Traditions are such a great part of Christmas, and I love hearing about the unique ways that other families celebrate and the different traditions that people look forward to during the holiday season. Whether it’s the anticipation of waiting until after Christmas dinner to exchange gifts or baking your grandmas famous cookie recipe each year, every family will have their own special Christmas traditions and it’s these little quirks which help us create lasting memories of this wonderful time of year.
Personally, I’m a complete sucker for a Christmas Tradition, every year we attend a local Christingle on Christmas eve and sing along to some classic Christmas carols. In our house we love collecting bottles of champagne (boujee, I know!) so each year we crack open a bottle to sip throughout the day. My husband’s family also do ‘table presents’ which was a completely new phenomenon to me. Basically, there is a small ‘secret Santa’ style gift for everyone on the Christmas Dinner table, these are normally things like games and quizzes to play throughout the meal.
Now that we’ve had a baby, you can guarantee that I’ll be adding some new ones to our repertoire this year. We’re not quite ready for Elf on the Shelf yet, but there might be some matching pyjamas for Christmas Eve! Since Christmas Day is really not that far away now, I thought I’d put together a list of Christmas Tradition Ideas which are fun for the whole family and are guaranteed to make the whole of December feel even more magical!
If you love a real Christmas Tree, then this is definitely one for you! Make a day of it, head to your local Christmas Tree Farm and have a memorable afternoon choosing the perfect Christmas Tree for your home.
This is one of my favourite Christmas Traditions because I absolutely love buying new Christmas Tree ornaments at any time of year. There are a few ways that you could do this one, whether you want to treat yourself to a new bauble or buy someone if your family one. Maybe you could start a new festive tradition where you and a friend exchange ornaments as a gift to each other every year.
Personally, I like to buy a new tree decoration every time I visit a new country, which you would think would be difficult to do throughout the summer in a foreign country but you’d be surprised at how many places sell Christmas Tree decorations all year round!
At Sketch By Sam, we have a huge range of keepsake Christmas Tree decorations which are perfect for the whole family. Whether you’re looking for a baby’s first Christmas ornament, a special Mr & Mrs decoration to celebrate your first Christmas married or a personalised family bauble we’ve got something for every occasion, and they make the perfect keepsake gift.
This is one of my favourites! I love baking and it’s the perfect activity for a rainy day in December, plus you get to eat whatever you’ve baked so it really is fun Christmas Tradition.
The list of Christmas baking recipes is endless and you don’t need to be a professional baker to get involved! The Mary Berry’s amongst us can whip up a batch of homemade mince pies to wow the family on Christmas Day, but if baking isn’t really your jam (see what I did there? Baking, Jam!), why not buy a Gingerbread House Kit and have a laugh trying to stick it all together and decorate!
If you do enjoy baking, then here are a few of my favourite winter baking recipes that I recommend you have a bash at!
The Ultimate Chocolate Roulade:
This is a showstopping Christmas Day Dessert Idea if you’re not a fan of the traditional Christmas Pudding! My top tip… add a splash of Baileys into the filling, you will not regret it, I promise!
https://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/baking/the-ultimate-chocolate-roulade
The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies:
I know that’s quite a statement, but these are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies that I’ve ever tasted and what’s even better… they’re SO easy to make. You can even freeze them in individual portions so that you can freshly bake one cookie at a time whenever you fancy one!
https://www.janespatisserie.com/2020/04/25/nyc-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The Classic Gingerbread Man:
Not only do they look good, they actually taste good too! The perfect activity for Christmas eve so you can serve them up on a plate as a snack for when Santa arrives!
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/
This is such a fun festive activity idea, you can either do it yourself at home or treat yourself to an afternoon out with friends and attend a Christmas Wreath workshop. Loads of local florists host these in the run up to Christmas and they normally include mince pies and a glass of fizz, sounds like the perfect festive day out to me!
Each year I challenge myself to watch a new Christmas film which I’ve never seen before! I’m trying to work my way through the classics like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Meet Me In St Louis.’ There’s nothing more comforting than settling down in front of the TV for a cosy night in watching Christmas Films and this is definitely a low-cost Christmas Tradition idea and something that the whole family can enjoy.
Originating from Germany, the Christmas Pickle tradition is a fun little game where the pickle decoration is hung on the tree and the first person who finds it gets an extra gift or treat. At Sketch By Sam, we’ve created our own version of this with our Elf Christmas Tree Decoration. Perfect for using as an Elf on the Shelf idea throughout the month, simply hide the Elf Ornament on the tree and get the little ones to search for it.
Christmas Eve boxes are the perfect way to make Christmas eve feel magical and build excitement ahead of the big day (not that you’ll any help with that at all if you have young children!) What I love about them is there’s no age limit, you can create a couples Christmas eve box, a Christmas eve box for teenagers or even a Christmas box for your pet! If you’re struggling for ideas of what to put in your Christmas Eve boxes this year, then head to our other blog post for tonnes of tips and inspiration.
At Sketch By Sam our Christmas eve boxes have been designed oozing with magic to make them extra special for this wonderful time of year. You can either order personalised Christmas eve boxes with each persons name, or we’ve given you the option to buy a family Christmas eve box which everyone can enjoy. Our Family Christmas Boxes are perfect if you want to take part in this tradition, but keep things a bit simpler and matching family pyjamas aren’t your thing, just fill it with sweets and treats and you’re done!
You can shop our fill range of Wooden Christmas Eve Boxes here.
This is a classic! Leaving a little tipple and a snack for Santa and his reindeers, the question is, what do you put on your plate for Santa? Is it a glass of milk or baileys? Is it a mince pie or a cookie? Does Rudolph get some carrot?
At Sketch By Sam, we’ve designed a gorgeous keepsake Treat board for Santa which has a spot for a drink, a snack and a little treat for the reindeer. We’ve also added a little space for some personalised names, so Santa knows exactly who has left the refreshments.
There you have it, 8 fun and family friendly Christmas tradition ideas that will get everyone involved and excited for Christmas Day. Traditions are a huge part of Christmas, they help us make memories and allow us to look back at each year with fondness. Which Christmas Traditions ideas are you going to try this year?
