10 Easy Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Kids This Year

Here we are, less than two weeks away from Christmas, and there's still so much to do. Not just Christmas shopping, but also knocking all those fun holiday festivities off your list. Whether you're busy getting things ready at home, working extra hours so you can take time off for Christmas, or just want to keep things simple this year, you'll be glad to know that holiday traditions don't have to be complicated.

It's easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other parents. But you're not failing your kids if you can't take them on an extravagant holiday trip or go to every holiday event in town. The traditions your kids will remember most are the ones that were magical and involved the family being together. To give you some ideas of ones to try, I've created a list of easy Christmas traditions you can start with your kids this year.

The Importance of Traditions

Before we get into the actual traditions, here's a little encouragement for your mama heart. As a mom of three, I know how easy it is to become overwhelmed by all the things you want to do with your kids, especially this time of year. Scrolling social media definitely doesn't help when you compare yourself to other parents who seem to have it all together. The reality is, behind the screen, most of us don't have a perfectly curated and organized plan for the holidays.

It may be tempting to make your Christmas traditions extravagant, but it's important to remember that simple traditions such as making sugar cookies together or watching the same Christmas movie together every year can be just as memorable as an expensive trip. Your kids won't care about how much you spent on the tradition — they care about how it makes them feel. And the warmth that comes from a night at home, listening to Christmas music and baking together is something your kids will remember the rest of their lives.

Easy Holiday Traditions to Try This Year

If you're looking for easy traditions to try with your family this year, I'm sharing 10 of my favorites. You can choose a few to add to your holiday to-do list or try all 10 if you've got the time. Even just one new tradition a year can make the holidays more memorable.

Going on a Ride to See Christmas Lights

There are few things more memorable as a child than driving around to see Christmas lights. The best part of this tradition? It's free and takes barely any planning. Depending on where you live, this could mean driving around your neighborhood to look at the best lights.

If there aren't a lot of lights in your area, look up Christmas light viewing areas near you or check out a local zoo or theme park. If you want the best neighborhoods to drive through, you can likely get ideas from other parents on local parenting sites or forums like Reddit.

Christmas Movie Night

There are so many great family Christmas movies to watch. What better way to celebrate than to plan a holiday-themed movie night? Heat some hot chocolate, grab the popcorn, and prepare for a memorable night with the whole family.

You can bring pillows and blankets to your living room or get creative with an outdoor movie night (if it's warm enough where you live!) If you have younger kids, choose one movie to watch, or with older kids, you can marathon a few of your favorites.

Holiday Baking Party

Baking Christmas cookies is the perfect activity for families with kids of all ages. Even with toddlers, you can bake sugar cookies and have them help cut shapes out or let them frost their own. If you're not much of a baker, there are often baking kits at places like Target, where you can purchase premade cookies and allow the kids to decorate them.

Even buying Pillsbury Christmas Tree Break ‘n Bake cookies and letting your kids put them on the baking sheet can be a fun activity for little ones. Take them to the store first and let them pick out the cookies, frosting, and sprinkles.

Choosing a New Ornament

If you use the same ornaments every year, you might have more than you can fit on the tree. But letting everyone in the family pick out a new ornament every year is a special tradition your kids will love.

You can make it fun by choosing a family theme (i.e., everyone picks their favorite character) or let everyone browse the ornament aisles and choose one that sticks out to them. When your kids get older, you can even give them the ornaments they picked over the years.

Writing Letters to Santa

Writing letters to Santa Claus is a tradition that's fun for kids of all ages. If your kids aren't old enough to write on their own, you can ask them what they want for Christmas and write the letter for them. Then, they can decorate with stickers or stamps when you're finished.

If your family doesn't include Santa Claus in your Christmas festivities, you can have your kids write Christmas cards or letters for family members instead.

New Christmas Pajamas

Many families choose to buy new Christmas pajamas every year. You can either give your kids the pajamas on Christmas Eve or even on Christmas morning. Your kids can continue to wear them after Christmas Day and into the new year.

There are plenty of brands that have sales on Christmas pajamas around this time. Stop by your favorite clothing store at the mall or find some pajamas online that will get here in time for Christmas.

Gingerbread House Contest

Every time we walk past the gingerbread house kits in the store, my kids get excited and ask when we can build one. This is such a fun tradition that's perfect for kids and adults. To make things interesting, you can even have a gingerbread house contest to see who can build the best house.

While there are kits for sale at places like Target or Costco, you can also make your own if you have a little time on your hands. Or, if you want to keep things simple and affordable, use graham crackers and icing to build a gingerbread house instead.

Christmas Eve Boxes

Another exciting tradition is the Christmas Eve box. You can do your own version of this, depending on how old your kids are and what they like. The idea is to give your kids a box to open every year on Christmas Eve.

It might include a new Christmas book and Christmas pajamas, or a packet of hot chocolate and a favorite Christmas movie to watch. You can get creative, too, if you have more time and money to invest. Try adding a craft or activity for them to do, or a handwritten card from Santa if they wrote a letter already.

Reading “The Night Before Christmas”

“The Night Before Christmas” was originally a poem titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and written by Clement Clarke Moore. Nowadays, you can buy it in book form or even hear it narrated on YouTube by some of your favorite artists.

Considering the title, it's the perfect story to read on Christmas Eve to get your kids excited about Christmas. Whether you choose to read it right before bed or before your Christmas Eve festivities, this is a tradition your kids will remember.

Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is what many kids look forward to all year. The sound of little feet running into the living room and the squeals of joy when they see the presents and stockings make all the effort worth it for parents. Cinnamon rolls are the perfect way to celebrate this joyous occasion, and they're something the whole family can enjoy.

If you plan on baking your own cinnamon rolls, make everything the night before (including the icing) so all you have to do in the morning is pop them in the oven. If you're looking for something a little easier, we love Annie's Organic Cinnamon Rolls. In my opinion, they're a million times better than Pillsbury, and you can find a pack of three at your local Costco.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Impact Photography/Shutterstock.com