Christmas comes packed with a certain amount of magic, and the rest is up to the parents. For most children, the memories made during holidays like Christmas are the ones that stick the best. Annual traditions make the deepest impressions. If you’re a parent looking for ideas for magical Christmas traditions to share with your kids, any of the following might work.

Extra Sentiment

Sentimental traditions are those that have the potential to really touch the heart, whether now or down the road, such as the following:

• A twist on an Advent Calendar is to have a personal note for each child in a calendar that has little boxes for each day, from December 1 through Christmas Day. Tell them what you love most about them in each of the messages.
• Stage a photo in which the kids are each in a certain position in front of the Christmas tree. Have them take the same positions every year, for a photo collection in a special ongoing series that records them as they grow up.
• Secretly make a photocopy of your children’s letters to Santa each year. Make a book of them and present it to them when they’re older.

 That Thing We Do

Choose some traditions that just happen to be perfect for your family. The following are some ideas:

• Every Christmas Eve, give everyone in the family matching pajamas.
• Make a video of each member of the family each Christmas Eve. The videos could be interviews or each person saying what they are most thankful for or what they hope Santa brought them for Christmas.
• Take your children to pick out a Christmas toy to donate to the less fortunate each year.
• Make a paper chain with 25 links in it. Every day, take another link off the chain, as a countdown to Christmas.
• Every Christmas Eve, read the story of the first Christmas, as first told in the Bible, or, if preferred, The Night Before Christmas or any other beloved Christmas story.

Together Time

The things you do together as a family mean the most. The following are some activities your family would undoubtedly love to do annually at Christmastime:

• On Christmas Eve, load everyone up in the car and drive in neighborhoods that have impressive Christmas lights. Add cookies and hot chocolate, to make it really special.
• Every year, have a movie night where the entire family watches the favorite Christmas movie of choice. The movie may be How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, Polar Express, Home Alone, or Scrooged.
• One night during the season, have a campout with the entire family around the Christmas tree.

Pure Magic

Santa is real, of course, but sometimes older kids start to waver in their belief. It’s perfectly okay for parents to add some convincing magic to the season. The following could help:

• On Christmas Eve, sprinkle flour on the floor around the room with the Christmas tree. After the kids go to bed, make Santa Claus footprints.
• Using dried oats and glitter, make Christmas reindeers’ favorite food. On Christmas Eve, get the children to sprinkle the reindeer food in the backyard. Of course, the next morning, it will be gone—having been consumed by Santa’s team of reindeer.
• On Christmas Eve, make a solid door of red and green streamers that the kids have to break through to get to the presents the next morning.

What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?

Any tradition is great, as long as your entire family shares it. Why not dress your babies in a Christmas onesie or a Christmas toddler t-shirt and get into the Christmas spirit? Credit for ideas goes to Natasha Daniels, as published at AnxiousToddlers.com.

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