It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! Okay, so maybe we haven’t even carved our turkeys yet! Christmas is in the air and it’s already making everything feel magical. I know some people are against rushing quickly into the holiday season. But I think we need the spirit of Christmas this year more than ever! Things will undoubtably feel a bit different because, well, it’s 2020 after all! But thankfully, Christmas is about being with your loved ones, no matter how many people are sitting around your table. Near or far, we are all in this unconventional holiday season together!
Holiday traditions have taken on greater importance during these trying times. They have helped give us comfort and consistency, which takes on such new meaning especially when you become a parent! Becoming a mom made Christmas traditions more exciting than before – I love seeing the magic of the holiday season through my children’s eyes! It’s truly the best gift I can receive. Here are some traditions we enjoy as a family:
- Decking our halls. As soon as the first storage box of Christmas decorations appears, my kids immediately ask for hot chocolate and put on Christmas music! We love decorating our trees together (whether it be our main family tree or our kid tree). It’s so fun to do this as a family. We usually save our outdoor decorating for Thanksgiving day!
- Baking Christmas cookies. This is one of the greatest joys during the holidays. I never baked Christmas cookies as a kid (what the heck, mom!). So I love starting this tradition with my own children. Decorating them is even more fun than eating them!
- Visiting a holiday market. Our Atlanta suburb does a fantastic job of organizing local artisan markets during the holidays. We love strolling around and visiting the different vendors. It’s always a great way to enjoy all our community has to offer.
- Making a gingerbread house. Because baking cookies isn’t enough! We love picking up the Trader Joe’s gingerbread house and making our own creation!
- Christmas Eve dinner. We usually go out to dinner for this meal, but things will look a little different this Christmas Eve. Until next year!
- Driving to see Christmas lights. Our development, and those surrounding it, always put so much effort into making the neighborhood look festive and beautiful. On Christmas Eve, we love riding around and seeing all the lights. My kids can’t get enough of it!
- Elf on the shelf. Our little Elf appears every year the morning after Thanksgiving. Elfie, our little guy, brings so much wonder and excitement to my children’s faces that it makes all the effort worth it.
- Toy Donation. While the holiday season can feel like consumption overload, it’s really important to give back as much as we can. My son loves donating, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, he was so proud to donate at his local school food drive. It was such a great teachable moment for him, and he took great personal satisfaction in helping others. This Christmas, we will donating toys to the North Fulton Community Charities as we do each year. This year, more than ever, it feels especially important to help one another in any way we can.
- Matching pajamas. I always buy my kids matching pajamas for Christmas. I love giving it to them on Christmas Eve. We used to buy pajamas for all four of us, but we’ve found it’s way more economical to buy for just the kids! Here are ones I purchased this year.
I would love to hear some of your holiday traditions!
