December is near…and it’s the most wonderful time of the year! There’s a lightness in the air in December as people prepare for Christmas, going on vacation and catching up with family after a busy year. If you’re anything like us, as November draws to a close, we’re itching to break out the egg nog, Christmas decorations and carols to get into the festive spirit! Before you get Mariah Carey on a loop on your playlist, consider some of these Christmas family traditions to create lasting memories and closer bonds with your family.
- DIY advent calendars
We fondly remember the joy of opening up a window on our advent calendars each day of December and the anticipation for Christmas Day building with every chocolate consumed! If you’re a crafty mom, maybe you’re tired of the shop-bought advent calendars and want to try your hand at making your own calendar for the kids! Michaela’s mother-in-law made her sons their own quilted advent calendars when they were kids and filled each pocket with a treat they could enjoy each day.
If you need a quick and easy solution to a DIY advent calendar, look no further than our bright and colorful printable advent calendar! But wait, there’s MORE! We also have a free Christmas countdown calendar that you can download right here.
2. Decorate the Christmas tree and house
One of the most fun and memorable days of the holidays kids look forward to is decorating the Christmas tree and the house! Crank up the Christmas music, dust off the decorations and spend a few special hours with your kids getting your house ready for the holidays!
If you’re looking for something new and budget-friendly to add to your Christmas decorations this year, try our printable Merry Christmas banner in modern monochrome.
3. Write letters to Santa
Kids love nothing more than letting Santa know exactly what is on their Christmas wish lists! Plus there is some magic to thinking their letter is being delivered directly to Santa in the North Pole! Post the letter at your local shopping mall’s Santa’s postbox or if you’ve got your own set up in your front yard, even better!
Our editable letter to Santa is the perfect way for the kids to tell Santa whether they’ve been naughty or nice this year!
4. Go Christmas carolling
Nothing quite gets you in the mood for Christmas like going Christmas carolling or attending a Christmas carol service. Charity organisations and many schools host Christmas carol evenings which are such a memorable Christmas family tradition.
5. Gift wrapping
One of our favorite Christmas activities is wrapping the Christmas gifts with our kids, much like we did with our own moms as youngsters! This popular Christmas tradition is loved by creative little ones who will enjoy helping you wrestle with reams of colorful wrapping paper and bows to make gifts pretty. It’s a more suitable activity for older kids who understand that Santa isn’t actually the one who drops off the gifts on Christmas morning!
For something different this year, take a look at our printable digital Christmas papers and gift tags to wrap your gifts in.
6. Christmas cookie decorating party
Baking is a firm favorite in homes across the globe over Christmas time, especially whipping up a batch of delicious Christmas cookies to decorate! Invite your kids friends or cousins over for a fun afternoon of Christmas cookie decorating. We just love this watercolor Christmas party invitation to invite the troops over, featuring gingerbread Christmas cookies in festive shapes.
Speaking of gingerbread cookies, you don’t want to miss out on Lou’s to-die-for gingerbread cookie recipe! Thank us later!
7. Visit a local light display
Remember driving down your town’s main centre over Christmas to see the incredible light display? It was a much-anticipated Christmas family tradition that many of us carry into our own families as adults. Many local parks and neighborhoods have stunning Christmas light displays and nativity scenes to view, so take your kids and head out to see the lights!
8. Start your elf on the shelf challenge
Elf on the shelf is a standard annual practice here at Sunshine Parties and the kids just LOVE it! Is your elf naught or nice? Give him a name and change his location each day with a new challenge or activity the kids need to complete. We have this super cute Elf on the Shelf freebie including prompt cards and a hello and goodbye letter you can download here.
9. Make DIY Christmas gifts
There’s something so special about receiving a homemade gift knowing how much thought, love and time went into making it. We’re big fans of DIY gifts, especially for those hard to buy for people. From homemade Christmas candles to a jar of delicious cookies or candied nuts, we have a couple of fantastic DIY Christmas gift tutorials and printables you’ll love. Get the kids involved in the process and have some Christmas gifting fun together as a family.
If you need a last minute gift, these printable Christmas coupons will always go down well! Just be sure to follow through on the IOU!
10. Buy a new ornament for each child
This is one Michaela’s mom did (and in fact continues to do) since she was one year old! Your children each get to leave home with a box of their own special Christmas ornaments they can decorate their own tree with oneday and perhaps continue the tradition with their own children.
11. Gingerbread house contest
If you’re a family who loves to bake and take on the challenge of the Christmas gingerbread house with glee, a gingerbread house contest is a must-do Christmas family tradition! Set up stations with everything each team will need to create their gingerbread house, set a timer and get building! At the end, perhaps get granny or grandpa to judge the best gingerbread house or hand out various prizes for most creative house, most crazy house etc.
Never made a gingerbread house but want to start this fun and tasty tradition? Follow our easy step-by-step tutorial to become a gingerbread-house-making pro by Christmas!
12. Watch a Christmas show or pantomime
You know the holidays are near when you head to the annual Christmas show at the local theatre. Christmas shows and pantomimes are often geared towards the kids and are a real hoot for the little ones! Your kids will be begging you to go back the next day to watch the show again.
