This season is one of the most special times of year for creating Christmas memories as a family and cherishing meaningful Christmas traditions! It’s a time to connect with our friends and family, create memories, carry on traditions, and celebrate the birth of our Savior! It is something I hope our children will carry on with them into their own families for generations to come.
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Meaningful Christmas Traditions
When December 1st comes around, it comes with both excitement and anticipation in the air but is also mixed with a tension-combo of trying to keep the budget in check, get everything done on a hyper 25-day countdown, and still be mindful of the reason for the season.
If you take all the decorations, wrapping paper, wreaths and bows, trees and tinsel away, you still have everything needed to create Christmas memories and meaningful Christmas traditions with your family: a heart of hope and anticipation to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Remember that when you feel yourself getting pulled in a million directions this season!
I love to consider Mary and Joseph that very first Christmas and boy did they take the cake for creating a unique Christmas memory! They had nothing but a cold, hard ground, dark and damp cave, and not a single Christmas decoration in their travel bag. Yet after the birth of Jesus, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 NLT. The treasure is in the gift of Jesus and the joy in celebrating His birth.
Sharing this season of joyful anticipation for Christmas with our family and friends makes the memories cherished for years to come. Each year we can build upon the past by carrying on traditions and add to the memory bank. Above all, this season is a time of praise and worship over our Savior’s birth. Let’s come together with our families and kick off the season celebrating!
Meaningful Christmas Traditions
- Christmas movies.
- Hunt for Christmas lights.
- Christmas puzzles and Christmas music.
- Bake cookies together.
- Decorate a gingerbread house.
- Christmas tea time.
- Christmas pajamas.
- Christmas Eve service.
- Christmas book box.
- Advent calendar.
- Operation Christmas Child.
- Serve someone.
What are some fun Christmas traditions?
At some point we all hit a wall and wonder if there are more Christmas traditions or ideas we could start for ourselves. I’m excited to share this list of meaningful Christmas traditions and hopefully encourage some new ideas! See how you can put a twist on some of these holiday favorites!
1. Meaningful Christmas Traditions – Christmas movies.
Some of our favorite ways to create Christmas memories is watching Christmas movies together. Popping popcorn, getting snuggled up, and of course having a hot beverage are the makings of a special evening together.
Want to hear a secret? I’ve never had one of those Hallmark Christmas Channel movie days or participated in one of the Hallmark Christmas Movie Countdowns. We do not have cable! But, we do have the Christmas classics – you know, like Home Alone and Elf. Well, they’re classics to us at least. Also, my husband’s favorite: A Christmas Story. And certainly It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas. The real classics.
2. Hunt for Christmas lights.
You know the drill. Pile in the car and drive around hunting for Christmas lights. This was something my family did when I was younger and even as adults, we’ve still carried on the tradition together when we’re all together.
Depending on the weather, we’ve carried along hot chocolate or we have been known to drive through the Chick-fil-a drive thru for their peppermint shake. It’s festive..especially if it’s 71 degrees in December.
3. Christmas Puzzle and Christmas Music.
Pull out a small table and set it up to work on a Christmas puzzle over the month of December. It’s really hard to play Christmas music and walk by a puzzle table without stopping. I’ve tried. This is one of our favorite ways of creating Christmas memories.
4. Meaningful Christmas Traditions – Bake cookies together.
This is wonderful and I can envision sweet moments of baking together and icing deliciously perfect cookies but that isn’t what happens for me. I’m not a baker and my cookies come out flat or burnt 80% of the time.
Thank the Lord for my husband and daughter! They are much better in the kitchen than I am and our Christmas’ of burnt cookies are over! What was intended to be meaningful, turned into funny Christmas traditions for us! ~ That’s one of the best grounds for the best Christmas traditions!
5. Decorate a Gingerbread House.
With younger children and certainly for the adults young at heart, decorating a gingerbread house is such a fun family tradition. There are pre-made box sets that are easy and fun to put together and decorate. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, pull out the graham crackers and icing and get creative!
