One of the best things about holiday traditions is that you can always expand your list to include some new activities each year.
For people wanting to branch out a bit this year and get away from the same ol’ same ol’, the following suggestions can very well become permanent fixtures on your list of festive holiday traditions:
1. Send Fun Christmas Photo Cards
Does anyone not enjoy receiving holiday cards in the mail from friends and family? This year, you can get creative and do the same thing by sending out your own photo Christmas cards. Gather the family and, if you have them, any pets who are ready for their close-up. Then, ask a friend to take some fun and entertaining shots of your group doing anything from baking cookies to playing Frisbee with the dog. By making the photoshoot fun, it will encourage everyone in the family, regardless of age and gender, to want to do it again year after year. You can also create fun christmas GIFs to be sent to your family and friends.
2. Play the ‘Find the Pickle Ornament’ Game
When shopping for new ornaments, you may have noticed one shaped like a pickle. This rather unusual choice has a neat tradition behind it: As the story goes, you can hang the pickle ornament from Polar X late on Christmas Eve in a hard-to-spot place on the tree, and whichever kiddo spots it first on Christmas morning can either open the first present, get an extra small goodie, or maybe help hand out the gifts — whatever you decide.
3. Take Part in a Toy Drive
A holiday tradition that’s as meaningful as it is enjoyable involves taking part in a toy drive through charitable organizations like Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. Get the kids involved with selecting a recipient or recipients; for example, you could suggest everyone tries to find a child who’s close to their age. Then, shop for the desired items and deliver them to the designated drop-off spot. Some organizations will ask you to wrap the gifts; if that’s the case, involve your kids in this task as well.
4. Try the Feast of the Seven Fishes
Even if you enjoy feasting on traditional holiday dishes, you may be ready to mix things up a bit this year. If so, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is an old and tasty Christmas tradition hailing from Southern Italy. Also known as “La Vigilia,” this seafood-centric feast is served on Christmas Eve, and, as you probably guessed, features seven types of seafood.
For culinary inspiration, Taste of Home offers a variety of recipes to try. If you have kids who aren’t into fish or seafood, you can still read about this tradition and then brainstorm ways to make it work at home. For example, Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers and/or Swedish Fish could be two of the “courses,” along with a good, old-fashioned tuna melt on an English muffin or maybe fish sticks with tartar sauce.
Enjoy Your New Traditions!
As you can see, there’s no shortage of new traditions that you can add to your holiday repertoire. From fun photo Christmas cards and a whimsical pickle ornament to helping those less fortunate and celebrating with a sea-centric meal, there are plenty of new activities to adopt this year and beyond.