13. Watch a Christmas movie
Watching a Christmas movie is a fun Christmas Eve family tradition. Snuggle up on the couch in your Christmas PJs with a cup of hot cocoa in hand and laugh together watching a festive Christmas movie. If you’re not sure what to watch, check out our list of the best Christmas movies of all time.
14. Christmas talent show
Many families host a family talent show around Christmas as a fun family bonding activity! Everyone in the family has their own unique talents from dancing to singing, acting and painting. Organise a get together with your family and get each family member to perform their special talent for a night of belly laughs and unforgettable memories!
15. Hot chocolate bar
This is another great tradition for Christmas Eve or the evening after Christmas lunch. Set up a hot cocoa bar in the kitchen with marshmallows, whipped cream, cookies for dipping and well, anything your heart desires! You could set it up in this cute hot chocolate in a jar set of printables with assembly instructions or send them home as take home favors for your guests.
16. Host a Christmas party
Last but certainly not least, hosting a Christmas party over the holidays is such fun! Whether it’s Christmas lunch with the family or a get-together with friends, this is a Christmas tradition everyone loves. Clink the bubbly with your nearest and dearest, feast on festive treats and share laughs and great conversation with the people who matter most!
From a cheese and wine evening to an ugly Christmas sweater party or traditional Christmas dinner, we’ve got all the Christmas invitations you’ll ever need.
17. Christmas Games Night
What better way to get the whole family together than for a Christmas-themed games night? We’ve created a bunch of fun new Christmas games that all age groups can participate in and enjoy! We’ve got a Christmas-inspired Charades game, Christmas trivia game and Christmas dice game.
18. Christmas Newsletter
So many of us have family and friends scattered all over the country and world. It can be hard to stay up to date with everyone’s news, so give them the scoop with this fun and engaging annual Christmas newsletter!
Fun days and holidays to celebrate in December
December is jam-packed with important holidays and also a bunch of funny theme days to design your own Christmas family traditions around. Some of these are great to get grandparents involved in.
1 December: Basketball Day: have a family basketball match
3 December: Be a Blessing Day: do something nice for someone else and be a blessing in another person’s life!
4 December: Cookie Day: this is the perfect day for that cookie decorating party we mentioned because this is literally an entire day dedicated to cookies. Yum!
5 December: Bathtub Party Day: if your kids regularly take baths together then run a nice warm bubble bath, turn up the music and make bathtime a party today!
8 December: Toilet Paper Appreciation Day: while 2020 certainly made us appreciate toilet paper more than ever, there’s in fact an entire day dedicated to it. Toilet paper mummies or fashion show, anyone?
9 December: World Techno Day: an at-home dance party is a super fun and memorable tradition to start with your kids so put on those techno tunes and get moving.
10 December: International Animal Rights Day: visit an animal shelter and donate your families time or some money to their cause to teach kids the importance of animal rights.
12 December: Gingerbread House Day: this would be the perfect day to host that gingerbread house contest! You’ve got just under two weeks to start your training so get practicing to give your team a competitive advantage!
13 December: World Candle Lighting Day: light a Christmas candle with your family in memory of those who can no longer be with you during the holiday season.
15 December: International Tea Day: as tea lovers here at Sunshine Parties HQ, we’re all for an entire day dedicated to tea! Host a tea party with your kids complete with fancy tea cups and cookies.
17 December: A Christmas Carol Day: Charles Dickens wrote the classic book A Christmas Carol in 1843 and it continues to be a much-loved Christmas book. Read it together with your kids or watch the movie version of this classic.
20 December: Games Day: As Christmas draws closer, bond with your kids over a game night of some of their favorite board games from snakes and ladders to Monopoly and Cluedo!
21 December: Crossword Puzzle Day: keep your kids busy with a crossword puzzle and see who can finish it first.
24 December: Christmas Eve and Eggnog Day: like we mentioned above, our favorite Christmas Eve traditions include watching Christmas movies together or enjoying a hot cocoa bar. December 24th is also Eggnog Day so if you’re an eggnog fan, today is the day for it!
25 December: Christmas Day: the main attraction over December is Christmas Day with family Christmas traditions that may include opening presents on Christmas morning, attending church services and having a big family lunch or dinner.
26 December: Boxing Day: Boxing Day is traditionally a day to box up any unwanted items to donate to the homeless or local shelters. It’s also a great day to write out some handwritten thank you notes for the presents you received this year and hand delivering or posting to family.
31 December: New Years Eve: the last day of the year culminates in a big celebration to ring in a brand new year! Check out our New Years invitations and decorations to pull off an effortless and glamorous New Years Eve party.
Reflecting on all these wonderful Christmas traditions, it’s no wonder that Christmas is our favorite time of the year. As a season filled with so much love, light and joy for kids and adults alike, it’s almost impossible to not get swept up in the magic of Christmas. Do you have some Christmas traditions we didn’t mention here? Let us know what they are in the comments!
