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6 People, 2 Months, 1 Suitcase

Before leaving for our summer in Europe, we debated a lot of different packing configurations. Should we do carry-on only? Should we check a couple of small roller bags on the long-haul flights, then carry them on for shorter flights? … Read More

We love having a few family traditions to go back to this time of year! Some of them are ones we’ve done for more than a decade, and others are newer. Some we do every single year, while others we do every few years. The great thing is YOU get to decide what works for your family – they’re not meant to be stressful or overwhelming for you OR your kids. They’re they’re to serve you so do what’s easy and fun for your family and leave the rest!

I asked on Instagram (back in 2018, and here I am updating it with a few more in 2025!) for others to share their family holiday traditions, and it was so fun reading them. Now that we have older kids than we did 7 years ago, it’s fun seeing what has stuck around and what has evolved. Surprisingly, even things like reading a picture book each night is something that our family has held onto, and even though our teens don’t listen in on picture books at other times, they still come in for their favorites at this time of year. But we’ve also added a few more activities that are fun for the older ones (or included them in traditions that used to just be for Dan and me). Most of the teen-friendly ones are closer to the bottom of the list if you’re looking for those suggestions.

I hope you find something new to incorporate this year, or save them for a few years from now!

Daily Advent Activity Ideas

  1. Christmas picture book advent – wrap up a book for days 1-25 in December and open one each night. We love this, even with our older kids – the stories are so familiar to them now and even though they don’t listen to picture books other times of year, they still listen to these with us. When we first started this tradition over a decade ago, I borrowed books from the library and returned them as we read them. Then I bought a bunch of secondhand versions of our favorite books!
  2. Christmas chapter book read aloud – as kids get older, a chapter book might be more appropriate. We love listening to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever every year on audio, and I think I’ll read the full version of A Christmas Carol aloud to my older kids this year.
  3. 25 Days of Christ – The code PASSPORT will give you 25% off from Nov 19-22.
  4. Chocolate advent calendar – there are so many options for this, from $0.99 ones to ones that cost hundreds. Pick what works for you. This year, we did these darling interactive teddy bear advent calendars for our kids and this dark chocolate marzipan one for Dan and me.
  5. Service advent – have a small act of kindness that you each do every day. This can be something as simple as writing someone a note or smiling at someone new, or it can be a bigger activity like doing a 12 days of Christmas gift drop for another family.
  6. Scripture advent – read a scripture about Jesus each day. We loved doing this Christmas ABCs scripture advent when our kids were tiny, and we might bring it back with our little girls this year.
  7. Sing a Christmas song – simple and festive!
  8. Light an advent candle – we got a beautiful spiral advent candle holder a couple years ago (similar to this one) and it’s lovely to light one candle each day.
  9. Activity advent calendar – there are SO many options now! Think about what your family enjoys and I bet there’s an advent calendar suited to that. Here are some we’ve loved:
  10. Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar – We started doing the Jacquie Lawson interactive advent calendar a few years ago and it’s a delight! Each day has a little Christmas-themed animation and it’s so sweet and fun. It only takes a few minutes but we all enjoy it together.

