10 Christmas Eve Traditions for Families || Letters from Santa Holiday Blog
Are you looking for new Christmas Eve Traditions?
Christmas Eve is without doubt one of the most exciting days of the year (at least it is in our little house and I am quite sure Santa Claus would agree!). It is the culmination of weeks if not months of anticipation of that magical visit from Santa, Rudolph and the other reindeer. All of that hard work to stay on the nice list is finally about to pay off!
But Christmas Eve is not just about Santa, is it?
Christmas Eve is a truly magical time, and one that lends itself to a beautiful opportunity for the family to engage in those special family traditions. Some of these you have brought with you from your own childhood, and some you have created with your own children. One thing is certain…those family Christmas traditions are in fact what makes Christmas Christmas! The warmth and comfort of those long-standing traditions is the spirit that binds us through the generations, connecting us to those who came before, and embracing those new little members of the family.
You may not even be aware of the extent of your family tradition….indeed you may simply go through your usual motions without recognizing the depth of ritual behind them. This Christmas, take a moment to really savor those special times, and acknowledge the power and love they carry with them.
The Littlest Helper keeps our family on task every year, and begins planning out our family traditions in November! My guess is that she worries that her over-busy parents will let some important Christmas ritual slip past us. We rarely miss a thing, although this year I am horrified to admit I realized the day after the Santa Parade and the local light-up that we had missed them both! I think holding important Christmas events in November should be banned!
But I digress (again!)…
While we have a full slate of must-do traditions, it is always fun to squeeze a new one in each year! If you like to do the same, we have some great new family Christmas Tradition ideas for you!
1. Bake Cookies for Santa
Bake up some special Cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve! || Letters from Santa Holiday Blog || 10 Fun Family Christmas Eve Traditions
Bake up some Christmas cookies for Santa Claus! Make sure you have plenty of colorful icing, sprinkles and sparkles on hand! Let your kids decorate their own cookies and see what kind of amazing sugary creations they come up with.
At our house, gingerbread cookies are typically what you can find us having fun with on Christmas Eve, and Santa always gets a heaping plate of them put out with love that night.
If you are looking for a little Christmas Cookie inspiration you may want to read this for Christmas Cookies Kids Can Make; this for some spectacular Santa Cookies; or this for some great Gingerbread Cookie inspiration!
2. Host a Jingle Mingle – Cookie Style!
Invite your friends and neighbors over and tell them all to bring two plates of their own favorite Christmas cookies – one to share and one to swap. You can serve tea, coffee, mugs of hot chocolate and apple cider, and glasses of ice cold milk – perfect for pairing with the “to share’ plate of cookies. At our Christmas Eve get-togethers, Santa Claus himself sometimes makes an appearance to make it an extra-special day!
Everyone can mix and mingle and sample each others cookies. You might even want to hand out some cute recipe cards with their invitation, and have them bring along their recipes to swap!
At the end of the night, you can send everyone home with a little box of sweet Christmas treats that you have put together by dividing up the “to swap” plate of cookies between your guests!
3. Help Others in Need
Make a Christmas Act of Service part of your Family Christmas Eve Tradition List!
Make Christmas Kindness a family tradition, and volunteer your time, or donate to charity. The entire family can share that Santa spirit by volunteering at a soup kitchen, giving to a food bank or donating your not-needed-anymore toys and clothing to a charity shop.
Perhaps there is a family in your neighborhood who has had a tough year…you can drop off a surprise basket, either in person or anonymously!
Does your city have a place where people experiencing tough times congregate? If your kids are older/mature, consider delivering a big tray of Christmas baking or other snacks. Call the local shelters and see if you can drop off toiletries, baking, or small gifts. There are endless possibilities to explore, and, after all, Christmas is all about kindness, generosity and caring for others! And Christmas Eve traditions that support that family value really invoke that true Santa spirit!
