10 Cute Traditions to Start With Your Young Family
Childhood memories are strange. On the one hand, my childhood memories mostly run through my mind in a blur - indistinct and hard to pin down. But on the other hand, some childhood memories are as clear in my mind as if they occurred yesterday. When I think of positive childhood memories, the holidays and traditions come to mind immediately. From the time I was 6 to maybe around 9 or 10, my mother, sister, and I would road trip to New York to visit family for Christmas and New Years. Visiting New York during the holidays made it all the more magical, and I’ll never forget it. On a similar note, my extended family has a tradition of convening on Christmas Eve night and then distributing and opening gifts at midnight on Christmas Day. Of course, this was fantastic when I was a child because it meant that I never had to wait until morning to open my gifts. We carry on this tradition to this day.
When I became a mother, I knew I wanted to give Bebe the most magical childhood possible. Of course, that would have to include continuing old family traditions and creating new ones for ourselves.
Below is a list of what I’ve come up with. Some are traditions we’ve already started; some I would like to start eventually.
Drive around on Christmas Day looking at Christmas lights, and then order Chinese food. This is a tradition we started when Bebe was a newborn baby. We couldn’t figure out what to do on Christmas Day but we knew we had to do something. But it also had to be something low-key and preferably not involving any other people… our social batteries are almost always depleted after Christmas Eve parties. The joy of being introverts. Choosing Chinese food was very easy to do because almost nothing else is open on Christmas Day. This year will be our third year carrying on this tradition.
Game night. In our house, we love to play Uno, Clue, and Cards Against Humanity (if we’re playing without kids). Recently, my partner and I purchased a murder mystery box and had a blast playing amongst ourselves. As a kid, I most loved playing Monopoly (even though we would rarely finish) and Battleship.
Video game night. This one was my partner’s idea, and I think he’s on to something. He and my stepdaughter have been playing video games together for years and they always have a blast. When I was pregnant, he bought me a Nintendo Switch and a Mario game, and we had so much fun playing together. It helped me keep my mind off of our daily stresses and my pregnancy-related aches and pains.
Volunteer/giving during the holidays. This is something that we have not started yet, but I want to when Bebe gets older and can understand the reasons why. I believe teaching children at a young age to give back is so important and will help shape what kind of adults they become.
Make pizza together. My partner and I have only made pizzas together twice now, but I think this is something I’d like to do in the future with the kids. Recently, we bought pizza crusts at Costco, which came with the pizza sauce. Then all we had to do was buy cheese and whatever toppings we wanted. They came out delicious - easily better (and possibly slightly more healthy) than pizza delivery.
Movie night. The idea of a family movie night is an old one, but so simple and fun. I can see us in the future letting Bebe pick out some movie snacks and letting her choose which movie she would like to watch. I imagine her choosing Frozen for every single movie night, which would be fine with me. I know all the words to every single song on that soundtrack.
Yearly camping trip. This is not something our family has done, but I would like to explore the idea when Bebe gets much older - when she’s at least 7-8 years old. More than likely, it will end up being glamping trips as our family is not extremely outdoorsy or knowledgeable about outdoor living. We also live in Florida and it’s too hot to go camping most of the year.
Make gingerbread houses during the holidays. My family and I made gingerbread houses together last Christmas, and it turned out to be super fun and somewhat competitive. Miraculously, we all put our phones away and just engaged in conversation with each other… not something we do a lot except for mealtimes. My gingerbread house turned into a “rainbow house” because I made it super colorful. My partner’s gingerbread house ended up looking more like a murder house because the red frosting was dripping down on the sides.
Pick out Christmas tree ornaments. This tradition goes back to when my partner and I lived with our old roommate; years before Bebe was even a thought. The idea is to go to a store that has a wide selection of ornaments, such as Macy’s, and each family member gets to pick out their own ornament. One year, I found a peanut butter and jelly sandwich ornament which I found to be so cute and funny, and I still have it to this day.
Do something artsy together. This one is pretty broad - you could knit/crochet with your family, create/design t-shirts, make pasta art, or simply color in a coloring book. My sister is the creative one in our family and she regularly designs t-shirts, onesies, etc. for Bebe. She also loves to make bows, and we now have hundreds of them. One of Bebe’s favorite activities is coloring, and I’m right there with her. I could color with her for hours. But if you don’t necessarily enjoy creating art but still appreciate it, you don’t have to make anything. Consider taking your family to an art museum, if you think your kids will like it. You could also take your kids to Crayola Experience, if you live close to one of its locations.
XOXO, Alexis.