We don’t know about you, but we really love January. There is a newness in the air and hope for a bright year ahead. The chaos and go-go-go of Christmas is over and it is often the time most of us truly begin to unwind. A lot of family traditions revolve around big holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas but there is something to be celebrated every month of the year! That’s the magic of creating your own family traditions…you’ll always have something to celebrate! While many of us hear January and immediately think of resolutions, your family traditions in January can be about so much more!
1. New Year’s Day Brunch
Many people put a big emphasis on New Year’s Eve bashes, but we’ve always preferred New Year’s Day. A big party is sometimes fun but it’s also not great having the first day of a brand-new year a total right off because you’re tired (or had too much vino last night!). We just love the idea of a New Year’s Day brunch to start off the New Year with friends and family. Pop some bubbly and set out a feast for your nearest and dearest. Some of our favorite brunch items include:
- Cheese, deli meats and warm breads
- Sweet and savoury jams
- Muffins or croissants
- Fresh fruit
- Yoghurts
- Granola
You know what’s better than store-bought granola? Delicious, crunchy homemade granola! Lou has an easy homemade granola recipe you can whip up and serve to your guests at your New Year’s brunch! Crunch, nutty with a hint of sweet from the cranberries, it is always a winner!
2. Pits and Peaks of Last Year
After all the festive season festivities have died down in January, we like to take some time as a family to discuss our highs and lows of the year just passed. It gives your kids a chance to open up and feel safe to express their emotions. It is an opportunity to reflect on how everyone grew stronger or learned valuable lessons from those hard moments. Reflecting on the highs can also bring joy to the whole family and reinforce a sense of accomplishment.
3. Family Goal Setting
Instead of impossible to stick to resolutions, instead make New Year family goals! It could be running a race together, eating dinner at the table more often or each taking a turn to make a meal or do a chore every week. Shared goals strengthen bonds and unite families in a common purpose.
Use our printable goals and dreams planner to jot down all those family goals and stick it up on the fridge as a reminder.
4. Vision Board Collages
This is a really fun one to do with your kids. Grab that dusty pile of old magazines, A2 project board, craft glue and pens then get your collage on! First sit down with your kids to discuss their individual visions and hopes of what the year ahead holds for them. Maybe its improving grades or getting into the school play. Whatever it is, write it down on the project board and then use pictures, words and clippings from the magazines to create an inspiring vision board collage! Pin the vision boards up in your kid’s rooms and regularly review how they think it’s going to keep them focused on their goals this year!
5. Visit The Cinema
Before everyone goes back to work and school, go catch a family-friendly movie at the cinema. There’s something so fun about watching a movie on the big screen complete with all the tasty snacks and drinks. We all have fond memories of visiting the movies with our parents as kids, so make the same magic memories with your own littles!
If you’re not a cinema fan, bring the big screen home with an at-home movie night. We even have a set of concession stand printables so you can set up an at-home concession stand you can “order” popcorn, candy and sodas from before the movie!
6. Spend Time In Nature
It may be a little frosty outside, but the fresh air is so good for you and your kids. Personally, we love to spend some time out in nature in the New Year, probably because it feels so restorative and peaceful after a busy season. Plan a family hike, camping trip or backyard campfire to spend a little bit of time outside enjoying nature.
7. Golden Globes Party
Our copywriter, Michaela, was a big fan of the glitz and glam of Hollywood awards season as a child. Awards season starts in January every year. She recalls getting very excited for awards evenings like the Golden Globes to get to see all the beautiful dresses and red-carpet moments. If your kids are budding fashionistas and love all that glitters, then throw a Golden Globes viewing party on awards night! Roll out a red carpet, all dress up in your most glam attire and take turns strutting down the red carpet before gathering in the lounge to watch the red-carpet arrivals on TV.
You can set out some kid-friendly canapes and non-alcoholic bubbly to give the kids that Hollywood treatment! The awards ceremony itself can be a bit long for younger kids but if your little ones are a bit older or you invited friends to join in, take bets on who you think will win each category beforehand and have prizes handy for the winners.
Invite your guests over for your Golden Globes viewing party with these glamorous black and gold invitations. They are reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour and all text can be edited to suit your evening.
8. New Year’s Spring Clean
January 14th is in fact ‘Organize Your Home Day’ so what better time for a spring clean than in the New Year! Make your yearly clean out and declutter a family tradition by getting the kids in on it. Pack unused and long-forgotten toys or clothing that no longer fits into boxes and donate to your local shelters or charities. After getting a bunch of new toys, clothes and games for Christmas it’s important to teach your kids the joy of paying it forward by blessing those less fortunate with items that are still in good condition but no longer used.
9. Prep Gifts For Teachers
When school goes back after the Christmas break, it’s a sweet gesture for your kids to bring their teachers a back-to-school gift to set a good tone for the year. However, that can get expensive real fast when you’ve got more than one kid with more than one teacher!
