Creating Christmas traditions It's Simply Lindsay

12/9/15

I’m so excited for Christmas every year, but this year is especially special because it is my daughter’s first one. Every part of my life has become exponentially better since this little, sweet, funny person came into the world , so I can only imagine how magical Christmas will be this year.

I love the traditions and enchantment my family created for my siblings and me growing up, and I want to make sure I cultivate the same traditions for my Ginny, and maybe even add a few new ones of my own.

Last night, my husband and I spent all of dinner talking about our Christmas traditions and memories and discussed what we want our family holidays to look like. Here is a list of my family’s Christmas traditions I want to carry on as my own little family grows, and I’d love you to leave a comment with your family traditions so I can see what else we’d like to include!

Creating My Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions

Christmas music – I start playing Christmas music (the kids Christmas station on Pandora) the moment my daughter wakes up. We dance and sing all morning. Growing up, we would listen to Perry Como’s album while decorating the tree.
Watch the Christmas classics (in black and white).
For the adults, watch The Ref (if you haven’t seen this, it’s a MUST).
Christmas eve jammies.
In grammar school, we had the best music teacher – she taught us the Spanish Jingle Bells (Cascabel) and Winter Wonderland in sign language. I still sing and sign them to this day and want to teach my daughter.
Take a Christmas card picture (this gets increasingly more difficult with the amount of kids and with age). Ginny will be wearing her beautiful D.Liles dress all throughout the holiday season – it’s the most precious dress ever. I’m also obsessed with everything in the store – it’s me personified in a little girls’ special occasions store. You will be seeing lots more of our D . Liles dresses (which have been featured in Glamour!!).
Get a special ornament each year.
Work on an intricate family puzzle (this usually takes all winter!).
Write a letter to Santa.
Spend the weekend downtown Chicago; see the Macy’s holiday windows, go to brunch, stay in a fancy hotel, go to Lawry’s.
Bake gingerbread cookies.
Advent calendar.
Nativity scene (no Jesus until Christmas!).
Correspondence with a special elf – this started when I was in first grade. At school, we wrote a letter to an elf, and the elf wrote back to us. It was so incredible that my elf, Snuggles, knew so much about me. He even would leave me a special hand-crafted present each year.
Decorate our real tree and put the presents underneath (a sneak preview of my DIY wrapping this year…more to come!).
Visit Santa and take a pictures.
Show kids the elf footprints in the snow all around your house…they look a lot like squirrel prints.
Go to bed early on Christmas eve so Santa can come.
…but first, put out homemade cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.
Go Christmas caroling (does anyone still do this?).
Sponsor a family in need.
Kids wake up obnoxiously early on Christmas morning to climb in bed with mom and dad and nudge them out of bed
Kids must sit at the top of the stairs for mom’s obligatory Christmas morning picture (which is never good), and dad video tapes the whole thing.
Kids run downstairs to find their presents from Santa.
Get dressed up for Christmas mass.

So tell me, what are some of your beloved Christmas traditions? How will you carry on the magic the season?

Hi, I'm Lindsay!

Writer. Mom. Wife. Teacher. I'm passionate about family, manners, and learning and fervently stand up for (and write about) what I believe in. I strive to make myself and the world around me better through blogging. Don't forget to never say no to tea, cookie dough, peonies, or kindness.