Whether you have your own or looking to start one, below are some Christmas traditions submitted by local families.
My kids can open one present on Christmas eve that is specifically marked “open on Christmas Eve” it has:
1. New Pajamas
2. A book
3. A small treat like a candy or cookie
4. A small gift age dependent gift (cozy socks or nail polish for teens, matchbox car, coloring book/crayons, slime, fidget toyetc.)
We also do a tradition of Advent calendars in December. This year my son got a Lego one, he builds his “day” each time he opens it and looks forward to the next day he gets to build his next project. My daughter got a “gem painting” one that she makes key chains for each day, she can give them as gifts to her friends.
We also drive around and look at lights. My son’s birthday is at the beginning of Dec., so we try to go for his birthday to Festival of Lights and bring Grandma and then drive around town and find neighborhoods that also have pretty displays of lights.
We do a Christmas Cookie bake a few weeks before Christmas, we spend a whole day at my house a handful of friends and their kids and make Christmas cookies and candies and then at the end share all the goodies amongst everyone.
Our church has giving wreath tags the week before Advent starts, our family always gets a few tags and the kids and I go out and pick out presents for the people on tags. It helps me to teach the kids how it is important to give to those in need.
My daughter and I have been going to see The Nutcracker Ballet every Christmas since she was 5. It is at QCT every other year and when it is not we go down to St. Louis and see it at the Touhill performing arts center at UMSL. This year we are going as a whole family, my son’s first time, we’ll see how it goes!
We like to take the kids to see the Festival of Lights every year and I think we started a new tradition this year of going to Pizza Hut for pizza after seeing Santa Claus.