8 Wholesome Christmas Traditions to Try with your Kids

Christmas really is the most magical time of year… and yearly Christmas traditions are the stuff childhood memories are made of.  Traditions are made in all the little details— the smells, sounds, and tastes; these all cement the concept of Christmas into your little one’s mind. Here are a few wholesome Christmas traditions for you to try with your little family!  

1 | Carry On Your Own Childhood Traditions  

One special tradition to consider is to carry on the traditions from your own childhood! Remember back to what you loved most about Christmas as a child and replicate it for your own kids. Chances are, they will love them too!  

My mom’s side of the family is from Switzerland, and every Christmas Eve we would eat cheese fondue around the table together. I’ve carried this tradition on in my own family and my kids look forward to it all year. It can be even the simplest thing, but it will live on in your child’s heart.   

2 | Spend An Evening Looking at Christmas Lights  

Bask in the wonder of Christmas lights with your little ones this year; it’s a wonderful tradition that they won’t forget. Most suburbs have information available online listing all the best houses to visit which makes it fun and easy!  

3 | Give Back to the Community 

Image: We recently were a part of helping Gardn Church pack over 270 Christmas Hampers to give to those in need from our local community because we believe that Christmas is about giving! Read more.

So much of the joy of Christmas is found in giving and it’s our job as parents to show our kids this! Once your child feels the warm fuzzies that come from being kind to others, they will be hooked. Find whatever works for your little fam… maybe it would look like helping at a local homeless shelter or buying gifts for families in need or packing Christmas hampers together. There’s so many options!  

4 | Christmas Movie Bucket List  

Make a list on Dec 1 of all the Christmas movies you want to watch during the holiday season! Each weekend, watch a family movie together. Fun, festive snacks (there’s a million ideas on Pinterest) make it extra fun. Some of our favourite Christmas movies (obviously check which are appropriate for your children) are:  

From left to right, top to bottom: The Polar Express, The Star, Home Alone, The Grinch animated version, The Grinch, Elf, Arthur Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol.

5 | Christmas Eve Box

This a fun Christmas Eve tradition that my kids love and it can be easily adapted for every family. The concept is simple; on Christmas Eve morning, prepare a box with special treats. Our Christmas Eve box always has a few books explaining the meaning of Christmas, new pyjamas, hot chocolate powder, marshmallows, and candy canes.  

 6 | Mini Christmas Trees  

One fun idea is to have little mini trees to decorate your kids’ room with! Each of my kids have a little tree that goes on their chest of drawers in their bedroom. We collect ornaments every year for the kids and these ornaments go on their own mini tree. They love having a personalised tree to look at when they wake up in the morning leading up to Christmas.  

7 | Visit a Christmas service.   

Christmas is a time to reflect on the year that was and fill our hearts with gratitude for all the good things in life. Attending a Christmas service can be a good reminder of that. There’s guaranteed to be Christmas carols too!   

 8 | Make Salt Dough Ornaments Together 

Image sourced from World of Vegan. Check out the recipe here!

This activity is so fun for kids and is sure to create those childhood memories. Make these ornaments together to hang on the little Christmas trees in their rooms or on your Christmas tree. Have them write something on the ornament to encapsulate that cute little handwriting (or draw) or put their handprint on the ornament. It all goes too quickly so capture those sweet moments.