December Advent Activity Ideas – Family Christmas Season Traditions

  1. New Christmas picture book each year
  2. Watch videos and read books about the Nutcracker. This is the best for preparing my kids and getting everyone excited to…
  3. Go watch a performance of Nutcracker! We’ve loved taking our kids (the boys and girls!) over the years. Here are some tips for taking kids to the Nutcracker.
  4. Polar Express night – we hide “golden tickets” inside the kids’ pillowcases before bed. Then after they’re tucked in, we blow a train whistle (we just play one on youtube), they jump out of bed and find their tickets, we have hot chocolate ready in thermoses, and we all hop in the car to go drive around and look at lights.
  5. Lights at the zoo – many cities have zoolight displays
  6. Go ice skating
  7. Play the bells – we have two sets of THESE bells and they are so so fun. Our kids (and adults) of all ages love them and they’re always super popular with visiting family & friends. (Use the code PREETHI for 10% off.)
  8. Visit a giant gingerbread house
  9. Make candles out of clementine oranges – I actually have no idea if this is an actual French tradition or if it’s just something my host family did years ago, but when I studied abroad in France, my host mom showed me how to do this. You basically make a little slit just through the skin around the middle, and then try to peel it off all in one piece with the middle stem attached. Then you pour in a bit of oil into the “cup” and light the “wick” (the middle stem). It’s so fun!
  10. Make snowpeople doors. We just stick construction paper eyes, noses, and scarves on our white bedroom doors to make them look like Frosty. Our kids think it’s the best thing ever.
  11. Hannukah food night
  12. Decorate a gingerbread house
  13. Celebrate Swedish Lucia night – attend a service, make Lucia buns, or just read this cute book
  14. Set out a basket of snacks, drinks, & treats for delivery people
  15. Christmas movies! Traditions don’t need to be fancy to be fun. We have so many favorites that we watch every year.
  16. Hang up mistletoe
  17. Attend a school concert
  18. Visit a holiday train display
  19. Bake cookies – we like to do gingerbread and shortbread, but sugar cookies are always popular
  20. Watch a video of the Nativity
  21. Host a gift exchange (book club, recipe club, ugly sweater, Christmas picture book exchange, cookie exchange, soup exchange, favorite things party, sock exchange, ornament exchange – the options are endless!)
  22. Send holiday cards
  23. Get poinsettias
  24. Write a yearly letter to your kids or partner
  25. Grinch night. Eat roast beast (Costco rotisserie chicken), who hash (hash browns), green milk
  26. Visit a bookstore to browse Christmas books
  27. Go see Santa
  28. Elf on the Shelf
  29. Fill stockings for each other
  30. Caroling and donating money raised (we’ve done this every year for a decade!)
  31. Holiday train ride (check for “Polar Express” rides!)
  32. Family talent show
  33. Make handmade ornaments (salt dough, etc.)
  34. Go to the dollar store to find sibling gifts
  35. Light parade
  36. Advent Box or Christmas Eve box with jammies, hot chocolate, snacks, Christmas movie/book (here was our family’s advent box from a couple years ago – we give it to our kids on Dec 1)
  37. Setting up mini trees in kid rooms
  38. String popcorn and cranberries for your tree
  39. Make a list of everyone who has been kind to you the past year
  40. Go window shopping
  41. Go caroling to neighbors
  42. Board game night
  43. Write letters to grandparents or older relatives
  44. Hot chocolate crawl – stop at different hot chocolate spots (even better if you can do it while walking to see lights)
  45. Make a countdown to Christmas paper chain
  46. Make a gratitude chain
  47. Make coupon service books
  48. Cut down or go pick out a Christmas tree
  49. Hot chocolate bar – my kids love this! Have lots of toppings for hot chocolate, like candy canes, sprinkles, caramel sauce, whipped cream, mini marshmallows, etc. You could even throw in some cute swizzle sticks.
  50. Host a cookie swap – everyone brings 2 dozen cookies and goes home with 2 dozen cookies of different varieties
  51. Christmas diary with summary of the past year and hopes for next year
  52. Holiday high tea at home or at a fancy hotel (here’s how we do our family Christmas afternoon tea at home)
  53. Christmas song off – this is one of our favorites! Each person has to name a Christmas song and whoever can keep going the longest wins. We keep track of ones that have been named in a spreadsheet. This is a great one with older kids – we had a couple kids beat us last year!
  54. Putting together gift boxes for children in need – check with local hospitals or refugee organizations
  55. Leave an anonymous note & candy bar on the windshield of a car
  56. Make freezer meals – these could be great to deliver to those in need (someone who is sick, just had a baby, etc.) or just to keep in your freezer for a busy season. This is a great one for teens to help with!
  57. Take treats to emergency personnel
  58. See a performance of A Christmas Carol – this is one of our family’s favorite activities and it’s so meaningful
  59. Make & deliver neighbor gifts – we’ve done homemade vanilla, homemade caramel sauce, soup in a jar, etc.
  60. Sledding or tubing
  61. Host a Christmas book club book exchange – another really fun one with teens
  62. Go see an ice skating performance
  63. Celebrate holidays around the world (This 12 Days of Winter Holidays Around the World is simple and fun!)
  64. Do a Handel’s Messiah sing along at home (we like to use this video made by our friend’s aunt and uncle)
  65. Attend a Christmas choral service or Evensong
  66. Kindness jars – each family member gets a jar and any time someone does something nice for someone else, they write it on a piece of paper and put it in that person’s jar. Then the kindness recipient gets to read all the kindness directed toward them on Christmas Day.
  67. “Tent Day” – make blanket forts and read Christmas books
  68. “Snowball” fight with marshmallows or these pretend snowballs
  69. Attend a performance of Handel’s Messiah (or participate in a sing along)
  70. Wreath making
  71. Wreath laying
  72. Make Christmas crackers – my 15 year old has done this for about 5 years for everyone in our family and it’s so sweet
  73. Christmas Eve Eve with friends – we host a few families for a soup party, sing carols and use our hand bells, the kids dress up and do a nativity, and we all hang out and have fun

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Traditions

Here’s how our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day generally look – we’ve done it like this for nearly a decade and it’s been lovely for our family. Lots of other ideas below!

  1. Set out cookies and milk for Santa
  2. Reading the nativity story Christmas Eve
  3. Letter for Santa
  4. Eat a “Bethlehem dinner” (foods Jesus may have eaten) – here’s how we do ours
  5. Light paper lanterns with neighbors on Christmas Eve
  6. Going to the movies on Christmas Day
  7. Give out “Best Lights” awards in your neighborhood – decide on your favorite light display and give out a paper award and bottle of Martinelli’s
  8. Make orange cranberry rolls for breakfast (here are all the Christmas Eve/Day foods we do in our family)
  9. Attend a Christmas church service
  10. Different colored wrapping paper for each person
  11. Create an obstacle course or scavenger hunt to get to the big present
  12. Make appetizers or fondue on Christmas
  13. Play a board game
  14. Do a puzzle
  15. Look at family photos/videos from past Christmases – it’s always fun to reminisce and laugh
  16. Unlimited hot chocolate in a slow cooker
  17. Sleep under the tree on Christmas night (we figure it’s fine if they’re grumpy the day AFTER Christmas)

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