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 Sharing memories
Writing a family journal together at the holidays is one good way to
reflect on the year. If you record changes and special events that
have occurred each year, you will accumulate a book of holiday
memories that is sure to become a family treasure.
Another project for sharing memories is a holiday scrapbook. Buy the
paper and album before the holiday and have guests bring photos from
previous holiday celebrations. As guests create a scrapbook page,
have them write down what the holidays mean to them. Taking new
photos at the holidays are good way to help preserve these memories,
too.
Another good way to remember what happened in the past year,
described in the blog "Fresh Ideas for your Unique Family," is to
"give each child a special new ornament representing something
significant in their life from that year This gives them a chance to
celebrate their accomplishments and encourage their character
development." When your children grow up, they will have a special
collection of their own ornaments to remember childhood holidays.
Giving back
If you are looking for a way to replace the commercialism of the
season, you can volunteer as a family and find ways to give back. In
"15 Meaningful Holiday Traditions and Fun Family Activities," Jen
Betterly says, "your family can donate toys or used clothing, help
package and organize food in a local food bank, [or] buy Christmas
presents for needy children."
For those who still do gift giving, you can add a unique twist.
Susan Colombo said her family makes a "present pie" for Christmas
Eve dinner. She said, "There is one present per person (small in
size) with a ribbon or string tied to it," and "The presents are
stacked up in the middle of the table with a string going to each
place setting. After dinner you get to pull on your string and get
the present at the end of the string." This way, the children find
it easier to wait to open the other presents on Christmas day.
During the holidays, many enjoy getting together to bake cookies or
make Christmas candy, and children enjoy decorating the cookies. A
cookie exchange with friends is also fun, and you end up with a
variety of goodies without having to do a lot of extra baking.
Other activities
Read a Christmas story together. There are a number of books like
The Night Before Christmas, or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with
holiday themes. Some families also read the story of Jesus' birth in
Luke 2 as part of their holiday gathering.
Watch a holiday movie together
If you are a family of movie buffs, there are many holiday movies to
choose from. "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Christmas Carol," and
"Miracle on 34th Street" are timeless classics. Movies like "How the
Grinch Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" can be fun
for the whole family to watch.
Play games together
One website all about Christmas games provides many ideas. A game
that could be played by a large group is Christmas 20 questions, in
which one team tries to guess the holiday word from asking the other
team questions.
Another game is Christmas trivia with trivia questions related to
holiday movies, the Nativity, or Santa Claus. You can also play
Christmas Song Scramble, in which your team tries to be the first
one to unscramble the words to a song and sing it. Other families
may enjoy playing board games together during the holidays.
Do crafts together
Provide graham crackers, icing, and candies so everyone can make
gingerbread houses or even gingerbread nativity scenes. The younger
ones can turn ice cream cones into Christmas trees decorated with
icing and candies. Kids can also make snow globes using a jar,
glitter, a plastic figurine, and water.
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In the evening, drive around as a group and look at the lights.
Pinterest has lists for Christmas scavenger hunts you can do as you
drive around where you look for items such as a yard with a nativity
scene lit by floodlights, reindeer or snowmen in the yard, flashing
lights, or a wreath on a door.
Holiday eats and treats
Christmas dinner is often an important part of a holiday
celebration, but planning the holiday meal can be stressful,
especially if you are hosting a large group.
In the article "Easy Tips for Holiday Get Togethers," Becky
Luigart-Stayner suggests sharing the work. She says, "Come up with a
menu, prepare the main dish, and ask other guests to bring the
appetizer, sides, and dessert." Luigart-Stayner also said you should
"Think bigger: Plan for more food and beverages than you'll need.
It's better to enjoy leftovers than to run out of either."
If you are getting together on Christmas eve, consider doing the
Journey to Bethlehem Meal, a fairly simple tradition Catherine
Wilson says she recently discovered. Wilson says "By the light of
candles. . . parents help their children enter into a reflective
Christmas Eve vigil by serving a simple meal featuring food that
Mary and Joseph might have shared on the road to Bethlehem."
Wilson suggest serving food such as fish, poultry, eggs, something
resembling pita bread, chickpeas (a.k.a. hummus) onions, olives,
almonds, honey, figs, grapes, and wine or grape juice, since these
are foods a poor couple like Mary and Joseph might have eaten. As
you eat the meal, you can talk about Mary and Joseph's journey and
the events surrounding Jesus' birth.
While the children eat candy canes from their stockings, tell them
the legend of the candy cane. Years ago, there was a candy maker who
wanted to make a Christmas candy that would act as a testimony.
According to the legend, "The cane is actually a 'J' for Jesus," and
if it’s turned upside down, looks like a "shepherd’s staff. The
white represents the virgin birth and the sinlessness of Jesus, and
the red stripes represent the wounds of Jesus."
You can also provide treats for furry friends at the holidays. Jen
Betterly says that "according to an old Norwegian holiday legend
regarding the birth of Jesus Christ, God had granted the animals in
the manager a voice to give their praise for the child's miracle
birth. Many families put their own spin on this popular legend each
Christmas Eve by leaving treats out for the neighborhood wildlife,
pets and all of their favorite animal friends to give thanks during
a time when food is scarce." She says, "This can be as simple as
filling up the bird feeder, setting out a salt lick or leaving
peanut butter bread on the porch for the squirrels."
Most of these ideas are not expensive, and require more time than
money. As you gather for the holidays, remember that it is more
about the memories of time spent together, the reason for the
season, and the fun you have, than about the gifts you get.
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