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As the holiday season approaches, you are probably excited to implement Christmas traditions for kids—traditions you can start with your new little family for years to come.
Celebrating Christmas with your kids is truly magical. As an adult, I look back on my childhood memories surrounding Christmas and can’t help but smile. For me, Christmas has ALWAYS been the best time of the year. I was always filled with joy and excitement. I would not change a thing.
Remember the scene from Elf when they announce Santa is coming to town? Then Will Ferrell screams “SANTA!” That’s how I felt waking up every Christmas morning. I want my kids to feel the same way. I want their childhood to be filled with love, excitement, and happiness.
If you want the same for your kids, you’ll love this list of Christmas traditions for kids.
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Best Christmas Traditions for Kids
Before Christmas Activities
1. Write a Letter to Santa
As a former teacher with an M.Ed in Reading, I LOVE this one. It’s a great tradition for elementary school children. What an exciting way to practice writing AND discover what your kids want for Christmas this year.
These letters will also make for great keepsakes. I look back at things I wrote as a kid and can’t help but laugh.
2. Make Homemade Gifts
Family members always adore handmade gifts from little ones. I started this tradition with my daughter and can’t wait until my son is old enough to join the fun.
If you’re looking for Christmas traditions to start with your baby, this is a great activity to continue throughout the years.
Every year we make handmade ornaments to give to family.
How precious is it to look back on these adorable ornaments year after year?
3. Christmas Music Decorating
I fondly remember my Granny loudly playing Christmas music while getting things done around the house.
Every year, we play Christmas music loudly and decorate the house together. Recruit the whole family to decorate the tree and the rest of the house.
4. Pick Out Your Tree Together
Most people have artificial trees these days. But if you are a real Christmas tree person, pick out your tree together.
5. Read Christmas Stories
If you don’t have a Christmas book selection for your kids, create one now!
Reading to your kids is essential. Every December we break out the Christmas books and read a story every night before bed.
Your kids will look forward to cozying up and reading together. It is also a great way for you to discover your kids’ favorite books. This discovery will spark ideas about what new books should be added to the collection. Mental note for Santa!
This is one of the greatest holiday family traditions.
(RELATED POST: 62 Family Favorite Toddler Christmas Books)
6. Advent Calendar
Advent Calendars are a great way to countdown the days until Christmas. There are SO many advent calendars out there.
Choose one that will pique your child’s interest. Some advent calendars include Christmas stories, chocolate, fun accessories, lip balm, cars, and the list goes on.
7. Set Up Your Christmas Nativity Scene
As a little girl, I vividly remember the nativity scene on display every year. Set up the nativity scene as a family on your window sill, mantlepiece, or wherever else you’d like to showcase it.
Take this opportunity to discuss each piece and the true meaning of Christmas.
8. Visit Santa
This is such a classic. Don’t you just love taking your kids to visit Santa?
Watching their little faces light up when they see Santa Claus is so special.
9. Buy An Ornament to Celebrate the Year
I am a sucker for sentimental ornaments. This is the ornament we bought this year to remember the year we became a family of four.
You can also have your kids make ornaments. My parents still decorate their Christmas tree with ornaments I made as a little girl.
10. Make a Christmas Wreath
Everyone loves a good wreath and kids adore crafty activities. So they will LOVE making a Christmas wreath with you that you can hang in your home and admire every holiday season.
If you need some Christmas wreath inspiration, here is a great post!
11. Make Your Own Gingerbread Village
Here’s a super fun tradition to start with your littles. Why just decorate gingerbread cookies or build a gingerbread house when you can build a whole village?
This kit comes with tools to make gingerbread cookies into shapes that you can use to create the village.
There are three different style houses, 17 stainless steel cookie cutters, decorative stencils, a frosting scraper, frosting bags, and other helpful tools to make building the village a breeze.
13. Christmas Lights
Our family visits a nearby park every holiday season. Local businesses come together and go all out to decorate the park for the community to enjoy. Every year we drive through the park to admire the lights.
There is a spot where you can enjoy hot chocolate, Christmas shop, eat yummy food, and visit Santa.
If your town offers something similar, this is a wonderful Christmas tradition.
14. Christmas Walk
Take a walk in your neighborhood with your kids to ooh and aah at all the beautifully decorated homes.
In my grandparents’ neighborhood, there is one street in particular that everyone marvels at. Every single house on the street participates. The neighbors drive their golf carts down the street to admire the lights while listening to Christmas music. It is so magical.
15. Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate and winter go hand in hand. Sip on hot cocoa by the fireplace and don’t forget the marshmallows!
16. Family Photos
This is something I am super excited about doing this year. I bought this camera because time goes by so quickly and I wanted to be able to capture all of the moments. Both big and small. With an amazing camera of course! My phone was not cutting it.
This year I am snapping my own family photos and making our own Christmas cards to send out to family and friends.
17. Kids Christmas Party
Host a fun Christmas party for your kids and their friends. You can serve hot chocolate, fun finger foods, and play holiday movies and games.
A fun idea is to have the kids decorate their own cookies.
18. Elf on the Shelf
This is a fun holiday tradition kids will look forward to each year. It does require some creativity and extra work.
Begin by reading the story. I guarantee your kids will race out of bed every morning to find the Elf and see what mischief he’s gotten into overnight. The Elf is always good for a laugh.
You can even have your kids write letters for the Elf to deliver to Santa.
If you need help coming up with creative ideas, this set does the planning for you.
19. Holiday Arts and Crafts
This is a holiday must. Let your little artists express their creativity. My favorite holiday arts and crafts for kids are in the post below.
(RELATED POST: 15 Festive & Genius Christmas Toddler Activities)
20. Family Wintery Fun
Depending on where you live, you and your family can go sledding, skiing, ice skating, build a snowman, make snow angels, or any other outdoor wintery activity.
Christmas Eve Activities
21. Family Pajamas
In our family photos this year the kids will be in matching pajamas. I have matching dinosaur pajamas for my kids and I can’t wait to see how precious these pictures turn out.
These are the pajamas I picked out for my son and here are my daughter’s pajamas. Aren’t they fabulous?
This brand seriously has the cutest pajamas for kids. You need to explore and pick out matching pajamas for your little ones to wear together this year.
A fun family tradition is to give each family member a new set of pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve.
22. Make Christmas Cookies for Santa
Make delicious cookies to leave out for Santa. With a glass of milk of course!
23. Open a Gift on Christmas Eve
Let everyone open one gift. Just one!
24. Watch Christmas Movies
I don’t know about you, but we can’t go a year without watching A Christmas Story.
Snuggle up with your family and have a Christmas movie night. Or a few during December!
Christmas Day Activities
25. Secret Santa
If you have a big family, this is a great tradition.
Watching your kids pick out the perfect gift for the giftee will warm your heart.
26. Christmas Morning Breakfast
Depending on the level of excitement in your house you might decide to have Christmas morning breakfast before or after opening gifts under the tree.
Our family is always too excited and I can hardly brew coffee fast enough. So Christmas breakfast is something we enjoy after tearing into presents.
27. Watch a Christmas Parade
Tune into the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Parade on Christmas morning for some extra excitement.
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