I’ve always thought there was something magical about the holidays. Now that I have kids I want them to see it that way as well. The holidays are more than presents and gifts and Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. My favorite memories from the Christmas season were always those involving my family. I can’t tell you what I got for any of my childhood holiday gifts but I can remember who we went to see and the joy it brought me.
Due to this, I believe that the “something you need” that you should be getting for your kids is more than gifts or tangible items. It’s the intangible that they need, love, memories, your time, and traditions. These are the REAL gifts that you’ll give your child that they will carry with them.
So what should you do? You should figure out a few traditions and activities that you’d like to repeat every holiday season. There are a bunch of ideas below. Most of them you should be able to create a DIY option to accomplish and if you don’t want to DIY, I get it. I’ve also included a few links to awesome stuff to make sure you don’t have to go the extra mile if you’re already exhausted from this season. So, let’s get to the good stuff… read on my love! Read on!
The Gifts and Traditions That Make Memories
Movement
- Go sledding, skiing, tubing, or snowshoeing on the same day every winter or do it every weekend.
- Go on daily walks even when it’s snowy. This idea although not particularly novel is seemingly difficult to accomplish in colder weather.
- Listen to holiday music during every December breakfast and dance and sing while you eat!
Food
- Share cookies or your favorite dessert every Christmas eve, whether you make them from scratch or not, although I do hope you make them from scratch.
- Have a popcorn party and a movie every Saturday evening when it’s snowy.
- Drink hot cocoa outside.
Hands On
- Host a cookie decorating party (or gingerbread house). My grandmother always made sugar cookies and let us decorate and to this day that is my favorite part of Christmas.
- Make DIY decor for the house. Let the kids get creative and go crazy. Give them glue and popsicle sticks and cotton balls, whatever is age-appropriate, and let them be the ones who decorate!
- Have a hot cocoa bar with your kids.
- Get in the habit of doing some sort of advent calendar. I’ve personally found this particular tradition hard to incorporate because my twins will be just under 2 this holiday season. Giving them something sweet every night after dinner seems a bit much. There are a few DIY options I’m looking at as well as a few non-candy advent calendars out there. I’d love to DIY, but time is something a twin mama of 3 must dole out carefully.
- Decorate the tree together every year the day after Thanksgiving. Setting the mood of the season makes a lovely memory for your children.
- Order a kit to decorate a wooden house or sleigh!
Togetherness
- Have a holiday movie marathon, or a 25 day count down with a new movie every evening.
- Make a gingerbread blanket fort every year. EVERY YEAR. Get all those boxes from deliveries out. Line them up, tape them together, whatever it takes.
- Drive or walk around and see the lights that were put up by your neighbors.