We have some stunning DIY gift ideas complete with printables and assembly instructions that your budget and the teachers will love!
10. New Years Eve Games
When there are kids involved in your New Years plans, while they won’t always make it to midnight, its fun to include them in the celebrations. Which is why we love including a printable game or two to get everyone in the mood for celebrating.
We created this printable coloring-in page for kids of all ages to fill in as a New Years Eve activity. In fact, its one even the adults could get in on!
This activity sheet invites reflection on the highlights of the year that has passed and goal-setting for the year ahead, to get kids and adults excited and motivated for a brand new year!
We’ve also designed this super fun dice game which guests of all ages will enjoy participating in. All you’ll need is a print out of the game, dice and some candy. Depending on what you roll, you’ll follow the given instructions. If you want to put your own touch on the game, it is fully editable for you to make whatever changes you’d like.
Last but not least, it’s everyone’s favorite game with a NYE twist: Family Feud. Our printable NYE Family Feud game includes the game sheets along with instructions and answer sheets. Its sure to get the conversations flowing and laughs all-round!
Things To Do with Grandparents in January
We’re sure the kids got to see lots of granny and gramps over Christmas but if you’re lucky enough that they live nearby, why not extend the family bonding to January. It’s important to create time and traditions for kids with their grandparents to build close bonds.
Perhaps after the busy holiday season, you’re feeling like it’s time for a date night so create a family tradition that on the first Friday in January for example, your kids go for a sleepover at their grandparent’s house. That gives the kids quality time with their grandparents while you get some time to relax with your partner.
Our kids also love baking days with granny or days spent in grandpa’s workshop building and making things. Grandparents have such special skills and lessons to impart on our kids, so schedule some time for activities before the break is over.
Special Days To Celebrate in January
We love the idea of celebrating the big and the small occasions. Sometimes it’s nice to not have to fuss about a big celebration and just stick to the smaller, more intimate moments that become unique family traditions.
2 January: Swiss Cheese Day – boy do we love cheese, so sign us up for a cheesy day! If your kids don’t know the glory of cheese extends beyond cheddar and gouda, then set up a little tasting board of famous hole-filled Swiss cheeses. Emmenthal are Gruyere are just two of our favorites. Include some crackers and grapes for a family cheese night.
3 January: Women Rock! Day – this is actually a day that celebrates the talented female artists in the rock genre. So, go ahead and blast some Avril Lavigne while you play the air drums and rock out with your kids!
4 January: Spaghetti Day – so simple yet so delicious, serve up everyone’s favorite homecooked dish for dinner tonight.
10 January: Houseplant Appreciation Day – a quirky day dedicated to those hardworking houseplants that keep the air nice and clean in your home. Get your kids to help you water and tend to them today. Or go out to the plant nursery and have your kids choose a new addition to the growing plant collection.
15 January: Strawberry Ice Cream Day – as if we needed an excuse for ice cream! If you enjoy making your own ice cream, get your kids to help you make some homemade strawberry ice cream. Otherwise head out to your local ice cream store and grab some strawberry ice cream as a family. Yum!
16 January: International Hot & Spicy Food Day – today is the day to venture out of your comfort zone and feast on something spicy! From fragrant curries to spicy tacos, take your pick and serve up something hot for dinner tonight!
19 January: National Popcorn Day – that warm, buttery smell of popcorn will forever remind us of the movie theatre so what a nostalgic day popcorn day will be! Pack some popcorn in to your kid’s lunches or watch a movie after dinner and share a big bowl of popcorn as a family.
21 January: National Hugging Day – while hugging strangers isn’t a good idea, giving hugs to your kids doesn’t have any limitations. Dish out all the hugs today, even to the teens and tweens who now cringe at the thought of hugs from mom or dad!
23 January: National Pie Day – we love the versatility of pies and all the flavors you can play around with! Whether you bake a pie with your kids or order in one of each of their favorite pies, pie will most certainly be on the menu tonight. Dig in and enjoy!
25 January: Irish Coffee Day – Irish coffee traditionally has a shot of Irish whiskey that adds quite a kick and is topped with whipped cream. This is one for the parents, grandparents and older kids to enjoy!
29 January: Puzzle Day – we love doing puzzles with our kids, the challenge and problem solving is so good for developing, young minds! After dinner, gather around the table as a family and have fun putting together a challenging puzzle. The more eyes and helping hands the better!
30 January: Croissant Day – we love having an excuse to eat croissants for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Today set out a continental-style breakfast for your family complete with croissants, deli meats, cheese and jam. Heaven!
January really reminds us it’s the little moments in life that are sometimes more meaningful than any big celebration. Family traditions need not be restricted by holidays, any little thing can be turned into a family tradition. In fact, those are some of the best ones!
Don’t forget to Pin this to your family or holiday boards!
