Establishing family Christmas traditions
Our lives are comprised of distinct chapters, and Christmas is often a time when the start of a new chapter is most obvious, such as the first Christmas in a new home. If there’s been a major life event like a health scare, a new baby or a change in personal circumstances, December is often the point where it’s fully celebrated, or a line drawn under it.
Christmas is synonymous with tradition, but even long-standing traditions originated somewhere. It can be highly rewarding to establish activities or events which are then repeated in subsequent years, becoming a reassuringly familiar component of the advent calendar. These are our suggestions for developing family Christmas traditions which could stand the test of time…
Add new decorations to existing ones every year
It’s tempting to throw out old decorations and adopt a new theme each year, yet there’s more pleasure in retaining things. As children grow up, even clumsily painted nursery baubles attain near-mythical status among nostalgic parents, making the annual tree decoration process more evocative. Adding new tree/home ornaments to your collection each year also helps to preserve the memories of their purchase, incorporating further nostalgia value.
Run a secret Santa among family and friends
In a Secret Santa, people draw names out of a hat and buy a gift for that individual, whether it involves colleagues, friendship groups or extended families. Everyone writes down present ideas in advance of drawing names, and someone anonymously (until the 25th, when all is revealed) buys ‘their’ person a gift. As well as adding mystery, this is more affordable than everyone buying for everyone else, since each person spends and receives a similar amount.
Rotate Christmas Day hosting
Although the 25th of December is magical for children, frazzled adults will find little magic in juggling hosting, cooking, entertaining and tidying. While it may be tempting to host Christmas in the biggest house, rotating between different homes is far more democratic in terms of sharing the organisational burden. It also makes it easier to distinguish between the various memories of previous festivities, while encouraging every attendee to pitch in…
Divide responsibilities equally
Another worthwhile Christmas tradition involves making everyone contribute to the big day. One person/couple/family organises entertainment, one hosts, one makes or buys desserts, and so forth. Roles could be rotated annually, or until people settle on preferred specialisms.
Extended family members often expect to be wined and dined handsomely, but if everyone has a role to play, nobody should feel overwhelmed or underappreciated.
Make certain games or pastimes Christmas-only
Nobody expects a family to play the same computer games they did three decades ago, but there’s no reason why parlour games can’t be dusted off every December. It might be the only time each year when people are drunk enough to play charades, or when everyone gives the Sock Game a go (identical objects hidden in two stockings, which contestants race to find purely by touch). Making certain games Christmas-only affairs adds to their enjoyment.
Reprise forgotten festive routines
Perhaps you and your parents used to pore over the Christmas Radio Times and circle the programmes each person wanted to watch in different-coloured ink. Maybe on Christmas Eve, children used to receive a small box with festive pyjamas, toys and ‘reindeer snacks’. Reinstating these traditions builds powerful memories and heightens the sense of occasion. They might even be adopted in future years by adult children within their own families…
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