Inside: 15 super simple holiday traditions to make the most of the season. Download your FREE printable bucket list now!
>>> Note: Scroll down for your FREE holiday tradition bucket list printable!
“Our most treasured family heirloom are our sweet family memories.” ~William Faulkner
When I think back to our oldest child’s first Christmas, I get feelings of anxiety. I wanted to do ALL. THE. THINGS. and he was just a baby. He wouldn’t even remember any of it. But I had to do it all. Or I THOUGHT I had to do it all.
Now that my oldest is a little bit older, I realize that I don’t have to do all the things or even do super Pinterest worthy things for him to enjoy the season. He mostly wants to spend time with us and eat Christmas cookies. 😃
When it comes to traditions, I try to keep it simple and consistent. My son loves when I bring out our Christmas Advent Tree and already knows what to expect.
In a previous post I talked about how to develop simple holiday traditions for your family. If you haven’t read that post already, I encourage you to do that now!
Today I will list several ideas that you can mix and match to create your own holiday season full of wonderful memories for years to come.
I do not encourage you to try all of these in one year. That would probably be overload and leave you and your family stressed out. Instead, pick 2-3 things that you can do and do them well. Focus on what your family likes and truly be present during the activity. If you decide you don’t want to do them again, that’s totally fine! Try something different next year. This list is just a starting point and I encourage you to make it your own.
Don’t forget to grab your bucket list printable at the end of this post so you can keep track of what your family loved.
Simple Holiday Traditions to Mix and Match
- Make hot chocolate and drink in festive mugs by a fireplace.
- Cut down a Christmas tree and decorate as a family. I love white lights and simple bulbs.
- Make homemade ornaments.
- Make sugar cut-out cookies and decorate them together. I love Ann Clark cookie cutters and lots of different colored sugar. Or you could have someone else do the baking and you do the fun decorating part. 🙂
- Have a holiday movie night. Some of our favorites (hint: use the arrows to see more):
- Drive around town to look at Christmas lights and decorations.
- Read holiday books from the library. Here are some of our favorites (hint: use arrows to see more):
- Make holiday crafts with your kiddos: paper snowflakes, felt Christmas tree, hand print wreath, salt dough handprint ornament.
- Play in the snow – make a snowman, snow angel, or snow fort.
- Participate in snow activities such as snow shoeing, skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, or ice skating.
- Attend a holiday parade or tree lighting ceremony in your area.
- Visit Santa, but think outside the mall. Churches will often have breakfasts with Santa. For a couple of years we visited the Santa at Art Van Furniture store and the display is beautiful, the line is usually short and the pic was free!
- Participate in a local 5k race. These are usually family friendly and it’s a great excuse to get outside and work off some of the extra food consumed during this time of year.
- Have a game night. This could be cards, board games or even video games. Here are some of our favorites! (hint: use the arrows to see more)
- Host a holiday party or attend a holiday party. This could be one of your bigger traditions, but it doesn’t have to be over the top. For ideas on simplifying hospitality, read this post.
Free Bucket List Printable
To help you make the most of your holiday season I have created a bucket list printable you can download here. The one page printable has the ideas listed above plus a few extras. There are also a few blanks for you to fill in your own ideas.
This year, instead of doing all. the. things. I hope you are encouraged to keep it simple. Pick a few (or maybe just one) traditions to celebrate the season together as a family.
Related Posts
How to Develop Meaningful Holiday Traditions That Won’t Leave You Stressed
Simplify and Enjoy Hospitality During the Holidays
How to Intentionally Spend Your Holidays!
Your turn
What simple holiday traditions does your family do every year? What simple traditions do you want to start this year? Pleas share in the comments below!
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