Over 39 of the Best Christmas Family Tradition Ideas

I love Christmas Traditions. It just wouldn’t be a Family Christmas without yearly Family Christmas Traditions to look forward to doing together. Whether you’re starting a new family or have celebrated together for years, these Christmas Family Tradition Ideas will inspire you.

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For many of us, the perfect Christmas holiday includes Christmas recipes, finding the perfect present for family and friends, holiday parties with loved ones, delicious and amazing appetizers, and holiday games to play. Most important is the time we spend with our loved ones, whom we call our family. No matter how family looks to you, they are the ones that really make Christmas special.

Of course, those are all important traditions to keep, but it’s the little things like enjoying a cup of Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, while watching Christmas Movies in matching pajamas that mean the most.

However you decide to spend Christmas with loved ones, building memories together through Christmas traditions is an important part of any holiday.

Let’s take a look at 39 Christmas Family Tradition Ideas to get you started

Homemade Eggnog is so simple. It’s less expensive than the store-bought eggnog, and it’s not nearly as sweet. It’s a nice, simple, and easy tradition to start this year. 

Make up a batch of magical reindeer food to spread out on the lawn for the reindeer. The glittery sprinkles will help guide the reindeer to your home.

. Here is my family recipe for the very best sugar cookies ever! People request it constantly, and now I’m passing it on to you so that you can fill your home with the delicious smells of this cookie dough.

This Snowman Hot Chocolate Kit is the perfect gift to make and give out to your friends and family at Christmas.

These Christmas Minute to Win It Games are perfect for a fun-filled game night with family and friends. They are easy enough for young kids to play and challenging enough for teens and adults.

Everyone loves a good game of memory match. This one is a fun homemade memory match with a fun Christmas Theme. This Hershey’s Kiss Christmas Memory Match Game can be fun to play and enjoyable to eat afterward

Make up a batch of melting snowmen whipped cream toppers and freeze them to enjoy on a cold winter’s night with a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Most tree farms have complimentary hot cocoa and a gift shop. Some tree farms even have horse-drawn carriages. So Fun. If you’d rather not use a cut tree, many farms sell trees with the root ball wrapped in burlap. When you are finished using it for Christmas, you can plant it in your yard. Here’s a link to find a tree farm near you – click here

We always love to make ours out of graham crackers like those in the photo. This is a fun and easy family Christmas tradition to start. Find the “how to” on The South Carolina Homeschool Collection

Lately, Christmas has been so busy that we decorate sugar cones, and I buy mini gingerbread houses at the Dollar Tree for a Christmas scene. Here’s how you can make a Sugar Cone Tree – found on The Frugal Girls 

See what Santa’s reindeer are up to at any moment. Here’s a link to the Reindeer Cam – Click Here

Advent Calendar Ideas for Christmas

I love this simple advent calendar made from an over-the-door shoe rack. I found on Chica and Jo

This is such a cute and simple countdown to Christmas idea – Found on From ABCs to ACTs

This Advent Blessing Jar is full of blessings to read each day as you countdown to Christmas found on Thirty Handmade Days

Let the kids color their own religious advent and turn it into a Christmas craft – found on Sunday School Crafts

Nothing is more creamy and rich than a homemade cup of hot chocolate. Slow cooker hot chocolate is easy to make and enjoyed by all.

Fun Gift Exchange Ideas for Family Parties

White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas are so much fun to play and a great Christmas tradition to start. Kids, teens, and adults love to fight over fun Christmas Gifts in a fun way. This Christmas Gift Exchange Idea is found on Play Party Plan

I love this Christmas gift exchange game idea. It looks hilarious and a great way to make Christmas memories you will look back on. This Right Left Exchange is found on Christian Camp Pro

Host a small party for your kids to exchange socks as a new Christmas tradition. At a sock exchange party, the socks are a bonus gift. This Sock Gift Exchange Idea is found on Stockpiling Moms

Let the kids open up their Christmas Morning PJs on Christmas Eve 

My grown-up kids still expect pajamas on Christmas Eve. It’s a Christmas tradition they look forward to each year.

Make memories with a traditional family Christmas photo that you will cherish forever.

This is not a Christmas tradition that I ever started, but I love seeing the mischievous elf photos on Facebook. Find Elf on the Shelf Ideas on Handbags to Change Bags

Like Boo-ing your neighbors at Halloween, Elf-ing someone is leaving a stocking full of fun presents at someone’s door. Knock on the door and run. When they open the door, they will find a stocking full of presents to make their day. Find printables on Organized Christmas 

I learned this trick from my brother-in-law; it has been a family Christmas tradition ever since. My kids are in their teens and twenties, and my husband still loves doing this. Here’s how to make Santa Footprints. Grab a large baking pan and pour cornstarch in the bottom. Push a pair of boots into the cornstarch. Use the cornstarch-covered foot soles to make footprints on just about any surface. They will last until you vacuum them up.

We do this every year. Seeing people come together and worship at Christmas in a candle-lit room.

Make an overnight breakfast cake for a birthday cake to Jesus. Find the recipe for this overnight coffee cake on Plain Chicken

 

If you write a letter to Santa and place it in the mailbox with the flag up, chances are – he will write back. Find this free printable on It’s a Mom’s World

Snuggle up for a Christmas Movie Marathon with the family. Find a list of the Most Loved Christmas Movies on Let’s Lasso the Moon

Kids always love a themed meal. You can easily find breakfast ideas on the internet for Santa pancakes, Rudolph Pancakes, and Christmas Tree Pancakes. Find this Snowman Breakfast on Hoosier Homemade

The Polar Express is an old book filled with colorful illustrations. Recently, the Polar Express movie has become a Christmas classic. Having a Polar Express night is the perfect family Christmas idea to start. Find the “how to” on Teach Mama

Make a Christmas Eve Box as a Christmas Family Tradition to start. I found this adorable Christmas Eve Box on Growing a Jeweled Rose

Each of my kids has their own tree to decorate for their bedrooms. It’s so magical to go to sleep to the lights of a tree. Find out how to decorate a mini tree on Living Montisorri Now

Donating to a needy child is a great way to ensure your kids are filled with the Christmas spirit. You won’t believe how much joy it will bring to the recipient and the giver. This is a great family Christmas tradition to start. Find this printable on Living Locurto

Looking at light displays is a Classic Family Christmas Tradition. Here’s a Christmas Light Display Finder Link 

Homemade ornaments are the most Sentimental Ornaments and a great Christmas tradition to start this Christmas.

Christmas crafts and Christmas Food Ideas are great ways to make memories, and you get to keep most crafts as a reminder from year to year.

We used to volunteer at Merry Meals. My kids got such joy out of helping others shop for their food. Check out Wheels for Wishes to find a local soup kitchen near you.

I used to take my kids shopping for a little girl or boy each Christmas. They loved filling the shoebox with the requested items from Operation Christmas Child.

Hiding a pickle in a Christmas tree is an American-German tradition. The person who finds it first on Christmas morning receives a reward or a blessing for the new year.

Reading Christmas books will only last while your kids are young, so do it often and enjoy the memories you make with this Christmas tradition.

Here’s where you can sign up to ring the bell during the Christmas season together. A wonderful Christmas tradition to do with your family.

That’s it for Now! I hope you’ve found at least one Christmas tradition that will fit just right for your family.

Merry Christmas! 

~Melissa – Kid Friendly Things To Do