Family Christmas Traditions: Ideas to Start This Season

The Christmases children remember aren't usually about the biggest present. They're about the things you do every single year: the night you decorate the tree, the film you always watch, the walk on Boxing Day, the silly hat that comes out at dinner. Traditions give December a rhythm and give kids something to look forward to. Here are family Christmas tradition ideas for every part of the season, from early December to the New Year, with plenty that take little more than time.

Why family traditions matter

Traditions give children a sense of belonging and predictability in a month that can feel chaotic. They're also a way of passing on your family's story, whether that's a recipe from a grandparent or a game you invented when the kids were little. The best ones are simple enough to repeat every year, flexible enough to survive busy years, and chosen together so everyone feels part of them.

Traditions to start in early December

• Decorating day. Pick a weekend, put on the same playlist every year and decorate the tree together, with hot chocolate afterwards.
• Advent calendar. Choose one that suits your family, from chocolate to small activities, or make your own. My advent calendar ideas include homemade and activity versions.
• A new ornament each year. Each child picks or makes one decoration, and over time the tree tells your family's story.
• Writing letters to Santa, or wish lists for older kids, and posting them together.
• A Christmas book basket: wrap a pile of festive books and unwrap one each night.

Kindness and giving traditions

Christmas is a natural time to teach children about giving. These traditions build it in without lecturing.

• Reverse advent calendar. Add one item a day to a box, then donate it to a food bank before Christmas.
• Choose a toy to donate. Children pick something to pass on to a charity or toy appeal.
• Make cards or treats for neighbours, carers or people living alone.
• Volunteer together if your children are old enough, or help an older relative decorate.
• Write thank-you notes or draw pictures after Christmas, so gratitude becomes part of the season.

Getting out and about

• See the Christmas lights. Drive or walk around local streets with famous displays, with flasks of hot chocolate.
• Visit a Christmas market, a pantomime or a festive show.
• Go carol singing or to a carol service.
• Cut down or choose your real tree together at a farm.
• Take a winter walk on the same route every year and take the same photo in the same spot. It's lovely to look back on as the kids grow.

Christmas Eve traditions

Christmas Eve has its own magic, and it's when many families have their most treasured rituals.

1. A Christmas Eve box with new pyjamas, a film, a book and a festive snack. My guide to Christmas Eve box ideas has lists for every age.
2. Leaving out a treat for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer.
3. Reading the same Christmas story at bedtime.
4. Tracking Santa's journey online before bed.
5. Sprinkling reindeer food on the garden (oats and edible glitter are a wildlife-friendly mix).
6. A special Christmas Eve dinner, even if it's just everyone's favourite pizza in front of a film.

Christmas Day traditions

• Stockings first, before the big presents.
• A special breakfast that you only have on Christmas morning.
• Opening presents one at a time, so everyone sees each gift.
• Crackers, paper hats and the jokes, however bad.
• A family walk before or after dinner.
• Phoning or video-calling relatives who can't be with you.
• A Christmas Day game. Board games, charades and guessing games work for every age.

Boxing Day and the days in between

The days between Christmas and New Year can drift. A few gentle traditions give them shape: a leftovers lunch, a long walk, a family film marathon, a jigsaw on the dining table that everyone adds to, or a day trip somewhere you never usually go. These quieter days are often when children settle down to play with their new presents, so it's a good time to keep plans light.

Food traditions

• Bake together: gingerbread, mince pies or biscuits to decorate.
• Make a family recipe that's been passed down, and write it out for the kids.
• Stir the Christmas pudding and make a wish, a tradition that goes back generations in the UK.
• Build a gingerbread house, whether from scratch or a kit.
• Let each person choose one dish for the Christmas table.

Traditions from around the world to borrow

If you'd like something a little different, many families borrow traditions from other countries. A few that work well at home:

• Iceland's book flood, or Jolabokaflod: everyone gets a new book on Christmas Eve and spends the evening reading.
• St Nicholas Day on 6 December, celebrated in Germany and other parts of Europe: children leave a shoe out overnight and find a small treat in it the next morning.
• An advent wreath with four candles, lit one at a time on each Sunday before Christmas.
• Ireland's candle in the window on Christmas Eve, a sign of welcome.
• Italy's La Befana on 6 January, when a kindly witch brings sweets, a nice way to stretch the season into the New Year.
• Mexico's Las Posadas, nine nights of gatherings before Christmas, which you could adapt into nine evenings of small family get-togethers.

Borrowed traditions are a lovely way to talk with children about how other families celebrate, and they often become firm favourites.

Traditions for families with teenagers

Teenagers can roll their eyes at traditions, then be the first to complain if one gets skipped. Give them ownership: let them pick the film, plan a part of the day, cook a dish or choose the music. Traditions that are a bit grown up, like a games night, a cinema trip or a festive meal out, help them feel included rather than managed.

Blended families and spending Christmas apart

If children split Christmas between two homes, traditions can help both feel special. Celebrate on a different day if you need to; a Christmas on the 27th is still Christmas. Keep a few traditions that move with the children, like a bedtime story or an ornament they bring with them, and create new ones that belong to each home. Video calls to read a story or open a present together help bridge the distance.

Capture the memories

Take the same photo every year, keep a Christmas journal where everyone writes a line about their favourite moment, or make a short video on Christmas Eve. If you love editing family photos, my family photo edit prompts are a fun way to create festive versions to print or share.

How to start a new tradition

1. Ask everyone what they love most about Christmas.
2. Pick one or two ideas, not ten. Traditions stick when they're easy.
3. Put them in the calendar so they happen.
4. Repeat them the following year, and the year after.
5. Let go of any that stop working. Families change, and traditions can change with them.

Have a family tradition other parents would love to borrow? I'd like to hear from parents and family writers, so read about contributing a parenting article.

Frequently asked questions

What are some family Christmas traditions?

Decorating the tree together, an advent calendar, Christmas Eve boxes, seeing the lights, baking, a Christmas Day walk and playing games after dinner are popular family traditions.

How do you start a Christmas tradition?

Choose one or two simple ideas the whole family likes, put them in the calendar and repeat them every year.

What are good Christmas Eve traditions for kids?

A Christmas Eve box, leaving a treat for Santa, reading the same story, tracking Santa and a special dinner are favourites.

What are kind Christmas traditions for children?

A reverse advent calendar for a food bank, donating a toy, making cards for neighbours and writing thank-you notes.

How do you keep traditions going with teenagers?

Give them ownership, such as choosing the film, cooking a dish or planning part of the day, and add some grown-up traditions.