I love how the holiday season builds up to December 25. We decorate Christmas trees, listen to Christmas music, and bake holiday cookies. If you think about it, holiday preparations can be a lot of extra work. But we don’t see it as work – we see it as fun! Fun times making lasting memories with our loved ones. Making time for my family is my favorite holiday tradition.
Families are always changing. But traditions are what bind us together and bring our past together with the present. Many of the Christmas traditions my husband and I do with our children are traditions we learned growing up. It’s important to pass down these happy family moments from generation to generation. Family is everything to me.
Christmas Eve Tradition: Driving around to see Christmas lights.
Once it got dark on Christmas Eve, my brothers, sisters and mom and dad would pile into the family minivan so we could drive around to look at Christmas lights.
How I carry on the Christmas Eve drive with my kids:
I love Christmas lights, and sometimes I just can’t wait until Christmas Eve to drive around to look at them! My husband and I also like to take the kids to beautifully lit parks where we can walk around.
Christmas Eve Tradition: Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve
When I was a kid, my family would watch the TV news 10 o’clock report before we went to bed so we could see where in the world Santa was making deliveries. We would be so excited to watch as the news graphic showed Santa’s sleigh flying closer and closer to our house!
How I carry on the Santa Tracking tradition with my kids:
Today’s kids have it made when it comes to tracking Santa on Christmas Eve. The Santa my kids know has a blog, can be contacted by e-mail and tracked via GPS. We download our favorite Santa Tracker apps to our mobile devices so everyone can watch Santa’s journey around the globe on 12/24.
Christmas Eve Tradition: Going to Grandma’s House
My family went to my grandparents’ home every Christmas Eve. We gathered with aunts, uncles and cousins to eat a traditional Christmas dinner. Then, everyone opened presents together around the Christmas tree. Everyone got 2 presents: one from our grandparents, and one from the cousin who had drawn our name that year. Spending Christmas Eve with my grandparents made memories that I cherish even more today now that my grandparents are gone. I want my kids to have those kind of memories.
How I carry on Grandma’s House tradition with my kids:
We are lucky to live close enough to drive to my husband’s parents’ homes. My kids love to visit their grandparents, especially on Christmas Eve. They have fun playing with cousins and baking holiday goodies with grandma.
Christmas Eve Tradition: Christmas Pajamas
Every Christmas Eve, my parents let us open one gift from them. It was always – and I mean always – new pajamas. I love this tradition because it makes sure everyone looks nice in matching pajamas for Christmas morning photos.
How I carry on the Christmas Eve pajamas tradition with my kids:
I get my kids pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve. Some years I get Christmas themed ones, and some years I don’t. The important thing is that everyone has new pajamas. My mother doesn’t live close to me, but she mails me my very own new Christmas pajamas every year. I look forward to that package!
Does your family have any Christmas Eve traditions? I shared mine, I hope you will share yours with us in the comments below.
Sarah L says
Going to Christmas Eve service, coming home to hot chocolate and opening one present. And having new PJs.
Tania B says
I have always been fascinated by other families’ Christmas Eve traditions. My family didn’t have any traditions per se but we did always go to my grandparents’ to sleep over before Christmas morning. That I enjoyed immensely! We were always spoiled like crazy at Gramma and Grandpa’s!
Nicole says
Hi Tania, Going and spending Christmas Eve night at your grandparents’ house sounds like a great tradition. Those are the memories you’ll treasure forever. Thank you for stopping by and commenting – Nicole
nicole dz says
I love the holidays, it is a time to share and do new things together as a family. We love crafting ornaments every year and having a tradition of making ugly Christmas sweaters.
Nicole says
Making ugly Christmas sweaters – that’s a tradition I haven’t heard of before and sounds like a lot of fun. Hope yours turned out nice and ugly this year! 🙂
Julie Wood says
I loved keeping the Christmas traditions alive with my son and daughter. We still go to a neighborhood bring our hot cocoa and look at the Christmas Lights. We also went to the park this year where they lit it up for the Holidays. It looked so pretty. Your kids look so cute! Nice picture! I remember when my son and daughter were that age!
Nicole says
Thanks, Julie! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family this year.