Attend a Cooking DemonstrationOne way of making your Christmas lunch more special is to attend a local cooking demonstration close to Christmas. Not only does it give you the opportunity to try out new recipes, it can also become a fun tradition to add to your Christmas festivities.
Christmas Pajama BoxesThis is a fun tradition to have at Christmas! Give them out on Christmas eve, then take a photo of everyone in their new pajamas.
Making Christmas Countdown RingsEach day you take a ring off, it helps the kids count down til Christmas.
Sometimes He Likes to Play Santa TooThroughout the Christmas season our elf likes to leave little presents, mostly for the kids. :) Because of his sweet tooth they tend to be yummy treats or candy to replace what he has eaten. Other times he leaves things to keep the kids busy.
Sometimes He Just Wants to Have FunMany times we find that he has been having a lot of fun while we have been sleeping. In many ways he is a kid at heart and enjoys to involve Barbie and other friends.
Sometimes the Elf is NaughtyIt isn't just your kids that can get into trouble when your Elf is around. He is know to get a little bit naughty himself. Here are so photos of our elf "Snap" getting into mischief.
The Most Glorious BirthdayOnce again Christmas will be enjoyed by us all. The many Christmas gifts we will be shopping for, the many delightful packages we place beneath our beautiful trees with all the lights and decorations that we have waited a full year to bring out and share with our family and friends.
Make Your Own Holiday CrackersI use paper rolls from toilet paper, paper towels, gift wrap, and anything else that has a roller in it. I have used them for all sorts of gifts.
Give Child A Christmas Ornament Every YearWhen our kids were little, we bought or made two ornaments with dates each year for the tree for each child. When the oldest got married and left home, we were able to give him a box with all the ornaments from his first Christmas through the most recent.
A Christmas Cake for JesusWhen my children were very small, I wanted them to have fun with Christmas and Santa, but I also wanted them to understand what the true meaning is behind this holiday.
Donate Blood for the HolidaysTwo major holidays are coming up. They are the most traveled holidays in the USA. Before you go off to Grandmother's house for those wonderful dinners and family time, take a few minutes and drop by the blood bank and donate blood.
Christmas "Morning" With GrandchildrenWith everyone so busy now, grandparent time is often the last on the list. So, we arrange for an overnight with the grandchildren, sometimes before Christmas and sometimes it works out to be January.
Ugly Holiday Sweater PartyHere's a fun idea for a holiday party. Invite friends to an "Ugly Sweater Party", where everyone is expected to wear the ugliest sweater they own.
Plush Bag for Blessings at ChristmasAbout 6 years ago, I bought a little plush bag with the word "blessings" written on it. Every year, we write our top blessings for the year and the date on a small paper and put it in. We don't read each others until the next year.
Candy Cane "Advent Calendar" TreeWhen our boys were too small to understand what an advent calendar was I still wanted a way for them to be able to count the days until Christmas. While we were decorating our tree, the boys had chosen to put candy canes on it.
Christmas: Try a Mexican Meal InsteadWhen my children were small we would celebrate Christmas with my Mother, my Mother-in-law and Grandmother. By the time it came for our own celebration everyone was getting a little tired of the 'Turkey' and all the trimmings.
12 Days Of Christmas BooksI do the 12 books of Christmas with my daughter. Throughout the 1st year of doing this, I collected used or new Christmas children's books from yard sales, thrift stores, etc. I wrapped them all and put them under the tree and beginning on Dec. 13th.
Christmas Soup SwapCalorie Free Christmas! We try to keep things healthy at our house, so instead of a Christmas cookie exchange, we do a soup swap in our neighborhood. Each person brings six containers of their favorite soup.
Celebrate Epiphany With Nativity Creche PuppetsMaking Epiphany puppets and Nativity creche is fun and easy! Many cultures still celebrate the end of Christmas as occurring on January 6, when Epiphany or the arrival of the three wise men is celebrated.
Christmas Tradition: Taking Kids Shopping For PresentsWhen my niece was six years old, she wanted to buy her family gifts for Christmas. So I decided to tell her to start saving her money and we would go Christmas shopping the day she got out of school for Christmas break.
Christmas Tradition: Stockings From MomGrowing up we never had much money, but we always had a nice Christmas thanks to Mom. There were 4 of us kids and we got at least a few presents each, but it was very important to Mom that we had our stockings also.
Twelve Days of Christmas TriviaMany people think the 12 Days of Christmas are before Christmas, but actually they are the 12 days after Christmas.
Christmas Tradition: Christmas EveOn Christmas Eve, my family has our two girls try to find the Christmas box Mrs. Santa left for them. It always contains a new set of pajama's. After they put on the pajamas, our family drives around town looking at Christmas lights and live nativity scenes in different neighborhoods. We've done this for 21 years and they still love this tradition that officially starts Christmas for them.
