What are some easy Christmas traditions to start with kids?

Some easy traditions include creating a Christmas Eve box, baking cookies together, and making homemade ornaments. These activities are simple to organize and provide a rich experience that children will look forward to each year.

How can I make Christmas more meaningful for my children?

Involve them in giving by donating toys, making handmade cards, or participating in community service projects. Discuss the values of charity and gratitude, and perhaps reflect on the meaning of Christmas through stories or visits to places of worship.

What are some fun Christmas activities for kids?

Fun activities include watching holiday movies, crafting ornaments, and participating in a daily Advent calendar countdown. Other ideas could be organizing a family game night with Christmas-themed games or taking a winter nature walk to collect natural materials for decoration.

How do I involve my kids in Christmas preparations?

Let them help decorate the tree, prepare holiday meals, and choose gifts for family members and friends. Encourage them to suggest ideas for the holiday menu or help in wrapping gifts, fostering a sense of responsibility and creativity.

What are some traditional Christmas foods to make with kids?

Try baking gingerbread cookies, making homemade hot chocolate, or preparing a traditional Christmas dinner. Other options include creating a gingerbread house from scratch or making a fruitcake, allowing kids to engage in various culinary traditions. These activities offer both an educational and delicious experience for the whole family.

Christmas Traditions for Kids: Create Magical Memories

A family decorating a Christmas tree together in a cozy living room

Quick answer

A tradition is anything you do twice. Pick three, not ten.
The ones that stick are tied to a fixed day — Christmas Eve, December 1, the first Saturday in December.
Let the child own one of them: their job, their choice, every year.

Creating Cozy Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve is the easiest night to start a tradition, because the child is already waiting for something.

Prepare a Christmas Eve box with new pajamas, a holiday book, and a small toy for each child. You can choose themes such as 'Polar Express' pajamas with the book to match.
Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' together before bedtime, creating a calm and magical atmosphere. Consider adding a warm mug of cocoa to the routine for a cozy touch.
Leave cookies and milk out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. You can bake the cookies together earlier in the day and use a special plate just for Santa, which gets used every year.

Festive Baking and Cooking Traditions

Baking counts as a tradition after the second year.

Host a Christmas cookie baking day with festive shapes and decorations. Use cookie cutters in the shapes of stars, snowflakes, and Santa hats, and let each child personalize their cookies with colorful icing.
Make homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows as a special treat. You can set up a hot chocolate bar with various toppings like whipped cream, peppermint sticks, and chocolate shavings for added fun.
Prepare a traditional Christmas dinner together, involving kids in setting the table. Encourage them to help with small tasks like washing vegetables or stirring ingredients, fostering a sense of contribution and togetherness.

Make it magical with a video from Santa

Santa says your child's name, city and proudest achievement — in a real personalized video. Watch a free preview in 60 seconds.

Create a free Santa video

Decorating the Home Together

Decorating together, not for them.

Create handmade ornaments with your kids using simple materials like paper and glitter. You can personalize these ornaments with their names and the year, starting a collection that grows annually.
Decorate the Christmas tree together, letting kids choose their favorite ornaments. Share stories about each ornament's history or origin, which adds depth and personal connection to the decor.
Hang up stockings for each family member, including pets. Encourage kids to decorate the stockings with fabric paint or markers, making them uniquely theirs.

Advent and Countdown Traditions

Ways to count down that don't involve chocolate.

Create a countdown calendar with daily activities or treats. Include both simple pleasures, like a cookie recipe to try, and more engaging activities, like chatting with Santa online.
Read a chapter from a Christmas-themed book each night leading up to Christmas. This could be a story of the nativity, or a classic like 'A Christmas Carol', to instill a sense of storytelling tradition.
Plan a daily holiday-themed activity, like crafting or watching a Christmas movie. Consider including a mix of activities, such as a day dedicated to making Christmas cards for relatives or a night for a family sing-along with carols.

Engaging in Holiday Giving

The giving part — the one most families mean to do and forget.

Have kids choose a toy to donate to a local charity. Discuss why giving is important and perhaps visit the charity to see firsthand the impact of their generosity.
Create handmade cards for neighbors and friends. This can be a creative craft session where kids use stamps, stickers, and colorful paper, and it serves as a personal gesture of goodwill.
Participate in a community service project or a local food drive. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping pack food parcels offers children a practical lesson in kindness and community support.

Watching Classic Christmas Movies

One film, the same film, every year. That's the tradition.

Host a holiday movie night with classics like 'It's a Wonderful Life' or 'Home Alone'. Create a schedule leading up to Christmas with different movies each evening, making it a countdown event.
Have a pajama party and watch Christmas cartoons. Encourage kids to wear their Christmas pajamas from the Eve box, bringing full circle the cozy holiday atmosphere.
Create a cozy blanket fort for movie watching. This adds an element of play and comfort, turning the living room into a fantastical space for enjoying films together.

Free download

Christmas Traditions Tracker

Tick the ones you keep, note the year you started. Print it, stick it on the fridge and tick things off together. Enter your email and Santa will unlock the checklist plus a printable letter and Nice List certificate, free.