Santa - What are some great Christmas traditions you enjoyed with your family growing up?

What are some great Christmas traditions you enjoyed with your family growing up?

We have a 3 year old daughter. I want to start some traditions with her in the days leading up to Christmas. I want her to be as excited as kids USED to be about Christmas.

Public Comments

opening one present christmas eve and hearing my moms talk about what her family did for christmas
Of course tell her that the elves are watching her so she'd better be good. Tell her to look through the window to see if she can see Santa and his deer. Tell her to listen for the bells. Ring a bell on Christmas eve very gently so that she can hear it. Bake cookies with her to leave out for Santa. Put oatmeal out for the deer. ...I use to put peppermint candy in the middle of oranges and the kids would suck the juice out. They liked that. We has advent calenders to open before we went to bed. Chocolate kind... we read Bible verses about the birth of Jesus.
One present on Christmas Eve night after bathtime. You have to wait all day to open just that one present of your choice. BUT you have to bathe, get your pj's on and set out cookies and milk for Santa and a couple of carrots or celery stalks for the reindeer before you can open that gift you've had your eye on for weeks. Making Christmas cookies, too, was always really fun (and tastey). Christmas day I remembered I was always dressed up in my Christmas dress for that year. My grandmother made those dresses for me and I remember loving to dress up in them with my white leggings and t-strap black, shiny mary janes. I remember one time we went to go look at Chrismas lights on Christmas Eve and when we got back, Santa Claus had come and gone. He even ate the tootsie rolls I left out for him.
Hey, We had alot of art things to do.. And the few days before Christmas eve, we went shopping with our parents, we loved it.. Also, On the 23rd of December, we went a drive and seen all the Christmas lights it was fab.. We used to go to the Mall and see Santa at his Grotto.. Too.. I hope this helps =]
Watch all of the Christmas Shows together in the days leading up to Christmas. This is the first Chrsitmas with my adopted son and that's what we've been doing, every night there is a Christmas show on, we snuggle up on the couch and watch the show - it's great fun. I've also let him put up his own small Chrsitmas tree in his room. I put the lights and garland on it, he decorated with all of the decorations, he's very proud of it.
me and my mom every year would get peppermint icecream and eat until we couldn't move now i'm grown and have a baby of my own and all 3 of us do it now!!
Why not celebrate Christmas for what it really is and not what it has become? Did you even know that Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? That is why it is called "Christ"-mas. Get back to how things should be and put the emphasis on what is important, and not the trivial stuff like presents, food, and santa. This holiday should be about Jesus Christ, not how many toys you get or other secular traditions.
We would decorate the Christmas tree with all of our ornaments that we had made, or that were special to us. While doing this, we would listen to the "Chipmunks Christmas." My favorite memory. I hope to do it with my daughter!
My mom made an Advent calendar when she was pregnant with my brother. It was a big deal to wake up in the morning and get to put an "ornament" on the "tree". Also, family drives/walks to look at Christmas lights.
Well I always Buy a Couple gingerbread House extra icing and candies and they go crazy they really love it. I also buy A pair of new pj's for them, and i let then open that one christmas eve , Because you know everyone loves to sleep in special pj that night :) Hot Coco With candy canes in them yum yum My kids like to watch christmas video Christmas eve.
as i a little kid i never really celebrated any holiday but we had gifts for each other and hot chocolate. but traditions cud be a tree (decorate and pick it out together) decorate the house (in and out) bake delicious treats ( i remember some stuff my mom cooked before her passing and theres the gifts and the shopping and the best part SNOW !!!!
Me and my 3 sisters have always had great christmas'. some things that we did was - On christmas morning we'd open the door and find a christmas present like a stocking filler and we would all have kinda the same thing and get to open it which got us more excited about goin downstairs to find presents - we would all go into one bedroom, normally my second eldest sister cause she has a double bed and watch extended bottom christmas special every year in the morning. - Obviously make cards and get santa mince pie and gave him milk n nuts for reindeer - who ever got up first would get the others up and put christmas hats on or springy ears. - On christmas eve we would all watch muppets christmas carol and grinch which gets you excited about the next day. Its good to find ideas for your daughter because its not all about the presents its the fun and time you get to spend with your family and ive loved every christmas mostly because i had my sisters to have so much of a laugh with n being with my parents and traditions to christmas are just as good as the presents you get :)
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Opening one present on Christmas Eve, watching a special Christmas movie on Christmas Eve, baking cookies, making our special punch each year, hanging our favorite ornament, hanging our stockings on Christmas Eve.