Holiday Family Traditions to Start This Year
Family is what makes the holidays memorable and worthwhile. Holiday family traditions passed down from generation to generation can be a great way to add a little more cheer to the season. See these ideas for family traditions for the holidays, and begin one this year with your family in Saratoga!
Holiday Family Traditions:
- Watch a holiday movie together as a family. A few ideas: A Christmas Story, Mixed Nuts, Home Alone, or Elf.
- Read the kids The Night Before Christmas the night before Christmas - or, start a tradition with a different holiday story, like The Polar Express.
- Make and decorate gingerbread houses together.
- Bake and/or decorate cookies together.
- Light the menorah together every night of Hanukkah. Even if you don't typically celebrate this holiday it could be a great chance to teach your children about other cultures.
- Spin the dreidel. Again, even if you don't celebrate Hanukkah, who cares? It can still be a fun game and tradition!
- Enjoy a hot cocoa night. Play games or just talk while partaking in one of the most beloved Christmas beverages.
- Go to your place of worship as a family.
- Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or with a food drive.
- Make a charitable donation in lieu of / in addition to gifts.
- Sing carols at home or go out caroling.
- Have a family member dress as Santa for the kids.
- Mysteriously have a bag of joke gifts appear each year. Gag gifts are fun!
- Play a slideshow of pictures from previous holiday celebrations. If you have a Chromecast you can show pictures from your phone or computer right on the television.
- Put on a festive puppet show.
- Decorate the home together with lights. Or, take a drive together to see where the best lights are in nearby neighborhoods.
- Pick out and/or cut your own tree and decorate as a family.
- Do a holiday craft together. Find crafts for tree ornaments and more at a local craft store.
- Plan a day / evening of local holiday shopping as a family.
- Attend a local parade or annual holiday event as a family each year.
- Visit Santa's Cottage in Saratoga Springs.
We hope this list of holiday family traditions gave you some good ideas for a tradition (or perhaps a few traditions) you can start in your home this holiday season!