Creating Christmas Traditions

Halloween has passed and we’re now all about Christmas preparation and creating Christmas traditions for our two youngsters. Christmas is just weeks away and we are getting the ball rolling.

Over the years my mom and dad created a set of traditions that we would follow without fail. Every year Christmas Day would be the same. I just loved it and I still do. I’ve tried to maintain these Christmas traditions with my own kids but also adapt them specially for my family.

Creating Christmas Traditions

The Commercial Reality – using it to your advantage

While it is borderline ridiculous how the shops and retailers hype up the commercial side of Christmas it does create a festive environment. I do love Christmas and getting into the spirit early means that I can prolong the experience for the kids.

You can use the early start of Christmas decorations to help you start building memories earlier on in the lead up to Christmas.

And, don’t be taken in – you don’t have to spend money on buying everything. Some of these traditions are pocket saving ideas.

While you’re at it, don’t forget about the teachers, coaches, trainers and carers in your kids’ lives. Here are some ideas on what to get them as end of year presents.

18 Christmas Traditions

Here are 18 ideas to help you get the ideas rolling. Feel free to mix it up – take what you like, change it around and add your own spin.

If you have some great ideas, please do share them with me, I love hearing from our readers. You can drop a comment below or reach out to me via the AllThingsMomSydney Facebook Page.

Things to do way in advance of Christmas

Drawings. Get the kids to do a drawing and turn it into a family Christmas newsletter. You can even use these as the basis for your wrapping paper or home made Christmas cards.
Christmas Wish List. Everytime we’re at a toy store buying gifts for friends and the kids start whining about not getting anything, we whip out the phone and they take a photo of what they want to add to their wish list.
Donate. Christmas is a time of giving and there is no better time to teach your children to find joy in this. Select a few toys with your kids and donate them to charity.
Get an Advent Calendar. Advent calendars have become very popular. We pick one in October, when the good ones are still readily available and we make a special outing out of it. Generally it’s only the chocolate ones that you can find in the shops but if you look you may find an alternative. As children we had a fabric one that had a felt heart that attached to each day.
Kid’s Christmas Cards. Get the kids to write Christmas cards for their grandparents or friends. They don’t need to be old enough to write – they could just draw some lovely pictures. We also use these for the kids’ teachers and carers.
Santa Letter. I am yet to get this right. We always leave it too late. This year I’m going to get the kids to write a letter to Santa and send it off so that we get our response from the Post Office in time.
Attend a carols concert. Better yet, take a picnic blanket and spend quality time together. In Sydney these type of events happen as soon as the last week of November. You can find them on our calendar.
A special Christmas decoration. Take the children to chose 1 Christmas decoration at the shops and then keep it somewhere special until it comes time to decorate the tree.

Remember, that if you are doing a Christmas Eve box, now is the time to start looking for things to add into it.

Things to do just before Christmas

Santa photos. This has to be the most popular of all the Christmas traditions in Sydney!! There are families who have their Santa photos from when the parents were little. Have a photo with Santa at the Mall. It’s a lovely way to capture the change in your kids from year to year. I’m sad I haven’t started this sooner.
Choose a Christmas Tree. Take the kids to choose a Christmas tree. That smell of fresh Christmas trees is just intoxicating and one of my favourite things to do. The first time we took our son, he was completely mesmerized by the fact that there are so many trees.
Elf on the Shelf. This surely has to be the second most popular of the current Sydney Christmas trends. Bring out an Elf on the shelf on 1 December and explain the concept to the children.
Christmas Books. Read Christmas books together in the lead up to Christmas.
Decorate the Tree. Take some time out together and decorate the tree as a family.
Game night. In the week leading up to Christmas try a few nights without any screentime. Turn the tv off and have a game night with carols in the background.
Make a Christmas wreath together. There are really simple ways to do this. Using green tinsel and wrapping it around a coat hanger bent into a circle. Then you add a few baubles and wrapped chocolates, I’ve used Quality Street Chocolates historically.
Watch Christmas Movies. We’ve only just started doing this as we’ve discovered Netflix and Stan. Around Christmas here are quite a few movies on each which you can watch.
Christmas Arts and Crafts. From decorating baubles, to making Christmas themed cupcakes and shortbread stars to Cards and Christmas wrap. There are SO many ideas on Pinterest. These make for great gifts for grandparents.
Christmas Concerts and Carols. There are bound to be a few concerts or Christmas Carols to enjoy around this time of year. For the big events in Sydney, check out our events page.

Christmas Eve

Make a gingerbread house. If the thought of making your own gingerbread is too daunting get a ready made house from a bakery and decorate it. If you can’t find a place to get a gingerbread house or it’s too expensive (which is most likely the case) then you can make gingerbread stars or shortbread shapes.
Open your Christmas Eve Box. This can be opened on Christmas Eve morning. You can include a Christmas story book, a new set of pajamas, a Christmas decoration, biscuits for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer.
Visit the Christmas Lights. Take a tour of Christmas lights or Christmas displays either in your area, town center or a great shop.
Christmas music around the tree. We did this one year when I was younger and still at home. I must have been a young teenager and it was so memorable. I will never forget that feeling.

Christmas Day

Matching outfits. It seems to be an American thing – wearing matching jerseys / shirts and take a family photo. Maybe I’ve just watched too many movies. It does seem to be a lovely tradition though. In the boiling hot Southern Hemisphere I’ve seen rash vests made up to look like those ‘all American’ sweaters but they sold out almost immediately on the Australian site they were advertised on.
Make your own dessert. Not everyone in our family love the traditional fruit mince cake so two years ago my mom made the kids their own special Olaf ice-creams, this was such a special treat for them!
My Ideal Christmas Day. Every year my husband and I debate how Christmas day will run. My ideal day is stockings from Father Christmas in the morning. Church. Home to unwrap the big presents we have gotten each other with a special Christmas tea. Then we have to set aside time to play with all the toys so this is when I get the big lunch ready.