Over the years our family has created several fun Christmas traditions that our children look forward to every year. We value our traditions because we see it as an opportunity to make memories while developing their character traits.
Christmas traditions are important things that you do every year and pass on to the next generation. It gives your family a chance to make lifetime memories which will likely be repeated in the future. It is a golden opportunity to share your belief system with your family.
I want to share with you our in-depth guide for five of our Christmas traditions we repeat every year. They are not only fun but they teach the character traits of generosity, kindness, and unselfishness.
The season generally brings a lot of feelings of good cheer but it can also be about what can I get for myself. I want my children to focus on serving others first and the Christmas season is a wonderful time to promote this.
I have included a PDF download of my “lesson plans” for each of our traditions or Christmas Workshops. The holidays are a great time of year to experiment with sensory teaching because the possibilities are endless. Check out my post, Making Memories with the Five Senses in Your Homeschool. Even if you don’t homeschool, it is a great method to implement for all your kiddos learning.
The five traditions, or Christmas Workshops, have a theme and they are:
- Christmas Tree Trimming Party
- Happy Birthday, Jesus!
- Christmas Cookies
- St. Nicholas
- Candy Canes
Christmas Tree Trimming Party
Every year I turn “decorating the house for Christmas” into a Christmas Tree Trimming Party. This is a two-day event that kicks off our Christmas season. On the first day, we make a Christmas Tree out of cinnamon rolls. We frost and decorate our “tree” with our favorite toppings like sprinkles and chocolate chips.
We make some hot chocolate and sit down to read the book The Legend of the Christmas Tree. This book is an awesome resource for teaching the children the meaning behind the symbols of Christmas. The Johnson Family is headed for the Christmas tree farm to pick out their Christmas tree. When they arrive they meet the tree farmer who shares with them the Legend of the Christmas tree. This book teaches history in a very approachable way for all ages which makes it a wonderful multi-level teaching tool. I even learn things too!
After we have finished reading, we discuss our thoughts and any questions we have. This year I am incorporating some World History and Geography by studying the countries these traditions originated from. We will look at their current holiday customs and investigate the people of the past and present.
On day two the fun begins as we decorate the house as a family. We put up our Christmas Tree, string our lights and garland and hang the sign that gives us the countdown until Christmas. It is a festive day as the Christmas music and smells fill the house while we work.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
I like to do this workshop as early in the season as possible because it promotes kindness. We begin by reading the book The Sparkle Box which is a story about a boy named Sam who learns that doing kind things for others is really what Christmas is all about. Every time an act of kindness is completed it is written down and put in the family’s Sparkle Box.
The book comes with a sparkle box but it is very small and so it fills up very fast with our large family. So I thought why don’t we make our own box and turn it into a family art project. So after we read the book, we make our own Sparkle Box.
We set the Sparkle Box in a common area of our home where can we see it on a daily basis. Beside the box, we place a stack of index cards and a couple of pencils.
Whenever someone in our family does a kind act for someone else, they write it down on an index card and sign their name. If they are too young to write or have trouble spelling, they commission the help of someone who can, like a parent or sibling.
On Christmas Eve, we bake a pretty cake, complete with birthday candles, and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Then we open our family’s sparkle box and read through all the acts of kindness that have been done in the past month.
I cannot tell you how amazing this is! Sitting there as my children read and reminisce about how they have shown love to others brings tears to my eyes. They are so proud and you can just feel the love.
On a side note: The first year we did this we had two additional foster kiddos living with us at the time. They loved doing this tradition with our family and still talk about it when I see them. It definitely made a huge impression on them!
Christmas Cookies
We start this workshop with a special family breakfast. I do this is because in the book The Legend of the Christmas Cookie the boy’s family shares breakfast with a homeless man.
The Legend of the Christmas Cookie is about a boy named Jack. Jack’s father is away working and so Jack and his mother miss him terribly. Jack is hoping his father will make a surprise return when a homeless man knocks on the door needing food. Jack tells the stranger about the love of Jesus by sharing his Christmas cookie and the story too.
