There is no place like home, especially during a pandemic. This holiday season will be different in so many ways, but we are excited to keep it simple and spend quality time with our immediate families! Since a lot of us will be at home instead of traveling, we thought it would be fun to share some of our most beloved holiday traditions, ideas on how to keep your kiddos entertained, and even a few ways to spread the Christmas cheer from a safe distance.
It’s been a whirlwind of a year, and we are beyond grateful for this community that you’ve all continued to help us to create during some of our most difficult times. We wish you all a healthy and very happy new year!
Laura’s Family Traditions
Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I think it may be for most people though? What I remember most about the holidays growing up is how I felt when I walked in the door. My mom always had the warmest, cheeriest decorations. I think that’s why I decorate my own home in a similar way. I vividly remember feeling warm and fuzzy inside when the decorations were up, and the fire was going. My parents always made sure it was literally “the best time of the year.”
One decoration in particular that I love are our unique stockings created by my Grandma. 50+ years ago, she starting making these stockings for her 7 kids, and their children, AND then their children! That’s a whopping 43 stockings (and growing)! Read more about them here via my holiday home tour.
Another way we celebrated during the month of December was putting out our shoes for St. Nick. If you didn’t know, the feast of St. Nicholas is December 6th. You put one shoe out on the eve, and he fills it with an orange and a small gift or treat. It is widely common in Europe, but we’ve done it for as long as I can remember. And now, we are doing with Griffin and Hazel. It certainly brings joy to the season, and gets everyone excited for the holidays.
And last, one of my favorite traditions is actually a German one, that was carried down from my mom’s side…the pickle ornament. Huh? I know. So on Christmas Eve, the parents hide the ornament, and the first child to find it Christmas morning either gets a special gift, or gets to open one of their presents first. It’s also been known that if you find the pickle, you get good luck all year long. It was a fun one that we looked forward to every year.
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Graphic tees from Little Mama Shirt Shop
Lauren’s Family Traditions
One of my oldest and most favorite family traditions is my Grandpa putting coins underneath everyone’s plate at Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas Eve is a BIG deal in my house, and it was always the night I looked forward to the most growing up! My grandparents hosted the big event for years until my parents purchased their home back when I was a freshman in high school (my grandparents have since downsized). So, once we moved into their house, Christmas Eve became our responsibility! We never had less than 20 people in our kitchen and it’s truly my favorite kind of chaos. I always ate too much of my Aunt’s homemade spinach artichoke dip, UGH it’s so good.
The one thing that has remained consistent over the years is sitting down to a big family dinner (prime rib is our thing). Prior to serving dinner, my Grandpa or my mom would put coins underneath everyone’s plate as a sign of prosperity/good luck for the new year. As a little kid, I thought it was so fun to sit down and count mine out. It’s something so simple, but brought a smile to everyone’s face, no matter how old you were. This is the first year none of us will be getting together and although it makes me very sad, I try to savor these special memories and look forward to carrying on this beautiful tradition with my own family! I even set the dining room table this year to make it feel more special. (Shop here)
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A few more of our favorite family traditions (new and old):
- Matching pajamas or apparel
- Baking Christmas Cookies (check out a few of our favorite recipes here)
- Lauren: Midnight Mass (I will admit I’m not a huge church goer, but this was always my favorite mass, especially going with my Grandma)
- Opening up stockings first thing on Christmas morning
- Christmas Day breakfast with fancy, Christmas-themed china and “treacherous” biscuits – yum! (Laura’s favorite)
- Advent Calendars
- Lauren: Watch It’s a Wonderful Life (ZuZu’s petals!!) and Christmas Vacation (Laura knows all the lines by heart)
- Dressing up in a pretty ensemble
Holiday Activities for Little Ones
- Create Salt Dough Reindeer Footprint Ornaments for the babies
- Christmas Ripping Paper Bin for Toddlers
- Fill a candy jar and let the kids guess how many candies are inside – winner gets to keep the candy!
- LCR (Left Right Center)
- Create a Christmas scavenger hunt around the house (Pinterest has a ton of ideas)
- Decorate masks
- Christmas Karaoke (Lauren’s family has this wireless microphone and it’s truly amazing – would also make a great gift)
Spreading Christmas Cheer
- Drive by Christmas Caroling or organize a Zoom call and unexpectedly sing your heart out to your family.
- Have each of your kids pick a toy that they don’t play with anymore and ask them to donate to someone in need.
- Write a Thank You card for your mailman.
- Deliver homemade cookies to your neighbors.
- Make an extra effort to buy something local this year. We shared our favorite local businesses on our Instagram a few weeks ago. Find our “GIFT GUIDE” highlight.