6. Meaningful Christmas Traditions – Christmas Tea Time.
Years ago my great aunt mailed each girl in our family a Christmas tea cup with a note attached that though she was far away and out of state, she wanted us all to share a cup of tea together during the Christmas season. This is one of my most cherished traditions.
My family now has a Christmas Tea Time together and it’s a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of the season. We’ve had friends over to join us as well on different years. It’s a wonderful invitation to enjoy time together. And, a super sweet gift and sentiment for the friend or family member that lives far away!
7. Christmas Pajamas.
There’s just something about wearing Christmas pajamas. Basically, you just try to find any excuse to wear Christmas pajamas as much as possible. Excuses can be: decorating the tree, watching movies, seeing Christmas lights, listening to Christmas music, working on the puzzle, etc. If you have other excuses to wear them, pass those along too!
8. Meaningful Christmas Traditions – Christmas Eve Service.
Is there anything sweeter than coming together and celebrating the birth of our Savior? When family and friends join together, under one roof, to sing songs of praise and raise our voices proclaiming the birth of Jesus, you can almost imagine the heavenly hosts celebrating with us! It is a celebration indeed! Candlelight services, children performing in the Christmas play, Christmas songs, the story of Jesus’ birth read from Luke. All of it beckons are hearts to the core of Christmas: joyful celebration!
9. Christmas Book Box.
Years ago a friend shared the idea to collect Christmas books each year or give as a Christmas gift to the kids. Over the years your collection will grow and it’s so fun to pull out the Christmas Book Box when December rolls around. You’ll each have your favorites and it’s a special way to gather together and celebrate Christmas.
10. Advent Calendar.
This is probably our family’s favorite Christmas tradition and memory-maker aside from the Christmas Eve service. There are multiple ways to have an advent calendar but the sweetness is in counting down and building anticipation for Jesus’ birth.
The last two years we’ve used Ann Voscamp’s The Wonder of the Greatest Gift book for an advent tree. It is a beautiful pop-up tree that comes with a built-in book of daily devotions and a Christmas ornament to put on the tree. The kids love it. We all do!
Every day the devotional points us back to the real meaning and purpose for celebrating Christmas! I love decorating the little tree with twinkle lights and watching the ornaments cover the tree as we approach Christmas.
Related: Celebrating Advent
11. Operation Christmas Child.
Collecting items for Operation Christmas Child or adopting a child or family from an Angel Christmas tree is a fabulous way to live out our faith during the Christmas season. Sharing the love and blessings that we’ve been given is putting into action what we claim to believe. We are meant to share our hope and joy with others. The Christmas season is always a little more contagious with joy than the other times of year. Spread it far and wide!
12. Unique Christmas Traditions – Serve Someone.
While this time of year is joyful and filled with hope for many of us, there is still a world deserpately in need. Just this past week I was informed of multiple local food banks needing additional food, schools needing food for their children on the weekends, and families struggling over finances, the loss of a family member, or facing the pain of loneliness. We can shine light into their world. Be actively looking for ways your family can serve others together.
Related: Creative Ways to Show Love Throughout the Year
Meaningful Christmas Traditions and Memories
May your Christmas be Joyful & Contagious as you enjoy these meaningful Christmas traditions!
Creating magical Christmas memories with our families and building Christmas traditions are good for the soul. Sometimes though we get distracted with the Christmas “must do’s” and “hope to’s” and miss the main purpose of the season. There really is no need to have to cram it all in from December 1-25th. We get to carry this hope and build anticipation for Christ’s coming all throughout the year!
For this Christmas season, I pray your home is full of hope and excitement for our Savior’s birth! May your celebrations and Christmas memories be joy-filled and contagious!
Related: Thoughtful Christian Friendship Gifts
Related: Christmas Card Verses for Family