After breakfast, we read the book and discuss the different ways we can share the story of Jesus’ birth and His love. At this time I also discuss how sharing our breakfast with someone who needed it would have felt.
We explore the history of the Christmas Cookie and the holiday customs and traditions of Switzerland.
Then the really fun part begins… It’s the part we have all been waiting for! We make and decorate Christmas cookies! I let my teenager, Sam, and our ten-year-old, Bella, lead the crew in making the cookie dough and frosting.
If you don’t have a cookie recipe, here is a Vanilla-Butter-Sugar Cookie recipe we have used in the past few years and it is really good.
Sometimes we buy the frosting and then sometimes we make it. Honestly, it comes down to how much time we will have on the day of the workshop. The kiddos really enjoy making it and then coloring it the way they want too. Here is a recipe for Buttercream Frosting.
My kiddos are now at the age where they can handle the prep work of this workshop on their own. They love to bake their cookies, let them cool and then decorate them for hours.
I encourage you to brainstorm with your kiddos and think of someone who may need a cookie to brighten their day.
St. Nicholas
We begin this workshop by reading the book The Legend of St. Nicholas. Nick is begrudgingly buying for the people on his Christmas List and wants to save some money so he can get something for himself. He overheard Santa telling the story of St. Nicholas who was a man who gave from his own pocket to those who were less fortunate. This inspires a change of heart for Nick.
We begin with reading the book and having a discussion about what we know so far about St. Nicholas. Then we research and learn about him by asking questions like “What country is he from?” and “When did he live?” We discuss his character attributes and how we can apply those in our lives today.
Then we write a Christmas list. Now, this list is very different because I encourage the children to write a list of what they can give. It’s easy to compile a list about what we want but I want them to think beyond that. These gifts don’t have to cost anything. It can be something they do or make for someone else. It can be playing a game with their little sister or brother. It can be taking out the trash for mom. These gifts are about investing in someone else and making them feel loved.
Now, we come to our favorite part! The Santa Pancakes! We make pancakes and then decorate them with canned cherry pie filling or strawberries and spray whip cream. They are delicious!
Candy Canes
The Legend of the Candy Cane is about a man who comes to town and opens a candy store. The town is filled with anticipation as they anxiously await the store’s opening. A young girl named Lucy offers to help him unpack and comes across some candy canes. When she asks the store owner what they are, he shares with her the Legend of the Candy Cane.
While I am reading the book, the kiddos are enjoying stirring their Hot Cocoa with their candy canes. We talk about how the townspeople would have felt when they found out a candy store was coming to town. We discuss the Legend of the Candy Cane and how it affects our lives today.
Then we talk about the candy cane by exploring how they are made and the different flavors they have today. I buy a variety of different flavors and we do a blind taste test. The kiddos are blindfolded and they taste the candy cane while trying to correctly guess the flavor. It is so much fun!
There are some more game and craft options I’ve listed in the attached PDF. Candy Canes are so much fun you can easily turn this into a project that lasts a couple of days.
Sidenote: This is a great way to teach patterns to little ones while they alternate the red and white of the candy cane. You can also teach them the letter “J” during this lesson too.
Invite Others
These are great opportunities to invite someone over and share God’s love with them. We have invited friends to join us to make memories together and just have fun. Last year, my grandparents were in town for Christmas and they jumped right in and had as much fun with the Candy Cane tradition as the kiddos did. We have also used these occasions to share the story of Jesus with those who don’t know Him. It’s a great way for them to learn and have fun all at the same time.
In a previous post, The Shepherd’s Treasure: A Family Advent Tradition, I shared with you about Mr. Wackpants, our shepherd. He acts as a guide through our traditions throughout our holiday season. The kiddos never know where he is going to take them!
I hope these traditions inspire you to enjoy traditions with your family this holiday season! Merry Christmas from the Hobbs Crew!
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