As a mom, I am always interested in other’s holiday traditions. What do people do to make their Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year’s Eve extra special for their little ones? I have always been super in to Christmas – I was the kid (and still am) that watched holiday movies in July, baked sugar cookies year round and started decorating for Christmas right after my October birthday. After my first daughter was born I started to continue these traditions with her (and now her siblings). We also visit Santa, make homemade ornaments, discuss what gifts to get each family member and plan special holiday meals.
When my second daughter was born, I felt like I needed to start a new tradition that was unique to our family unit. It is so fun to share what my husband and I did as children, but we wanted to add a new idea into the mix! Something that was special to the now five of us. I started searching the web; I would Pinterest or google ‘fun holiday traditions with kids’ endlessly until I found it!
My new favorite Christmas tradition – a Christmas Eve box!
Our Christmas Eve box consists of the same things each year: new pajamas (I wash before wrapping), a book per child, an ornament per family member, a new DVD (although this year I may put in an iTunes gift card because this is how we seem to watch movies now), a tasty treat to share and a new game for the family! Depending on our plans for the day, we open the box in the morning, or right before bed! My girls know what to expect in the box now, so sometimes I throw them for a loop and include something different and special.
It’s simple and it’s fun! It also helps when your children are bonkers with excitement for Christmas morning. Who doesn’t like a present the night before?! I would like to note, this tradition can be applied to any holiday celebration, not just Christmas!
