What holiday tradition did you gr0w up with and continued with your family?

Holiday traditions anchor so much of this season- what we remember, what we look forward to and the overall feeling we connect to each December. When we reflect on our favorite traditions from childhood and what we've chosen to continue with our families, we can't help but wonder which traditions our kids will carry on with their families as well. Whether you've held on to a cherished tradition or perhaps you're looking to start a new one, we each share our favorites. These are the best parts of the season - without obligation or frenzy, these are the things that plant the seed of magic. As Ali explained, "When the lights are twinkling in shades of blue and white, A Christmas Story is playing in the background, and the fire is glowing — that’s when I feel the true heart of the holidays. It’s in those simple, shared moments that the magic really comes alive." Read on below to find out why these three things are so important to her and what each of us hold dear.

Jen, Bespoke Travel Designer from @GlobalonDemandTravel

The day after Thanksgiving is when the holiday season officially starts in our house, and decorating the Christmas tree as a family is always one of the best parts. My dad started the tradition of hunting for the biggest, “best” tree we could possibly fit—usually pushing the limits of what the ceiling could handle. Our ceilings are lower now and the tree isn’t quite as dramatic, but we still take the search seriously and have fun trying to find the one. Once it’s home, we put on music, pull out the ornament boxes, and just enjoy the chaos of stringing lights, fluffing branches, and hanging everything just right.

My favorite part is unwrapping the White House ornaments each year. They’re beautiful on their own, but they’re even more meaningful because of the little notes I write inside their boxes at the end of each season. When we open them again, we read those memories out loud—funny moments, sweet things the kids said, or just the vibe of that particular year. It turns decorating the tree into this warm mix of nostalgia and laughter, and it makes the whole day feel extra special.

Rebecca, Woman's Leadership Coach from @PleasantlyAggressive

We’re Christian and celebrate Christmas. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, it's a flurry of decorating, shopping, baking, and holiday parties. I aspire to create the same level of magic that my mom did with thoughtful gifts, homemade treats, and Christmas morning joy. I love that it's just the 4 of us. Our extended families live out of state, but once we had kids, we decided not to travel for Christmas. We wanted them to always wake up in their home on Christmas Day. We stay in our jammies, eat homemade cinnamon rolls, and “play” with whatever gifts we received.

One tradition we love is Christmas Eve with our best friends. They usually travel to see their extended families on Christmas Day, so we get together on Christmas Eve. Rather than cook a big meal (since that happens on Christmas day), we get takeout fried chicken from Brown’s with all the sides! We do a white elephant gift exchange and play games. Last year, we also had a karaoke dance party. It was amazing!

Ashley, Millennial Mom Nutrition Coach from @AshleyBreaksTheCycle

Growing up, my favorite tradition was decorating the Christmas tree while music played in the background. It was simple but magical, and it made the whole season feel special. I still do that with my kids today and I let them decorate however they want. No perfection, no rearranging behind their backs. Just the joy of Christmas unfolding through their creativity and excitement!

We also have a newer tradition that’s become a core memory for all of us: cousin Secret Santa! There are 11 grandkids (on my side) ranging from 20 down to 8, and every year we all pile into my mom’s house (Mimi!) to decorate gingerbread houses and exchange gifts. It’s especially hilarious when the oldest pulls the youngest’s name or vice versa. The reactions, the goofy gifts, the belly laughs… it’s chaos in the best possible way!

Blending the traditions I loved as a kid with the ones we’ve created as a family makes the holidays feel even more meaningful and a whole lot more fun!

Emilee, Book Aficionado from @The BookClubCart

You know what immediately comes to mind?! Wrapping presents from Santa vs. not wrapping presents. I grew up where Santa did not wrap, but my husband grew up with wrapped presents. Now that we have kids …about half get wrapped and half do not.

Overall our Christmas traditions are similar; church on Christmas Eve, a special Christmas dinner, presents Christmas morning. However my influence is probably a bit stronger.

Christmas time in Chicago was always important to my family growing up, so now we always spend a day over the holiday season downtown with the kids. My husband grew up near family so he spent his holidays with relatives. I did not grow up around family, so we waited until after the holidays to travel to them. Now we spend

Christmas as the five of us and see family for New Years.

As the kids get older, some of our traditions evolve and some have us reflecting on years past. I love the walk down memory lane together as we decorate the tree. We always buy an ornament that represents where we have traveled to. The kids usually pick a new ornament out each year that represents them.

Other special Christmas traditions include covering our coffee table in Christmas books (the kids love seeing these books each year!), having a role in the Christmas Eve church service (between the 3 kids they have been Joseph, an angel, and a Shepard), seeing a Christmas play, decorating Christmas cookies, and of course watching all the Christmas movies.

Last year we decided to try something new over Christmas and take a trip together. We chose New York City which was such a special trip that we all absolutely loved. We are traveling again this year, but to somewhere different, and this just may become my new favorite Christmas tradition with my family.

Ali, Book Aficionado from @The BookClubCart

The holiday season has always felt like pure magic to me; it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year!

Growing up, my family always watched A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve and again throughout Christmas Day. It just isn’t Christmas without it playing in the background! My husband loves to pretend he’s tired of it, but we all know it’s just for laughs — deep down, he can’t wait for the day he gets his own pink bunny suit and wins his “major award.”

One of my favorite parts of combining our traditions has been how naturally they’ve blended into something uniquely ours. My husband grew up with blue lights on his tree to celebrate the blue moon, while my family always used white or colorful lights. Now, we meet in the middle with blue and white lights — a little piece of both our childhoods shining together. Every year, I love hearing him tell our kids why those colors are so meaningful.

Over the years, we’ve started a tradition of collecting ornaments that tell our family’s story. Each child picks a few that represent their interests or favorite moments from the year, and we always find an ornament from our trips or special experiences. Decorating the tree has become one of my favorite parts of the season — it’s like taking a joyful walk down memory lane, with the kids laughing as they rediscover ornaments from their earliest years mixed in with a few from our own childhoods.

When the lights are twinkling in shades of blue and white, A Christmas Story is playing in the background, and the fire is glowing — that’s when I feel the true heart of the holidays. It’s in those simple, shared moments that the magic really comes alive.

Kim, Home Connoisseur from @Reverie.and.Root & Founder of Spilling Goodness

Holiday traditions are such a cornerstone of creating lasting memories and the feeling of a holiday. For me, the things that we do year after year are the what we look forward to most and what sets the tone for those memories. Growing up, my mom loved to decorate for Christmas - and I loved to help. She would really make the house feel special and took great care with the details (I still remember her pressing the ribbon she used for bows!). On Christmas Eve, we would go church - I especially loved it when they handed out candles for Silent Night. And then, my Dad would read Twas the Night Before Christmas as my brothers and I gathered round. All three of these traditions live on in our home.

Decorating (of course!) is a lot of fun for me. But, this year, my daughter insisted on helping and really wanted to decorate earlier than normal. I almost skipped adding lights to the garland in the foyer and my husband shared that he loves the ambiance they create - roger that, lights are a "go." Christmas Eve church service is extra special to me now and I rarely make it through without tears. My kids faces lit up by candlelight singing a Silent Night...God is so good! And, my husband loves to read the final bedtime story - we can practically recite it and just love every whimsical detail - his eyes how they twinkle, his nose like a cherry. (My mom actually gifted us the book - rich with beautiful artwork. I plan to do the same for our kids' families someday!)

Pin this post for later:

What holiday tradition did you grew up with and continued with your family?