Being part of a family inevitably means there will be traditions passed down through the years. Many people
share specific Christmas traditions with their family that they learned from their own families growing up.
But maybe you’re just beginning your Christmas holidays
as a family and you don’t really have any traditions of your own yet. There are many popular traditions that you can
pick from and make them a part of your own holiday traditions. There are traditions that are suitable for any age group.
One favorite holiday tradition in many families is making Christmas
cards to send out. You can choose to send cards personalized with your own family photo and a poem or a few lines telling
the receiver what they mean to you. If you don’t have the time to make Christmas cards, you can get store bought ones
and add your own touch to them.
Another well-known
holiday tradition is attending a church event together. Many churches have Christmas Eve services that are beautiful
with all the decorations and the soft glow of candlelight. Many churches choose to pass on the live poinsettias they use in
decorations on to the people who attend the service.
Young children can write a letter to Santa and take it to the local post office. Some post offices have
a special box set up just for letters from Santa.
Kids
can also get involved in decorating the Christmas tree and as you hang the ornaments on the tree, if there’s
no history behind the ornaments, you can share bits of your history with your child or talk about the meaning of Christmas.
Putting up the tree can become a time of sharing conversation that children
look forward to. You can start a tradition of listening to certain holiday songs as you put up the tree. One family
listened to Bing Crosby Christmas songs while putting up their tree over forty ago, then their grown children kept up the
tradition and later passed it on to their children.
A well received tradition is the practice of dining by candlelight on Christmas Eve and afterward, each family
member opens one gift. You’ll want to set aside a particular gift on Christmas Eve so that you’re not digging
through the piles of gifts to find it.
After
the gifts are open, gather together to sing Christmas songs. Christmas is filled with anticipation of the coming day
and the days leading up to it should be celebrated just as much as the day is.
Most cities have Christmas parades or Christmas music shows that residents can attend.
Make it a habit to attend one every year.
The
night before Christmas, begin the tradition of reading a Christmas book, sharing the Christmas story, or watching a much
loved Christmas movie together.
Whatever
traditions you decide to incorporate into your family, you’ll be glad you did. It’ll give everyone something to look forward to and make the holidays more meaningful.
