Christmas Traditions to Try with Your Kids

 **Collaborative Feature**

Christmas is a special time of the year to try new things and have fun with the ones you love. It is a time of coming together, celebrating the past year and of course enjoying time together. One thing many families do at Christmas is carry out their own Christmas traditions, this could be anything from who places the star on the tree to Christmas dinner or matching outfits. These traditions are often passed down through families but if you don't have any of your own, it's never too late to start some now! 

Here are just a few of the many wonderful Christmas traditions you can try with your kids, partner, family or friends and give them all their most magical Christmas yet. 

Elf on the Shelf

Elf on the shelf is a relatively new Christmas tradition that can be fun for both kids and grown-ups. Starting on December 1st, you move your elf to a new spot in your home each night, ready for your little ones to discover the following morning. If you run out of inspiration for elf locations, there are countless ideas online you can use to keep things interesting.

Make and Send Christmas Cards

Making your own Christmas cards is a great activity to keep kids entertained and a good way to get them involved in helping out in the lead up to Christmas. From fingerprint reindeer and fairy lights to cotton wool snowmen, there are plenty of ideas to choose from or you can get creative and come up with your own designs. Once the cards are made, you can also get older kids to write in and post their cards, which family and friends are sure to love receiving.  

Visiting Father Christmas

I think one of the most popular Christmas traditions for families has to be paying a visit to Father Christmas himself! I still remember doing this as a kid and nothing quite beats seeing my kids eyes light up as we see Father Christmas and they go all shy telling him what they would love for Christmas. There are so many ways you can make the visit extra special too, we have been to see Santa in the caves, on a silverstone track drive thru (covid!), and of course you could go all out and take a Polar Express Train Ride to see Father Christmas! Why not switch up where you see him each year to make it even more magical (thats what we do!). 

Wreath Making

There are many online and offline courses in wreath making and it makes a particularly lovely Christmas tradition to share with tweens and teens who are more likely to have the patience and concentration required. You could also go foraging together for wreath-making materials, such as pinecones and foliage. For a simpler version that even little ones can get involved with, cut out a paper plate and decorate with paint, crayons or tissue paper.

Matching Christmas Jumpers

Christmas Jumper Day is an annual charity event where people are encouraged to wear a Christmas jumper or festive outfit to school or work in exchange for a small donation with all proceeds going to Save the Children. Even if your kids are too young (or old) for school or nursery, you could still wear matching Christmas jumpers and take a quick snap for the memory book.

Decorate Together

Get kids involved in decorating the house ready for Christmas. They can decide where the Christmas lights should go or help out decorating the tree. Creative kids might even want to get crafty making homemade ornaments, which can make wonderful mementoes to hang on the tree for many years to come.

Fun Family Photo

Taking a fun family photo at Christmas every year is a lovely tradition that ensures you’ll have some wonderful memories to look back on. This can be as simple as piling onto the sofa in your Christmas pyjamas and using a selfie stick to get everyone in the frame or going all out with costumes, props and special effects.

Christmas Movie Marathon

There’s nothing like a classic Christmas film to help you get into the festive spirit. You could stock up on popcorn and hot chocolate and have a weekend Christmas movie marathon or set aside one evening each week and take turns to choose your favourite festive film to watch. If you’re stuck for inspiration, opt for one of the all-time favourites or try something new.

Do you have any of your own family Christmas traditions that you like to do at Christmas? I would love to hear about them all in the comments. 

xXx