Five Holiday Traditions That Will Stand the Test of Time

Whether or not you’re a hard-core traditionalist like me, the holiday season begs for certain staples that you return to year after year. Particularly since having kids, I feel it important to instill tradition that they can look back upon with fondness and nostalgia (hopefully). Here are my top five holiday traditions that can be started now and will stand the test of time.

1. Painting Ornaments for One Another

My family started this tradition a few years ago. Each year, my two children, my husband and I paint ornaments for someone else. We draw names so we are only painting one per year. For example, this year, I drew my husband, he drew my daughter, my daughter drew my son, and my son drew me. We try to be thoughtful about the person‘s current interests or what has happened in their life over the last year. It’s so much fun to see what everyone comes up with. This year, my 8-year-old daughter knows my 3-year-old son loves to ROAR like a lion, so she selected a paw print shaped ornament and painted one side the colors of a paw and the other side a lion. So creative! My son painted me a beautiful Christmas tree-shaped ornament. My husband painted my daughter a soccer ball with her club’s logo. I painted my husband our new home to mark the first year we’ve lived here. One of the reasons I love this tradition (besides painting together) is it starts a unique collection of ornaments for each child that really captures their formative years in heartfelt ways. I hope they’ll proudly display the ornaments on their own family trees one day.

Practically speaking, to ensure the ornaments will in fact last for all those years, I did some research on best methods. We do ceramic ornaments (available at a craft store like Michaels or on Amazon) with high quality acrylic paint. My favorite paints are by Golden Artist acrylics. These are pricey so I started with a set of the basics and have added a few more colors each year when they go on sale (my go-to colors for Christmas are sap green, alizarin crimson hue, and burnt sienna). One of my favorite artists, Riley Sheehey, has some great tips on her Instagram about paint colors and selections. She even does ornament painting workshops from time to time. She convinced me that high quality is the way to go; you can definitely tell a big difference! Once the ornament is painted, make sure to clear coat it and add a pretty ribbon.

2. A Holiday Season Run Together

The running Gods have spoken: turkey trotter I am not. However, a few years ago I took my daughter to her first 5k in early December in Orlando (a couple of hours away from us) and quickly decided it needed to be a holiday tradition. We get to have a couple of days to focus on each other and stay in a hotel (always majestic for a kiddo); we have meals with great friends who live in Orlando (and it ensures we see them yearly); we run together around Lake Eola decorated with dozens of great holiday light displays; we cheer a special family friend through a half marathon when our 5k is over; we visit our favorite stationary flagship shop; and we drive the beautiful streets of Orlando and its lakes. It’s always a fantastic trip, and because it isn’t on an actual holiday, it doesn’t seem like too much. Obviously, you don’t need to go out of town to make this a tradition—there are plenty of 5ks to choose from in our area and probably yours. But for us, the trip makes it all the more fun. Highly recommend. Side brag: my daughter got a PR this year. So proud!

3. Attend the Nutcracker, or Better Yet, the Rockettes

Having grown up dancing and with it deeply rooted in our family, I feel very strongly about this one. What better tradition than attending the Nutcracker or Rockettes Christmas Spectacular?! There are typically a few different local Nutcracker productions to choose from each year, and now some are putting on “modified” versions that are shorter and more kiddo friendly. I found that after about two times of the full show, the kiddos and reluctant spouse come to expect the various performances (especially the fun ones in act II) and look forward to them. You just have to tough out those first couple of years when the kids might get a little antsy not knowing the story or what to expect.

The Rockettes show is, indeed, spectacular. It is 100 percent family friendly, interactive, and never misses a beat. Literally. Plus, it sprinkles in a little Nutcracker performance so you basically get two for one. The entire show is 90 minutes long with no intermission. I remember going for the very first time in 2016 with my baby daughter (probably jumped the gun on that one but I could not wait any longer). I had built it up so much in my mind that I was afraid it would never live up to my expectations, as often happens in life. When I tell you I was blown away, I mean it. Absolutely spectacular.

We’ve been multiple times and it never gets old. I don’t hear a single peep from the kids or the husbo through the whole show. It’s not quite in the budget (or the parental sanity plan) to fly to New York every year, but we try to make it every few years, sprinkling in local Nutcracker productions during “off” years. This year, my sister Bethany and her family are joining us for the Rockettes in NYC and I could not be more excited for them to attend the Christmas Spectacular for the very first time! Eeek! Auntie Kay Kay gets an early Christmas gift!

For a bonus tradition within a tradition, be sure to pick up a Nutcracker or a Rockettes ornament each time you go. Don’t forget to mark the year and occasion on the bottom—it’s so fun to look back in time when you are unpacking them each year.

4. Adult Secret Santa Gift Exchange While Buying Gifts for All the Kiddos

As our extended family started growing at rapid rates, so did our holiday gift bills. At some point, keeping up with gifts for every adult in the family got to be too much. So, years ago, we decided to do a secret Santa gift exchange for all of the adults. We each draw one name and set a $50 limit. It’s always fun to see what a brother-in-law or sister picks out, and it ensures everyone has a gift under the tree for the extended family celebration without breaking the bank. So far, we’ve all been able to keep buying gifts for every kiddo in the extended family, thanks in large part to the money saved with the adult secret Santa exchange.

5. Christmas Movie Night with Cousins

Every year, this is a hit with the kids especially. The whole extended family gets together at our place for a fun Christmas movie. We always have lots of treats and popcorn. Anything goes. We try to do it outside with a screen (similar one here) and projector, weather permitting. So far, all of the children have allowed me to dress them in matching PJs and I hope this continues. Even if they decide they are done with the PJs at some point, I hope they look back fondly on these nights and want to continue the movie night tradition as they grow.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my favorite holiday traditions! What are your favorite traditions? I’d love to hear about them!

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