"One of my favorite childhood memories involved helping my grandma prep for holiday dinners. I’d help her clean off the dining room table that was only used for special occasions before setting it with her fancy plates—yes, this is where I learned the “fork goes on the left” rule. From there, it was time to bake. I may be biased, but grandma made some of the best pies this world has ever seen, and when she did, it was a production. I loved spending endless hours in the kitchen with her learning everything she knew. Now, I can only hope I can pass this pie baking family tradition onto my kiddos one day, too.
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Why You Should Start Family Traditions
Family traditions are repeated rituals that provide a sense of identity and help tell the story of your family. Recreating the same experience, whether it’s once a week or around specific events like birthdays or holidays, builds shared memories. The hope is that each time you do it, you’re reminded of all the previous (hopefully happy) experiences you had doing the same thing. And that they become cherish childhood memories for your kids that they remember for years to come. To this day, I can’t taste pumpkin pie without comparing it to my grandma’s baking.
We all have our own version of the pie-baking marathon—a unique family ritual we experienced growing up. As we become parents and form our own families, we get to decide which of those to carry forward into our holiday celebrations and daily life. We also have the chance to form new traditions, like the ones listed below.
Building new traditions can be a lot of fun, so here are some ideas for meaningful every day and holiday rituals to get you started.
Holiday Family Traditions
1. Camp out in front of your Christmas tree
Keep the tree lights on, read holiday books, and snack on Christmas treats. It may be too chilly to camp outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t set up camp right there in the living room. Grab some sleeping bags, extra pillows, and blankets and spend the night together under the twinkle of the Christmas tree.
2. Go shopping for children and families in need
Agree on a budget and go on a “shopping spree” for gifts to donate to local organizations that support families and children who may not have as much as many of us. It’s a different experience for kids to select toys that are not for them and also helps them understand the financial value of different items and how it all adds up.
In my experience, people tend to fall into two categories when it comes to baking: love it or hate it. And either one is perfectly OK. If you love to bake, have at it. Make as many types of holiday cookies, bars, etc., as you want. If you’d rather spend your time elsewhere, there’s no shame in grabbing store-made cookies or refrigerated cookie dough and just doing the decorating. The most important part is the cookie-eating—something we can all get on board with!
4. Deliver homemade treats to friends and neighbors
Make special stops at the local fire station, police department, or leave some goodies out for your mail carrier. Plus, you can hand deliver some treats to your nearby neighbors to spread holiday cheer.
5. Drive to see Christmas lights
Few things are as fun as seeing holiday lights throughout the neighborhood. Make it a special annual event to drive through local parks and neighborhoods to bask in the light displays. Kids will love looking at all the fun holiday decorations as well as using the opportunity to get some of that winter energy out of their system. Add a twist by making it a scavenger hunt. Create a list of items to find (i.e., a snowman, Rudolph decoration, blue lights, etc.) before you leave and see who can find them all first.
6. Create a hot chocolate bar
Kids love to choose and share their opinions, so a make-your-own hot chocolate bar is right up their alley. Set out mugs and hot chocolate and let everyone customize their drink with marshmallows, whipped cream, or candy canes of their choice. Pair with another activity or add an adult spin by offering Bailey’s as a mix-in.
7. Plan a holiday haul from the library
Bring a small gift for the librarians who work year-round to provide resources for your community. Stock up on holiday books for winter break, including some about holidays that are different from your own.
8. Host a white elephant exchange
While there are many versions of a white elephant gift exchange, my favorite rule is to not spend a dime. Gather a group of friends and family and have everyone bring something that they no longer need or want, whether it is serious or silly. Everyone introduces their gifts and takes turns choosing one—there’s sure to be a ton of laughs. This is one of those holiday traditions you’ll come back to again and again.
9. Have a holiday movie night
Nothing gets us in the holiday spirit quite like the movies. Around Christmastime, select one night where everyone cozies up on the couch together to watch a holiday movie. Either watch the same favorite or vow to watch something new together each year. Snack on holiday treats and popcorn, and sip hot cocoa.
10. Make DIY holiday cards
Dig out all the markers, crayons, and stickers you can find and put those art supplies to work! Set up a holiday card-making station at the kitchen table and let the creative juices flow. Not only will your kids enjoy making cards, but the recipients will also enjoy getting a handmade piece of mail. Consider making cards for a local children’s hospital or senior home as well. Spreading some special cheer is truly a gift this year.
11. Spend your time helping a local charity
The best holiday traditions are the ones that help others. Choose a local charity and see what their needs are. Perhaps they have a food drive you can contribute to, or you can adopt a family for the holidays and help buy gifts for them. Use the opportunity to discuss the importance of helping others with your kids. If you involve them in the process of picking out the items you want to donate, they’ll better understand the relevance of helping others in their daily lives. You could also spend an afternoon doing a toy purge with your children and asking them to select a few they no longer play with. Then, donate them to children who could really use them.
12. Paint Christmas ornaments
Break out those art supplies and get creative by painting your own Christmas ornaments for the tree. Head to a local craft store or open up Amazon to find large blank ornaments to use as a canvas and let the fun begin. Everyone will love getting to choose how they want to decorate their ornament. Then, they can proudly display it on the tree for the rest of the year.
