Christmas is a holiday that is meant to be enjoyed all December long. There are so many fun family traditions to celebrate the holidays. Here are 30 Family Christmas Tradition Ideas you can do at home with kids in 2021! Download the Christmas Cheer Calendar which includes one Christmas activity a day!
This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click through and make purchases, I may earn a commission. For more information, feel free to see disclosure.
Why Holiday Traditions are Important
The holiday season is here and now is the time we get to celebrate family, food and fun all month long. The other day I was talking with my daughter about Christmas and she said she enjoyed the build up to Christmas just as much as the actual day. I could not agree more!
When we think of Christmas, we remember all the Christmas Traditions of our family. Some of the most simple Christmas traditions are the ones we remember the most, like watching movies or driving around to look at Christmas lights.
As our kids get older, they will not remember every single Christmas gift that they got, but they will remember the spirit and the magic of Christmas.
The Best Family Christmas Tradition Ideas
Some of the best Christmas traditions are the simple ones that we can do at home. This list of family Christmas traditions includes things to do at home, ways to serve others and easy activities to do close to home.
Simple Christmas Traditions to Do at Home
- Watch a Christmas movie. This is a good list of Family Christmas Movies! You can take your movie watching to the next level with themed snacks. For example, consider watching Elf with all the candy and sugar! Download the Christmas Movie Bingo Game!
- Make Paper Snowflakes. There is not a easier holiday craft than making paper snowflakes. The best part about this craft is that these make pretty decorations!
- Pick a New Family Ornament. One of our favorite family Christmas traditions is to pick out a new ornament together. Sometimes, we pick out an ornament while on a vacation and other times we choose an ornament based on something we all like at the time.
- Make Gingerbread Houses. You can make your own gingerbread houses from scratch or keep it much easier with one of these Gingerbread Kits.
- Read a New Christmas Book. We like to keep all of our Christmas books in one spot, so that we can grab a book anytime. It is fun to add a new Christmas book to the collection each year.
- Make Homemade Christmas Presents. Some of the best gifts are the ones that are made by you with love. There are several easy DIY gift ideas including bath salts, cookie mixes, candles and homemade baked goods!
- Send Holiday Cards. Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to put together holiday cards. But your friends and family (especially those that live far away), do appreciate those Christmas cards that you send each year.
- Try Christmas Song Karaoke. Get one of these Karaoke Microphones and then have a Christmas Sing-a-Long at home! We have one of these microphones and it is so much fun!
- Do a Holiday Themed Puzzle. One of our favorite Holiday Traditions to do while the kids are on winter break is to work on a puzzle together! Set out the puzzle on a table and let everyone work on it whenever they want.
- Stay in PJs and Relax All Day. The holiday season is not just about the hustle. Be sure to carve out time to relax and hang out as a family!
- Set up a Hot Cocoa Station. Make it easy to have hot chocolate anytime you want this season by setting up a designated area of your kitchen with all the hot cocoa ingredients. One year, I surprised the kids with an outdoor hot chocolate station for a fun, after school treat!
Christmas Traditions That Serve Others
- Donate a Toy or Clothing to a Charity. It does not too much searching to find organizations and charities that have donation needs. Work together as a family to decided on what to donate and where to donate these items. One of our favorite organizations is Samaritan’s Purse. We pick a few items from the Holiday Catalog to donate. It is amazing what a small amount of money can do to help a family or a village!
- Pay for the coffee for the person behind you in line. Not a coffee drinker? Look for a way to pay it forward the next time you are out at the stores during the holidays!
- Leave Treats for Your Delivery Crew. One simple way to spread holiday cheer is to express gratitude to those that help you all year long. Print out this Delivery Driver Snack Note Delivery Crew Treat Printable and then fill a basket with some goodies. We started this tradition last year and our delivery crew was unbelievable grateful for this gesture.
- Look for a Way to Serve Others. Are there some simple ways you can help out others in your community? There are so many easy things you can do to serve that do not cost you anything. Some ideas include running errands for an elderly neighbor, shovel snow for your family and volunteer at a food pantry!
- Write Thank You Notes. Once the gifts have been opened, it is time to write thank you notes. Spend an afternoon writing out all of your thank you notes!
Fun Christmas Activities for Kids and Family
- Have an Ugly Sweater Party This is a party you can just do with your own family or you can include family and friends! Designate a night at home for the entire family to wear their favorite Christmas sweaters or plan a Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Award prizes for the most creative outfit!
- Make Your Own Tree Ornaments Get crafty this holiday by making your own Christmas ornaments. These DIY Snow Globe ornaments are so easy to put together!
- Have a Real or Faux Snow Ball Fight. If you are lucky enough to have a White Christmas (season), be sure to let loose with the kids and have a family snow ball fight. If you do not end up with any snow (or live somewhere warm), you can use this Faux Snowball Kit!
- Bake a New Cookie Recipe. There is nothing better than the smell of baked goods in the kitchen at the holidays. Try out a new cookie recipe with the kids. Or better yet, try out a couple of new recipes and have a cookie taste test! You can download this Holiday Baking Supplies Checklist to make sure you have everything you need on hand.
- Deliver Treats to a Neighbor or Friend. Once you have a lot of baked goods, be sure to share the love with your friends and neighbors. It is so easy to put together a package of goodies!
- Take a Hike and Drink Hot Cocoa. After all of the Christmas treats, it is good to burn off some energy! Get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air as much as you can! Reward the family with a warm drink when the hike is over!
- Wrap Presents Either this is one of your favorite activities or if you are like me, one of your least favorite activities! But, either way, it is a tradition that needs to be done each year. As your kids get older, let them join in the fun of wrapping presents together! Use brown kraft paper wrapping and then have the kids write personal notes or drawings on all the packages.
- Play Christmas Lights Bingo. One of our family’s favorite traditions is to put on our pajamas and drive around to look at Holiday Lights! We have made it even more festive these last years by playing Christmas Lights Bingo!
- Make Reindeer Food. If you have little ones at home, you will want to make Reindeer Food! This Reindeer Food Recipe is bird and wildlife friendly! Sprinkle some of this food on your lawn on Christmas Eve!
- Exchange White Elephant Gifts. Let the kids have fun picking out inexpensive and silly presents for each other. Set a $5 limit and then head to the Dollar Store and let each person come up with fun White Elephant Gifts. Then, exchange these gifts on Christmas Eve!
- Make a Holiday Themed Charcuterie Board. Last year, we made a Holiday Charcuterie Board on Christmas Eve. We went to Christmas Eve church service and then came home and had our Charcuterie Board.
- Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. On Christmas Eve read this classic book as a family.
Christmas Day Traditions
Every family has special and meaningful Christmas traditions. One of our favorite Christmas Day traditions is to make Reindeer Pancakes! My kids count on these pancakes every year. It is nice not to have to think about what to make each Christmas morning!
Family Christmas Tradition Ideas
30 Days of Christmas Traditions Calendar
Are you ready to start some new family Christmas traditions? Download the 30 Days of Christmas Cheer Calendar and get started making holiday memories!
You do not need to do the activities in order or necessarily do every single one of them. The purpose of this calendar is to help you promote and encourage Christmas fun with your family! So do some or all of the activities!
This Christmas activities calendar will help you establish new traditions as well as keeping some of your old traditions!
What are some new fun Christmas traditions you start this year?
Looking for more holiday activities to do with family? Check out these posts:
25 FAMILY NEW YEARS EVE ACTIVITIES
10 FAMILY GOALS TO MAKE IN 2022
Gosh I love all of these holiday traditions- thanks for the reminders 🙂