Christmas Traditions: Making OrnamentsWhen I was a kid, I always wanted a themed Christmas tree like you see in stores or in the movies. We had the kind of tree with mismatched ornaments that had been handed down or picked up secondhand. No one can really afford to have all their ornaments match, right?
Set Up Nativity Right After ThanksgivingThe first decoration I always put out right after Thanksgiving is the nativity set. Mine is Precious Moments and made of porcelain so it goes on the server, not under the tree. Kind of keeps me focused!
Celebrate The Weekend After ChristmasBe thrifty and generous! If your kids are married, offer to celebrate Christmas the weekend AFTER December 25th. That way the other family gets to have them on Christmas and you get to buy all of your gifts at the after Christmas sales.
Christmas Breakfast TraditionChristmas Breakfast Tradition. A special Christmas traditions we have: I make a special Christmas breakfast of fruit and crepes. When I set the table, I put a small creche in the middle of the table with one tall candle.
Christmas Tree PicnicWhen the Christmas tree is up, place a blanket near the tree, turn off the lights and have a picnic. Soft Christmas tree lights, great food and a special person to enjoy it with!
Starting a Christmas TraditionStart a Christmas tradition with your kids. It will be something they look forward to every year as they are growing up, and will remember with fondness all their grown-up years.
Christmas "Stockings"I do one of two things each year for my family for Christmas (especially my grandchildren). I make a homemade ornament of some sort and send them early so they can enjoy them on their tree during the holiday season.
Frugal Gift Giving TraditionsWe have a large family. So in October, each child draws a name from other children in the family. That is the only gift giving, besides buying for my mom, that we do. It has cut cost way down for our family.
Reinforcing the Meaning of ChristmasTo reinforce the meaning of Christmas in a Christian home to children, parents can hide the Baby Jesus from their Nativity Scene on Christmas Morning.
Craft DayWith two small children, the last place we want to be on "Black Friday" (Day after Thanksgiving) is out in the crowds. So instead, we have dedicated that Friday as our Craft Day...
Jesus' Birthday BoxEvery year at Christmas we have a wrapped shoe box with a slot in the top that we display on the dining room table. This is to remind us that it is Jesus' birthday. Whenever someone does something for Jesus, they write it down and put it in the box...
Breaking the Code for PresentsTo keep the children out of the presents under the tree, my mother would make up a code for each person. She would put the code on the package instead of the name on the tag.
Create a Christmas NewsletterUse your calendar as a diary. When things come to mind that you are proud of about your family, jot it on the calendar. There's also extra space on the bottom of most calendars to write notes.
An After Christmas TraditionAfter I moved off to college, my family started a new tradition. Every year we'll all get together the week after Christmas in a city that's about equal distance for all of us. We'll stay in a nice hotel, watch as many movies as we can, do some shopping, go to a museum or two, and catch up. This is when we exchange our family gifts.
Celebrating Christmas With My Italian RelativesBecause we now have 4 generations of relatives we hire a hall. We do this about the 2nd Sunday of December. That way everyone knows every year when to plan to celebrate.
Getting Our Tree in the National ForestMy husband I have a favorite Christmas tradition that we started several years ago. Every year, we cut our own Christmas tree in our nearby National Forest. We leave work early and have a wonderful time tromping through the snow to find just the "right tree."
Traditional Family Recipe VideosMy mom and aunts have many wonderful recipes for foods we enjoy at get togethers and Holiday's that were passed on to them from my grandmothers. The only problem is that my cousins and I have not really taken the time to learn to make these dishes.
Karen's Family Tradition - Christmas Ornaments with StoriesEvery year, I buy everyone in the family a special ornament that has something to do with their past year, their interests or accomplishments. When I got divorced and had 2 young girls, we started some holiday traditions of our own.
Reindeer HayAs a kid we always had animals and on Christmas Eve would put a box of hay on the porch for the reindeer. Every Christmas morning it would be all gone, eaten by the reindeers. Made me a believer!
Gift Exchange at Nanny's HouseWhen I was young, we each had our Christmas at our own home Christmas morning and then rushed to Nanny's house where Great Aunts and Uncles and everyone showed up for a gathering.
Creative Gift Wrapping - Hiding Gifts in the PantryFor anyone wanting to hide gifts and save on wrapping paper, use boxes out of your pantry. When I start collecting gifts I hide them in my pantry in empty food boxes, they would not look into. I glue the boxes shut.
Christmas Ornament TraditionEver since our kids were born we have given them a Christmas ornament for the Christmas tree each year.
Christmas Countdown For KidsTo help the kids with counting down till Christmas and wanting to open presents I get small inexpensive gifts for as many days before Christmas as I like. I usually do two weeks. I buy small erasers, pencils, sweets, etc. and wrap each individually.
Work in a Soup Kitchen on ChristmasWorking in a Soup Kitchen for the homeless on Christmas would show our kids what giving really is. I am planning on doing this with my family this Christmas.
