My Family’s Holiday Traditions

Good morning, y’all! We’re just about halfway through the month, and the holidays are right around the corner. Are you ready? I think I am, but who knows? I’ll probably be running around at the last minute; it’s almost like a tradition. Speaking of traditions, sharing my family’s traditions sounds like a great idea.

While the holidays are full of traditions, I feel like every family has its own. After getting married, my husband and I combined some traditions from our childhoods and came up with a few of our own.

So, let’s look at my family’s holiday traditions.

Family Shopping Trip

This is a tradition that we created as a family. It’s one we’ve done for roughly ten years and has altered a bit over time. When we first started doing our shopping trips, it would coincide with our city’s Santa Claus parade. We would head to a mall that was out of town and be there shortly after it opened. My husband would take one daughter, and I would take the other. We would switch after lunch. We would then hurry home, bundle up, and head to our mall for a prime seat for the parade.

As the kids got older and occasionally participated in the parade, we changed the timing of our shopping trip and went a week or two earlier. As the mall’s makeup changed, we ended up changing the one we would shop at. Our youngest has a particular store where she loves shopping, so we must ensure the new malls have that store. We also have to work around everyone’s schedules, which has become more difficult as time passes. This year’s trip was on November 1, possibly making it one of our earliest trips.

Decorations go Up

As an American, I grew up with Christmas decorations going up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Of course, after I started working, which involved working on Black Friday, my family started decorating on Thanksgiving. After moving to Canada, where Thanksgiving is in October, we decided to keep with my traditional decorating timing.

Now, we put the tree up on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and have our scaled-down American Thanksgiving dinner afterward. Other decorations go up right before or shortly after that day.

Homemade Stockings

Over the years, I have spent time making stockings for every family member. This year, I added a stocking for my daughter-in-law. I wrote a post about the stockings; you can find that here.

Brand New Ornament

Every year, we add a new ornament to our family collection. Each ornament often relates to something meaningful for that year—something you’re a fan of or marks a milestone. My oldest has a glass jeep ornament from the year she got her license. My husband and I have a heart key from the year we bought our house. There are also a few ornaments to commemorate vacations we have taken.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Please don’t laugh, but our Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally pizza. It’s often takeout because we are typically busy with last-minute things on Christmas Eve. Though one year we did order Taco Bell, my kids insisted, referring to a shirt I picked up earlier that year that said, “All I Want for Christmas is Tacos.”

Christmas Day Breakfast

Our Christmas breakfast is quick and easy. We make a variety of dishes. Typically, it’s either an overnight casserole prepped on Christmas Eve or a sheet-pan pancake. No matter what the main meal is, we’ll have sausage or bacon and fresh fruit. My daughter-in-law isn’t a huge fan of chocolate, so we tend to be more savory than sweet.

Christmas Morning Order of Events

I know the heading is a bit random, but we have a set order for our morning. I didn’t realize how set we were in the order of events until my daughter-in-law joined the family. The first kid up is expected to wake the rest of us up. I have to say, my kids are weird because Christmas is the one day of the year they like sleeping in! After everyone is up and at the tree, still in our PJs, we attack our stockings.

After the stockings, people may have a piece or three of candy and open what they found in their stockings, which is quick and easy to play with. I’ll make myself a cup of tea, and then we reach out to my mom with a video chat. We do this to include her in the fun of unwrapping gifts. We take turns unwrapping gifts, and either my husband or I hand them around to everyone. We do this so everyone can see what people get. It takes a bit longer, but it’s how we do it.

After all the presents are opened, we start cleaning up the mess. Some make breakfast while others get dressed and put their haul in their room. This is where an overnight casserole is handy, as everyone can get dressed simultaneously.

Wear Christmas Gifts

If any clothes are received, they are tried on and worn. Of course, they are only worn if they are appropriate for daytime. If you get pajamas for Christmas, you don’t wear them for the day.

Play with Christmas Gifts

If any games are received, they are opened and played after breakfast.

Decorations Come Down

When I was growing up, decorations typically came down on January 1. The date has become more fluid as I’ve gotten older and busier. Now, the target day for undecorating is the first weekend after New Year’s Day.

That’s a quick look at my family’s holiday traditions. What are your family’s holiday traditions? Do we have any in common?

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my other bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.