5 New Christmas Traditions For The Family

Everyone's heard, “it’s better to give than to receive,” but explaining to a child exactly why this is true can be difficult. For those of us who have found the commercialism that seems to have taken over much of the Christmas spirit troubling, starting some new family Christmas traditions can go a long way toward not only providing an explanation but also a demonstration of why giving is better than getting, especially when that giving is from the heart.

New Tradition #1: Christmas Tree for Another Family

The tried and true tradition of picking out, taking home and decorating the Christmas tree can be made even more fun this year by each family member designing a personalized ornament for another member. For an added touch, how about providing a small tree with some lights and ornaments for a family who otherwise might not be able to afford one or for a widow who may be spending Christmas alone? This can be augmented with a goodie box with some seasonal treats or taste temptations, but mostly it’s the giving to those less fortunate that’s the idea.

New Tradition #2: Christmas Concert as A Family

As the countdown to Christmas Day proceeds there are some things that you can do to heighten the excitement of the advent season and spread the cheer throughout the weeks leading up to the big day. Get the family together for a Christmas Concert staged by a local performing arts or college group. Another worthwhile Christmas tradition can be established by putting together your own singing group, learning some of the more popular Christmas Carols and walking through your neighborhood to view the different Christmas Light decorations on display while providing a bit of entertainment to your neighbors at the same time.

New Tradition #3: Treasure Hunt for Christmas Gifts

While gift giving will always be an important part of the Christmas celebration, there are some unique ways to spice up this activity to make it more enjoyable and to extend it out just a bit longer. One method to accomplishing this is to have a treasure hunt to uncover the location of one gift for each family member. This could incorporate the use a map, written clues or 20 questions. Other fun ideas include elaborately designed gift presentations or a contest to see who can come up with the most deceptively wrapped present.

New Tradition #4: Show Appreciation

Christmas traditions are what we make them and those that become traditions are the ones that are meaningful or enjoyable enough to want to do again next year. Taking some cookies to your local fire department to give to the firefighters working the holiday shift is a nice touch and a great way to let them know you appreciate all they do for us in the normal fulfillment of their duties. Pick a name from one of the local “angel” trees and give a nice gift to an underprivileged child in your area.

(Not So) New Tradition #5: Spend Quality Time with  Family

When Christmas Day arrives, you already know the kids are going to awaken at the crack of dawn to check their stockings and see what Santa’s left during his nightly rounds. Maybe a worthwhile and meaningful tradition to establish this year is to wake everyone up even earlier, get together with your coffee or hot chocolate and watch the sunrise together. Take pictures, spend some quality time together expressing what the day means to each family member and write these down in a journal to be saved and then revisited in succeeding years. This is the season of love. Create it, share it and express it to those who are important to you

We would love to hear from you. Share with us your favorite Christmas Tradition in the comments below and remember the “Reason for the Season”.