Ways To Have Christmas Traditions With Your Family

Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions with your family really make the Christmas season special for everyone. Whether you have your usual Christmas traditions where you have passed them on from your family. If you are looking for new traditions to start with your children, this is the time to be making memories with the little ones.

Christmas traditions can be something small like buying special gifts or they can be all about meeting up with your larger family over Christmas. Our Christmas tradition is to go to midnight mass as a family, although my family has got smaller over the years. Then as it finishes, we say our goodbyes and we go for a kebab. This is fun for Tilly because we walk home excitedly eating kebabs and talking about Christmas. Then Tilly goes to bed and Kim and I make the stockings up and put the gifts under the tree. We do this every year and it never gets tedious or boring.

Having a Christmas tradition also helps you with your mental health at Christmas, because it gets your family together and surrounds you with the love and support you need at the time.

Different Christmases Around The World

There are so many different countries around the world that have different traditions. I grew up in Germany so the tradition there was to polish your shoe on the night before the 6th of December. Then when we woke up on the 6th, there would be lovely luxury chocolate in there. These days with my son and daughter-in-law living in The Netherlands do the same thing with my 21month old granddaughter. In The Philippines, there is The Giant Lantern Festival, which is held on the Saturday before Christmas. People travel all over the country to see it. The lanterns are made from loads of different materials and can be as large as 6 metres big.

One of the strangest Christmas traditions comes from Norway where people hide their brooms. This tradition goes back hundreds of years to when people thought that witches and evil spirits came to your home on Christmas Eve looking for brooms to ride on. In Columbia, they mark the start of Christmas with Dia de lasVelitas, which is Little Candles Day. People leave candles and paper lanterns in their windows, gardens and balconies to celebrate the Virgin Mary and the immaculate conception.

So although Christmas is the same celebration every year, everyone chooses to celebrate it in their own way. Here are some more ideas for Christmas traditions that are done by people all over the world.

Christmas Stars

Rupali from Mom Kid Life says ‘As ex-pats in the UK we started celebrating Christmas when my son was 4 years young. Christmas for us was having a Christmas tree and decorating it with decorative stars and fairy lights. My son used to keep a cookie & sweets for Santa. And the first thing he would do after getting up on Christmas Day was to check his gifts from Santa. The pleasure of seeing his eyes glow after seeing his gifts was priceless for us. Now my son is a teenager and he still waits for his gifts from Santa. It is wonderful to see that his innocence and belief are still intact.

Polish Traditions

Ania from Don’t Cramp My Style shares her traditions here. ‘I’m from Poland, so our Christmas tradition is to have 12 dishes on Christmas Eve. Most dishes are vegetarian, and these also include desserts. We mostly fast all day on Christmas Eve. We start with traditional beetroot soup with mushrooms & sauerkraut dumplings. My mum would always put a small penny in one of the dumplings, and whoever finds it’s when we say it will be the richest person for that year! After that we start the main meals, you will find our Polish traditional dishes like breaded carp, large dumplings, croquettes, Bigos or Greek fish. After all, meals are finished, children are allowed to open their presents. Christmas Day & Boxing Day are usually to relax, watch films and invite friends or visit family.’

Topsy Turvy Christmas

Jo from Tea And Cake For The Soul shares her traditions Our Christmases have always been topsy turvy as one of my sons is a chef and has always had to work on Christmas Day. It’s not unusual for us to have all the decorations up and have our family Christmas dinner in November. This year he is working abroad, and my other son is going to his girlfriend’s parents. So we are having our get-together on Christmas Eve. My mum half-jokingly suggested we have a Chinese takeaway. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea, and after a bit more discussion, we’ve decided to do that. I’m looking forward to it knowing that I won’t have to do a big shop or spend hours in the kitchen, I can just relax and spend time with my family instead.

Day Trip To Wales

Jen from Jet Virtual Assistant makes a trip to Wales every Christmas. ‘Every year my Dad and I would take my Granny over to Wales to lay a wreath on her parents grave as she couldn’t drive. It was always on a Sunday in December and we’d have a Christmas lunch afterwards in the pub next to the church. We lost her 7 years ago bless her but we carry on the tradition as a family for her now, still going with my Dad but also taking my mum, husband and kids! We have a lovely Christmassy day out in Wales as a family, some amazing food and remember our Granny.’

