What makes the holidays special is being together as a family, celebrating Christmas with the traditions that the family has practiced for years.
From counting the days with advent calendars to baking festive Christmas cookies to buying and decorating the Christmas tree together, there are so many Christmas traditions the family can partake in. And, even though Christmas is celebrated distinctly from around the world, there are a lot of traditions that are common for everyone starting with preparing and sharing Christmas dinner.
For families that would want to celebrate differently this year so that their children can experience something new, Good Housekeeping created a list of unique ways to celebrate the 2022 holidays.
Parents and families will undoubtedly find "winning ideas" from all the feathered favorite Christmas traditions of the magazine's editors and contributors. Check these out.
Best Christmas Traditions
1. See a tree lighting ceremony.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Take the entire family to the community's Christmas tree lighting ceremony and let the kids enjoy seeing the festive lights and colorful ornaments. For those who cannot go out, however, the family can always stream the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting.
2. Dinner at a festive holiday restaurant.
Have dinner while enjoying the Christmas ambiance of a fully decorated restaurant.
3. Cookie or baked goodies exchange.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Make it different this year. Instead of the usual exchange of gifts, agree to do festive cookies or baked goodies exchange.
4. Join the holiday market.
Visit the holiday market together. Do the festive shop-hopping, sip hot chocolates, and enjoy the Christmas music.
5. Go ice skating.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Make it a family tradition to lace up the skates for a fun outing every year.
6. Make hot chocolate.
Have hot chocolates together at home. Set aside the phones and the devices and be present.
7. DIY Advent calendar.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Buy an advent calendar based on the kids' favorite activities and enjoy as they get excited to have a new goodie each day.
8. Go all out for Christmas Eve dinner.
And there's only one way to do it - the Feast of the Seven Fishes. What is this? It is an Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration that brings families together. In America, its counterpart is Thanksgiving, but instead of bringing out the turkey, fish is on the dinner table. Thus, it is called the "big fish-forward holiday meal," according to the Food Network.
9. Decorate the tree with special ornaments.
(Photo : Good Housekeeping)
Make the decorations and ornaments on the family tree meaningful.
10. Make Christmas breakfast.
The tradition of opening the Christmas gifts in the early morning of December 25 can make the kids hungry afterward. Thus, make it a tradition as well to have Christmas breakfast together.
13. Take a family holiday photo.
And please go all out for it. Plan the theme, the matching outfits, and the props. Let the imagination run wild and merry.
12. Send Christmas cards and letters.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Holiday cards and letters might be the only postal mail the family sends all year, but more importantly, it might just be the only postal mail or greetings a loved one, or a family member receives.
13. Celebrate Sinterklass in early December.
Like the Dutch, leave a small gift, poem, or token in the children's shoes. Sinterklass, according to the Spruce Eats, is an early December tradition that celebrates the Feast of Sinterklaas, which honors the life of St. Nicholas, who, to the Dutch, is a kind old man who gives and shares with the poor and the needy.
14. Choose a fun Christmas tree topper.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
A cute little dinosaur maybe, since it is the current addiction of the kids? Make it meaningful to them.
15. Host a Christmas movie marathon.
And yearly, a member of the family gets to choose the titles.
16. Visit a Christmas tree farm.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Choose a real tree to support a farm and make it a memorable family outing.
17. Decorate a nutcracker.
Because when else can the family use one of these "bad boys" in the entire year. Thus, make the most out of it.
18. Send Santa a letter.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
Through these amazing apps like Capture the Magic, Portable North Pole, and Santa's Magic Phone, kids can now send a virtual letter or a voicemail to Santa at the North Pole.
19. Go caroling.
Take the kids along the neighborhood and sing your hearts out.
20. Let everyone open one present on Christmas Eve.
(Photo: Good Housekeeping)
And do it together as a family exactly when the clock strikes midnight.
Related Article: Christmas Season: Here Are Some Fun Christmas Crafts for Children
