farm. The farms usually have saws for you to use, and you can meander among the trees until you decide on the perfect one! You then cut and drag the tree to your car, and many farms have tree wrapping equipment that wrap the tree with mesh so it's easier to handle. Many tree farms also have a fire to roast marshmallows, hot cider or chocolate, and sleigh or wagon rides (tractors or horses pulling them). It's really fun, and it's nice to be outside.
Step 2

After you put up your tree, break out a new ornament for each person in the family. Personalize them to go along with an event in their life that year (for example, graduating, getting braces, snow boarding, band, getting your license, etc.) or any other type you wish to buy. Each year, the family will be excited to see what you've come up with for them and they will hang them proudly on the tree.
Step 3

Make a personal box for each person in the family so they can keep their ornaments in their own box. Then, when the kids grow up and move out, they can take their box of ornaments with them to carry on the tradition.
Step 4

Traditional Christmas Pickle

Buy a pickle (angel) ornament. There are many traditions for different nationalities that hide the pickle (angel) ornament, and the first person to find it on the Christmas tree wins a prize.
Step 5

Go caroling in the neighborhood. This is a tradition that is not done very often anymore. I remember caroling with my choir friends when I was a teenager. It was so much fun, and it certainly surprises your neighbors.
Step 6

Break out your great grandmother’s recipes and pass them along. Along with the food, use your china for the meal, especially if it is your mother or grandmother's china. Your family will remember the dishes and how special the day was because they were used for the meal. If you pass the dishes to your children, they will tell their kids the history of using the dishes too.
Step 7

Before opening gifts, each person select their favorite bible verse (or verse from your favorite book) to read that relates to the holiday season. Remember that Christmas is about Jesus being born... not only about material items.
Step 8

Visit an old folks home or shelter. Spend the day (or a day around Christmas Day) visiting with the elderly or serving food to those who are less fortunate. As your kids grow up, they will learn compassion for others and that Christmas is for giving too, not just receiving.
Step 9

Donate gifts to a charity or adopt a family and buy presents for them. Your church or other community offices have lists of people in need. Donate to Toys for Tots or other programs like it. Talk to your church and find out if there is a family in need, get their names and ages, and purchase gifts for them. It's a very personal way to make someone's day special.
Step 10

If your family likes to run, sign up for one of the 1 mile or 5k races scheduled in your city around Christmas Day. When you run a race, you usually get a shirt that has the race name and date on it and wear the shirts on Christmas Day.
Step 11

If your family has a pet or pet(s), take them to the pet store and get a picture taken with Santa. The money for the picture usually goes to the Humane Society (which is a great cause), and you have the memory of your pet for years to come.
Step 12

Decorate Christmas cookies or make a gingerbread house. This is a fun and messy task that gets everyone together to be as creative as they want to be. Make sugar cookies and frosting (and make sure to have food coloring so you can have many colors of frosting), and don't forget the sprinkles. You might want to keep a broom handy too for afterwards.