4. A Special Christmas Ornament – Give it or craft it together!
Every year at Christmas, look for a personal Christmas ornament for each of your children. It might be something that represents what they have done or accomplished over the past year or something they are really crazy about. For example, if your child started to show a passion for learning the guitar that year, perhaps a guitar ornament to hang on the tree. Or maybe they have become nuts about horses, or dogs…you get the picture.
Or make it a tradition to craft up a special ornament on Christmas Eve – something new that they whole family can take part in. As your children grow older, decorating the tree will become a very special trip down memory lane. And when they are all grown up and ready to head out on their own, they will have a lovely collection of ornaments to begin their own Christmas Eve traditions with!
5. Go Christmas Eve Caroling
This old fashioned Christmas tradition is due for a comeback! Get bundled up, go knock on your neighbor’s door and when they open it – belt out your favorite Christmas tune! It’s sure to put a smile on their face.
6. Write a Little Note to Santa or your Elf on the Shelf!
Draw a Christmas Eve picture for Santa! Or send something special home with your Elf on the Shelf!
Have your children take a few moments to pen Santa Claus a little note to go with his cookies and milk, or draw him a little picture. Even if they have already written their Letter to Santa, this is a great activity to calm them down a little bit – they really work hard on these. At our house, a very special Stocking Stuffer Letter from Santa is always found in return!
Or another option is to write a special note or draw a special picture for your Elf on the Shelf as a little good-bye gift until you see them next Christmas! You can even make a little care package for them to send them on their way! Perhaps while you are baking your Christmas Eve Cookies for Santa you can create some Elf-sized goodies to send along, or a little package of chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows for the road. You can even whip up a little felt scarf, or cape, since they have become acclimatized to your cozy home over the previous month!
7. Christmas Lights Adventure
Christmas Eve is a magical time to take in all the Christmas Lights! When the stores close, and the streets have gone quiet, take the little ones on a walk or a drive to marvel at the twinkling lights.
8. Opening One Gift on Christmas Eve
The kids will be incredibly excited on Christmas Eve, so allow them to open one gift the night before once they are in their pajamas and all ready for bed. It can be a small item that will get them in the spirit and have them looking forward to opening the rest of the gifts in the morning. The gift can even be related to bedtime on Christmas Eve, such as a new fuzzy teddy to cuddle with or a new storybook to read. Better yet, up your Christmas Eve gift with…
9. A Magical Christmas Eve Box!
At our house, a little Elf comes jingling by with a special delivery on Christmas Eve. We never catch him, but he always leaves a box of goodies like this on the front step!
At our little house a little Elf comes jingling by just after dark on Christmas Eve! We always hear their bells, but never seem to catch the Elves in the act, though sometimes we do find their glitter trail if we look hard enough!
What we do find without fail is a lovely little package, direct from the North Pole. Inside there is inevitably a Christmas Eve Letter from Santa, new pair of Christmas pajamas, a new Christmas book ( we have an awesome book suggestion for you 🙂 ) a special ornament for the tree, a new Christmas movie, a special treat or hot chocolate. reindeer food…or whatever else strikes the Elves as being a good fit each year! Truth be told, this is one of my most favorite Christmas Eve Traditions, and one that will continue in some form for many years to come.
10. Christmas Eve Story-time
Gather everyone around and read a big and beautiful illustrated Christmas book! Twas The Night Before Christmas or The Christmas Story are both wonderful choices (or maybe even The Little Holiday Helper’s Big Book of Christmas Jokes for Kids! 🙂 ).
As your children grow older and learn to read, you can pass the book around and take turns reading it a page at a time. If you have a larger family, it can be loads of fun to assign roles to family members and act it out! This is one of the Christmas Eve traditions that will never grow tired at our little home!
Of course, there are as many Christmas Eve traditions as there are families, so there might not be anything new here for you at all. If that is the case, maybe you won’t mind sharing one of your family traditions with us!
!0 Fun Christmas Eve Traditions for Families! || Letters from Santa Holiday Blog
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about them click here