I remember when I was a child, each year on Christmas Eve my parents would allow my sisters and me to open one Christmas present. We’d take our baths. We’d put on our cozy pajamas. I remember they were those oversized t-shirts that had a special cartoon character on it. I’d always go for the Bugs Bunny one. We’d have that amazing slice of pound cake with a glass of eggnog. We’d sit in front of the Christmas tree, and from youngest (that would be me) to oldest, we’d open one Christmas present that sat perfectly under the tree.
It was a small tradition, but one that we grew excited about each day we inched closer to Christmas Eve. I remember saying to myself, “Oooooh I wonder what’s in that one” or “That’s a huge box. That’ll be the one I open first.” Once Christmas Eve came I would always go for the present that had pretty wrapping or a glittery bow.
It’s been something that my family continued on for a long time, but as we grew older that small tradition faded away. Not because we didn’t want to. We just got older. We started our own families. But looking back, it dawned on me that I am a mother now and I haven’t created a small tradition with my family yet.
I mean, my son is only two so he hasn’t quite grasped that Christmas is such a fun holiday. At this point, he just notices that mommy and daddy put a tree in the corner of the living room that isn’t there any other day prior. At this age, Christmas isn’t a big deal for him. I’ll admit that it’s more for me than for him, but I want for him to have something he gets excited about, just as I did when I was a child.
New traditions
I want to provide my son with something he can look forward to as we prepare for the Christmas holiday. Something that when he gets older he can look back and remember those special moments we shared. So, I decided on something I’ve seen circling around on Pinterest. I decided, let’s create an ornament each year for my precious boy.
Ok, I know it not the most original. But, it’s something that I can do with my little guy. I’m no DIY professional, but as I scanned through the Christmas ornament ideas I thought it would be the cutest thing to have an ornament that highlighted the amazing year my sweet boy had. Nothing too fancy. It would just be a fun arts and craft that we can all enjoy and have that awesome pound cake and eggnog mom used to give us.
Having a Christmas tradition for my family is important because it brings us closer. It gives us something special that may seem corny to some but is just for us. And it’s simple. I went to Dollar Tree, bought those empty plastic ornaments, and filled them with what seemed fun and festive. I’m glad we’re starting it and I hope we can carry it on.
Creating a family Christmas tradition doesn’t have to be outlandish. It can be as simple as driving around the neighborhoods to see how homes are decorated with Christmas lights. It can be creating a gingerbread house. It can be Elf on the Shelf or watching a favorite Christmas movie. It can be whatever you like and whatever you all enjoy. It’s Christmas!
