Our Christmas Traditions

Love making special memories through Christmas traditions? Us too! Below I’m sharing our Christmas traditions and how we celebrate the holidays!

With Christmas being next week, I thought it would be fun to share our Christmas traditions we do every year throughout the holiday season. I know we all have those special family activities we do together, which makes the season feel so much more meaningful. Now that we have Ania, I know our Christmas traditions as a family will only grow, which brings so much excitement!

Our Christmas Traditions

Many of our traditions may seem “normal, or standard” to the Christmas season, but they’re still cherished either way and they allow our families to gather together and remember what the season is all about. 

Fresh Christmas Trees

Our Christmas traditions begin the day after Thanksgiving. We gather with Todd’s parents and brothers and head to the family cabin where we have lunch, play games and then head out to cut down Christmas trees. I enjoy making a few big thermoses full of hot chocolate. 

The last few years, we haven’t had a fresh tree in our home, but we do get a few little trees for our front porch. The thrill of finding the perfect tree always gets me excited! Some years it’s colder than others and we trudge through the snow in search of the winning tree. It especially feels like the start of the Christmas season as we make our way through the forest, leaving fresh tracks as we begin the search for the trees we’ll bring home. Nothing beats that fresh pine scent.

Christmas Ornaments

Todd and I decided a few years ago when we got married that we’d start gathering Christmas ornaments for every year. Whether we’re on a family vacation and pick one up while we’re browsing the local shops, or ordering them online, I love this tradition! All the ornaments are special, which makes it even more exciting to set up the Christmas tree, but I’m especially loving the picture frame ornaments where I select an image of the “big moment” of the year. 

In 2018, Todd and I got married. In 2019, we went to Hawaii for our one year anniversary, in 2020 Ania joined our family. I can’t wait to build on this and watch our collection grow. When we have enough of these ornaments to fill a tree, even if it’s a small tree, I can’t wait to deem it our family tree and fill it with all of these special ornaments, reminding us of all the good times we’ve had as a family.  

Affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here. 

Holiday Baking

Like so many families across the world, I love to dedicate a few days to holiday baking. This tradition started with my mom when my brother and I were little kids. She’d gather us in the kitchen with her and we’d bake so many yummy things! At the top of our list, was sugar cookies. Decorating them was always the most fun and we’d sit there for hours spreading the colorful frosting and letting the sprinkles fall where they may. We still do this tradition as adults, but now the table is a little more full with the addition of our own families. 

I also enjoy baking different treats and gifting them to different family members and friends. I also make a bunch of goodies and drop them off at Todd’s office. His employees know it’s coming and request their favorites. 

As Ania grows, I look forward to having her in the kitchen with me, teaching her what I know and watching her mix my cherished family recipes. 

Gluten Free Peppermint Bark Scones

Christmas Cards

Admittedly, I have skipped a year or two in the past, but I thoroughly enjoy sending out Christmas cards to our family and friends. I always love receiving them and I have so much fun sending them out! This year, we had family pictures done right before Thanksgiving. With it being such an odd year, so many of our family and friends haven’t been able to see Ania and I love that they get an updated picture of her, for the moment (she grows so quickly). 

This year, I tried a new Christmas card company, Simply To Impress and I love the results. The print quality is fantastic and they were reasonable in price. I highly recommend them if you want to send out your own holiday cards!

Wrapping Gifts

It’s no secret, and our family fully expects it, but I love to spend time wrapping up pretty Christmas gifts. It’s one of my hobbies and I love finding matching Christmas wrapping paper so that everything coordinates. 

I typically turn on my favorite Christmas movies, gather my supplies and spend a few hours wrapping gifts. Since we have a large family to shop for, I find it much more enjoyable to spread it over a few days. If not, it feels a little overwhelming.

Christmas Movies

Speaking of Christmas movies, I have several favorite movies that I watch every single year. As soon as the holiday season starts, I pull out my cherished Christmas Classics DVD’s and let them play. I’ll sit down and watch them through at least once, and then they play in the background as I do other daily tasks. 

Since I was a small girl, my brother and I would watch these classics every year. They never get old and I always have them playing as I set up and decorate the tree. 

Adopting A Family In Need

While my memories of the holiday season are happy, I know there are many, many family who struggle this time of year. Todd and I are passionate about adopting a family in need, whether through our church or other local programs, and gifting their family with presents and things they need. 

This will be a tradition we continue to do with Ania, having her help us shop and gift these packages to families in need. We want her to know how blessed she is, and we want her to be grateful for everything she has. 

If this isn’t something you already do, and you have the ability to do so, I’d highly encourage it. Every Christmas morning, Todd and I wonder about the family who received our gifts. We’re thankful to be in a position to share with these families who need help. 

Christmas Service

This year may be different, but we also attend the Christmas Eve service at our Church. It’s a night we look forward to, as it gives us reflection on the real reason for the season, our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth is the reason we have everything… He’s the reason to celebrate. 

Christmas Traditions To Come

Now that we have Ania, I know our Christmas traditions will only grow as we find new things to do as a family. She brings a whole new perspective to the season and we can’t wait to explore the Christmas season with her. Here are a few things I know we’ll add to our yearly traditions:

Christmas Journal

On my Christmas list this year, is the Promptly Christmas Journal. I’ve told Todd multiple times how badly I want it. I probably sound like a broken record, but I love their journals! Having our own family Christmas journal is the perfect addition to our yearly traditions! I can document the holiday season, include pictures and include our yearly Christmas card. It honestly makes me a little emotional thinking about it, but what a precious way to celebrate our family and watch us all grow over the years. 

Christmas Advent

Todd and I have started a few different Advent books, but haven’t found one that fits yet. We’d like to have one we follow each year and one we can do with Ania so she knows and understand the real reason for the season, and that it’s not just a time to get gifts.

So there you have it! Do you have any cherished Christmas traditions you do with your family or anything you specifically look forward to every year?