Holiday Traditions That I’ll Never Forget
A Quick Note from Mom
Before you dive into this post, I just wanted to share that it was written by my oldest daughter, Beth. With the holiday season officially upon us, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of our family traditions—but then I had an even better idea: let her share them instead.
After all, holiday traditions are most meaningful through the eyes of a child, and nothing brought me more joy as a parent than seeing my kids light up with excitement as we made memories together.
Thanksgiving Traditions
Our Thanksgiving traditions have changed quite a bit over the years, but each version brought its own kind of joy. Here are a few of the ones that stand out the most to me.
Tradition #1 – Eating Something Different Every Year
When I was little, we’d go to both sets of grandparents for Thanksgiving. That meant two traditional turkey dinners… and then leftovers… followed by more traditional meals at Christmas. Eventually, we were all a little burned out.
So when we started celebrating Thanksgiving at home just the four of us, my mom came up with a fun new idea: choose a completely different menu each year.
One year it was Italian night with pizza and chicken alfredo. Another year, Mexican night with quesadillas, rice, and spicy cheese dip. We even took turns picking the theme. Eventually, we circled back to the classic Thanksgiving food, but taking that break made it fun again.
Tradition #2 – Sharing Gratitude Before the Meal
Before we ate, my mom always had us go around the table and say at least one thing we were thankful for. It was simple, but really grounding especially for me and my sister when we were little. And I always felt special when my mom said she was thankful for us.
Tradition #3 – Watching The Sound of Music
This might sound random, but The Sound of Music became our official Thanksgiving movie. After dinner, we’d curl up in our favorite blankets and watch it together. Sometimes we had to split it into two parts (attention spans weren’t our strong suit), but it always made the evening feel extra cozy.
Christmas Traditions
Now Christmas… that’s my favorite. We’ve always had more Christmas traditions than Thanksgiving ones, and honestly, they’re some of my best memories.
Tradition #1 – No Name Tags on Presents
This was one of my mom’s most creative ideas and it was a hit. Instead of using name tags, she picked different wrapping paper designs for each of us and kept track of which was which. We had no clue which gifts were ours.
On Christmas morning, we’d go on a scavenger hunt for clues that revealed which wrapping belonged to who. It added suspense, surprise, and a little extra magic to the morning.
Tradition #2 – All the Board Games
As much as I loved unwrapping gifts, my favorite part of Christmas was spending time together. On Christmas Day, my mom would pause all her usual responsibilities and just be with us.
We’d play board games (Monopoly was a favorite, even though I never won), and we’d laugh, snack, and spend the whole day relaxing together. It made the holiday feel extra special.
Tradition #3 – One Gift on Christmas Eve
By Christmas Eve, my sister and I were bouncing off the walls with excitement. So my mom started a tradition of letting us open one small gift that night. It helped satisfy our curiosity just enough to make it to the next morning and it turned Christmas into a two-day celebration, which we loved.
New Year’s Eve Traditions
Our New Year’s traditions may not be super unique, but they’re still some of my favorite memories. And since my dad never stays up till midnight, it’s always been a bit of a girls’ night.
Tradition #1 – Midnight Snacks
By 10 p.m., my sister and I would start to fade. But just when we hit that wall, Mom would pull out the pizza rolls. It became our official midnight snack year after year and somehow, it always gave us the second wind we needed.
Tradition #2 – Writing Down Our Resolutions
My mom loves lists (seriously, she lives for them), so every New Year’s Eve, we’d sit down and write out our resolutions together. Then we’d share them and talk about how we’d help each other stick to them. I don’t write many lists these days, but this one stuck and I still make my resolution list every year.
Tradition #3 – Painting Our Nails
In between games, movies, and snacks, we’d paint our nails to ring in the new year. None of us are huge into nail polish, but it became a sweet little ritual. We’d chat, laugh, and start the year off with fresh polish and good vibes.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into our family’s holiday traditions! If you have any of your own, I’d love to hear them—leave a comment and share your favorite memories.
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