Collect Memento Christmas Ornaments
One of the most touching ways to mark the passing years is to have a custom ornament made each holiday season. Whether you’ve moved or sent your first child to kindergarten, you’ll be flooded with memories each time you pull that trinket out of storage to hang it with care.
Make a DIY Photo Booth
You might associate them with weddings and other big events, but making your own at photo booth is a great way to create mementos to share. You won’t need much more than a digital camera or iPad on a tripod, a background to tape on the wall (a wildly-patterned blanket or finger-painted paper both work), bright lightbulbs to flatter all your angles, and a little floor space for posing. Throw in some inexpensive funny hats and fake mustaches to tap into your family’s silly side, and you’ve officially got a party going on.
Listen to a Holiday Story by Candlelight…or Christmas Lights
Challenge yourselves to put all screens away and cozy up for some quality time as you listen to a Christmas-themed tale together while you craft, make cookies, or simply relax. Try this audio play version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, or if a more modern option is more your family’s style, there’s author David Sedaris’s hilarious (and true) modern classic Santaland Diaries about his time as a Macy’s elf.
Buy Matching Christmas Pajamas
The night before Christmas, don identical jammies for an adorable family portrait.
Sit Down for a Special Brunch
Once presents have been torn through, gather the family together for one last holiday celebration—a special brunch. Menu options are boundless, from French toast, to lox and bagels, to egg casseroles. If you want to tap some other holiday traditions, take a nod from Australia and serve shrimp, or turn to ruby red pomegranate, which symbolizes abundance and life.
Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
If you’re looking for another way to give back, consider volunteering to cook or serve a holiday meal at your local soup kitchen. As a socially distanced alternative, organizations like VolunteerMatch offer virtual opportunities to do everything from assembling meal boxes to helping a visually-impaired person get groceries.
You can also involve kids in helping to choose somewhere to donate annually in your families’ name, such as a hunger organization like Feeding America.
By Brigitt Earley
Check back on Wednesday for part 2 of this blog – Creating new Christmas Traditions