44 Meaningful Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Family This Year

Christmas traditions don’t need to be elaborate to matter. In fact, some of the ones that stick around for years are the simplest, the ones that just happen naturally and become “our thing” without anyone planning it that way.

If you’re looking for a few new ideas to add this year, or you’re starting completely fresh with a young family, here’s a mix of traditions to pick and choose from, organized by what stage of Christmas (or family) you’re in. You don’t need to do all of them. Just find the ones that actually sound like you.

Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve is often where the real magic happens, before the frenzy of Christmas Day itself. For a full list of ideas, our 10 Christmas Eve Traditions Your Family Will Love covers everything from cookie decorating to Santa’s reindeer food, here are a few favorites to get you started:

1. New Christmas pajamas, opened the night before
2. A Christmas Eve box filled with small treats and a movie to watch
3. One special “no rules” family movie, chosen by the kids
4. Hot chocolate with all the toppings, just for Christmas Eve
5. Reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” together before bed
6. Leaving out cookies and a note for Santa, written by the kids
7. A slow drive around the neighborhood to look at lights
8. Opening one present each on Christmas Eve

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Our Christmas Eve box guide has everything you need to build your own version of the evening.

Christmas Morning Traditions

The order of Christmas morning becomes its own tradition faster than you’d think.

9. Stockings first, always, before anything else
10. A “no presents until everyone’s awake” rule (harder than it sounds)
11. Taking a photo on the stairs before coming down
12. A special Christmas morning breakfast, the same one every year
13. Youngest opens first, then working up by age
14. Pajamas all day until it’s time to get dressed for dinner
15. A Christmas morning playlist that only comes out once a year

For the breakfast side of the morning specifically, our Christmas morning breakfast ideas has plenty of make-ahead options so you’re not stuck in the kitchen while everyone else opens presents.

Traditions for Younger Kids & Toddlers

Little ones don’t need much to make Christmas feel magical, sometimes the simplest sensory moments are the ones they remember.

16. Santa footprints made from flour, discovered Christmas morning
17. A countdown chain they get to tear off one link each day
18. Decorating a small “kids only” tree they’re allowed to touch
19. A nightly Christmas story, the same book or a new one each night
20. Ringing a bell each evening as a “bedtime is coming” signal
21. Baking (not recipe-following, just messy, hands-on baking) together
22. A trip to see Christmas lights in pajamas, hot chocolate in hand

Our advent calendar guide has a whole section of toddler-friendly options if you want to build this into a daily countdown, and our Christmas party games for kids has more ideas that work well for the youngest ones too. If your kids are close in age, our sibling Christmas traditions has ideas for rituals they can build just between themselves.

Your Baby’s First Christmas

A baby’s first Christmas is more for the adults than the baby, so keep the pressure off and focus on the traditions you’ll want to keep going in years to come.

23. A handprint or footprint ornament made every year, so you can watch it grow
24. A “baby’s first Christmas” outfit kept aside as a keepsake
25. A letter written to your baby about their first Christmas, to read together when they’re older
26. Taking the same photo in the same spot each year to see how much has changed
27. Keeping the day itself simple and short, there’s no need to do it all in year one

New & Simple Traditions to Start This Year

If none of the above feel like “you” yet, here are lower-commitment ones to try without overhauling your whole Christmas.

28. Pick one Christmas movie as “the” family movie, watched every year, our Christmas movie bucket list has 85 to choose from if you need inspiration
29. A yearly ornament that represents the year you just had
30. One home-cooked Christmas Eve dinner the kids help plan
31. A “did you know” Christmas fact read aloud each night in December
32. Writing down one favorite memory from the year to keep in a jar
33. A single new tradition added each year, so it never feels like too much at once

Christmas Traditions for Teens

Once the Santa magic fades, it can be genuinely hard to keep Christmas feeling special, and easy for it to slide into being mostly about the haul under the tree. These are less about magic and more about connection, giving teens something to actually look forward to rather than just receive.

34. Let them choose and lead one tradition themselves, entirely their call
35. A late-night Christmas Eve hangout, just the two of you (or the whole family), once younger siblings are in bed
36. Cooking one dish together that’s “theirs” to make every year
37. A no-phones hour on Christmas Day, just conversation and a game
38. Asking them to help plan something for a younger sibling, giving them a “grown-up” role in the day
39. A yearly tradition that’s genuinely just about spending time together, no gifts involved at all, like a walk, a drive to look at lights, or a game night

Our Christmas party games for teens is a good place to look if game night or a get-together with friends is more their thing.

Grandparent & Extended Family Traditions

Christmas often means grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all together, here are ways to make that time count, starting with the grandparents themselves.

40. Grandparents telling a Christmas story from when they were young
41. A “grandparent’s choice” tradition, where they pick one activity each year
42. Recording grandparents reading a Christmas story or sharing a memory, to keep for years to come
43. A rotating “who hosts” tradition, so it’s not always the same person every year
44. A group photo in the same spot every year, so you can see how everyone’s changed

If you’re hosting the wider family this year, our Christmas party hosting tips and Christmas party games for the whole family will help make sure everyone, from grandparents to cousins, has a good time.