A Danish Christmas

Karalee from Tales Of Belle says ‘I am originally from the US and after moving to Denmark, my Christmas traditions have changed. On Christmas Eve, I will go to my partner’s grandfather’s house for dinner. During downtime, we will watch classic Christmas movies on tv. As well as the final episode of the Christmas calendar tv series. We then eat dinner, which consists of duck with boiled potatoes, caramelized potatoes, and pickled red cabbage. Afterwards, we will eat risalamande for dessert, which is rice pudding with chopped almonds that is topped with a cherry sauce. We will then dance around the Christmas trees singing traditional Danish songs and afterwards we will open presents.’

Going To A Crib Service

Hannah from Hannah And The Twiglets shares her tradition. ‘It’s only a simple thing but on Christmas Eve we always head to a local church’s crib service in the afternoon. We’re not really religious but it’s something I always did as a child that I have fond memories of. Plus the children enjoy it as they get to walk around the church holding props related to the Nativity story. We walk there and back and look at all the lights in the houses. Then afterwards we go home for mince pies and mulled wine (adults only for that part!). It always feels lovely and festive.’

Creating A Reindeer Runway

Sarah from The Good Thing Is Though says ‘Every Christmas Eve my husband goes into the back garden and lays the ‘reindeer runway’ for my three sons. It’s basically just two big long waterproof strip lights but it is completely magical! My kids are now 4,8 and 10 and although the eldest two no longer believe, they really get on board with this for their little brother. They all leave the carrots at the end of the runway (which we have to remember to go out and bite before we go to bed!) then we come inside and watch a Christmas movie, with the lights twinkling invitingly. It’s absolutely my favourite part of the festive season.’

Christmas Eve Celebrations

Jennifer from Ecoralive says ‘On Christmas Eve, we usually go to my grandma’s place where the family comes together (only 7 people). We have dinner together, traditionally it’s sausage and potato salad though my mother now makes vegetarian alternatives for her and my sister, and I bring my own. Afterwards, we talk (my mother and my uncle argue) and then it’s time for exchanging presents. I usually only buy things for my mother and my sister. And a lot of times, I just get gifted cash since no one knows what to buy me. We finish the evening by watching TV, usually some kind of Disney movie.’

Christmas Pyjamas

Mandi from Glamping Or Camping says ‘Every Christmas Eve, all nine of us plus the dog go for a family walk to the local fort and then come home to a hot chocolate and all of the children receive a tree present – usually a new pair of PJs to wear to bed for Santa and a game of some kind for them all to play together, we also sit and read Twas the night before Christmas and sing 12 days of Christmas in their new PJs just before bed.’

Using Different Paper For Each Person

Tracy from Mind Over Money Matters says ‘When my boys were little Santa used to wrap their presents in different paper. So we could easily know whose presents were whose, of course, the paper was different to the ones we used. Later on Christmas day, the boys would find a present that Santa had ‘dropped’ somewhere in the house. This was wrapped half and half and was always present to share/do together, like a little game. My boys are in their 20s now and still look for the present Santa dropped. Now it’s more likely to be a bottle of very hot chilli or a top golf voucher. It really is a lovely Christmas tradition ‘

Opening Presents After Lunch

Angela from The Best Burger Restaurants ‘My Christmas tradition was created before I was born and now we do it with our children as well. Our Christmas Day is extended to keep the presents until after lunch. We then all sit together and take turns to open one each at a time. This keeps the excitement going all day and makes everyone appreciate what is given which I think is lovely.’

Limiting The Presents You Buy

Catherine from Wales With Kids shares her tradition. ‘A Christmas tradition that my Mum introduced about 10 years ago into our family was Kris Kindle. She thought it would be a better way to reduce the cost of Christmas for everyone, especially since us four girls were married/had partners and children were soon to be added into the mix. There is an upper limit, and everyone gets one present. With Christmas being an expensive time of year in my family (we have 5 birthdays and a wedding anniversary in December/early January). She believed it was a better way to handle things. We’ve carried it on, even after her death. And is much better than trying to buy something for 8 adults, along with our children, partners and my Dad.’

Do you have any Christmas traditions that you would like to share? Drop them in the comments below and we would love to read them. Have an amazing Christmas this year, creating memories with the family. Whether you start a new tradition. Or you carry on with an old family one, I’m sure you will have a great time. Merry Christmas.