13. Get outside
Some of the best holiday traditions are as low-key as they are affordable. It costs nothing to get outside and—depending on your area—play in the snow. Get bundled up in your warmest winter clothes and soak up the winter sun. Spend an afternoon making snowmen, going sledding, or having a good old-fashioned snowball fight before heading back inside to defrost.
14. Count down to the New Year together
Whether your kiddos are old enough to stay up until midnight or not, plan a special New Year’s Eve celebration with them each year to say goodbye to the old and in with the new. Have special treats and drinks, throw on a New Year’s Eve countdown, and ring in the new year with the ones who matter most.
15. Leave love notes to your kids
For the month of February leading up to Valentine’s Day, leave heart-shaped notes on children’s doors while they’re sleeping. The notes can describe something you love about them, offer encouragement, or share a fun memory about them. They’ll love seeing the notes collect over time!
Birthday Family Traditions
16. On birthdays, present your child with two envelopes
One envelope is labeled, “New Privilege”; the other, “New Responsibility.” Amidst all the fun and presents, this is an opportunity to remind your child that with age comes greater power and that with greater power comes greater responsibility.
17. Conduct birthday interviews every year for each family member
Cover the same set of topics annually, including questions like, “What was your most memorable moment from the past year?” and, “What are you most looking forward to in the next year?” Save everyone’s interviews in a folder and read back over them regularly to mark the passage of time.
18. Decorate their bedroom door
Nothing says “happy birthday” like waking up in the morning to your bedroom door being decked out with decorations. Put a big smile on the birthday boy or girl’s face by surprising them with balloons, streamers, and the like as one of the first things they see on their big day.
19. Let them pick the meal
Birthdays are meant to be the ultimate “yes” day, so it’s only right that they get to choose the meal of the day. Pizza for breakfast and waffles for dinner? Why not!
20. Birthday present scavenger hunt
While holiday presents usually go in a special place, there’s typically no birthday tree to keep gifts under. So, why not make receiving birthday gifts extra special by making it a little challenge? Set up clues for them to follow to track down their birthday present. You can even leave smaller gifts at each step along the way to make it extra fun.
Anytime Family Traditions
21. Start a happiness jar
At dinner, everyone shares the happiest moment of their day. For bonus points, you can write them all down, put them in a jar, then pull them out and read them back at the end of the month or year.
22. Have the same meal on the same day every week
We like taco Tuesdays or breakfast-for-dinner on Fridays. Knowing that you’ll share a family meal at the same time each week gives everyone something to look forward to. This intentional time together offers a great bonding experience and an opportunity for everyone to share things going on in their lives with one another—which is especially great with older kids!
23. Host a family talent show
Sing a song, do a drawing, or run the 50-yard dash—everyone chooses a talent to showcase as you cheer each other on.
24. Have show-and-tell night
A familiar game to school-age children can be a great thing for the whole family. Every family member chooses one thing to bring to the dinner table and shares why it’s meaningful to them.
25. Take a daily or weekly family walk
Early in the morning or after dinner, a short walk is a great way to get out of the house for a bit of exercise and away from screens. If your kids are small, the stroller is a great option. As they grow, they’ll be excited to walk along with you.
26. Read bedtime stories
Apart from boosting their reading skills, sharing a bedtime story with a child promotes their motor skills (through learning to turn the pages) and their memory. It also improves their emotional and social development and encourages the bonding process.
27. Plan a monthly mommy/daddy date with each child
Choose a special morning or afternoon where each child gets to pick what you do to spend some one-on-one time together. Set a budget and help them learn the concepts of spending and saving by talking through the options you have together.
28. Choose a community service project
This is even better when done regularly, whether quarterly or annually. Returning to the same project or cause on an ongoing basis gives kids a sense of familiarity and mastery as they look forward to helping each time.
Whether you choose to adopt ideas from this list or design your own, having family traditions is an important part of communicating your values to your kids. Not only that, but traditions are an effective remedy against what can sometimes feel like the daily grind of parenting. They help lift us out of ordinary life to create peaks when we feel we’ve plateaued, and memories that result from them will be treasured for years to come.
Brett Nicole Hayden, Assistant Editor
As the Assistant Editor, Brett works with the editors of The Everymom on the content creation process by updating stories, sourcing images and graphics, and pitching and contributing her own articles. Her favorite topics to write about are culture, relationships, and living. She’s also The Everymom’s resident baby names and family movies expert!
Caitlin Weaver, Contributing Writer
Caitlin is a writer and editor living between Atlanta and Toronto. She has covered an extensive range of parenting, wellness, and empowering motherhood content for The Everymom. When not chasing her two young boys, she can be found on her yoga mat or tackling her ever-growing TBR pile.
Dana Peters, R.D., Contributing Writer
Dana is a writer and registered dietitian specializing in family and kids nutrition living in the Chicago suburbs. From healthy family eating to reliable baby gear to wellness for moms, she has covered it all. She is mom to Charlie and Eva, a wannabe baker, and a farmer’s market enthusiast.