So many households try to change their December routine at least once or twice, often because someone’s tired or traveling. However, quite a few of these traditions make a sudden return the following year because the switch ended up feeling rather strange. Here are 7 Christmas traditions that families swear they’ll never skip again.
Classic holiday movie night
Most families have one festive movie that they watch every Christmas, like “Home Alone” or perhaps even “Gremlins.” It doesn’t matter whether they watch it while wearing their PJs or while they’re wrapping the gifts, as it’s the same title each time.
But some families skip it, thinking they should watch a new movie instead. It stops feeling like Christmas when that happens, as the tradition was such an important part of how they celebrated the holidays. Since then, they’ve made an effort to claim a night where everyone crowds the couch. It’s better that way.
Matching family pajamas
Speaking of PJs, the patterned pajama sets families wear in Christmas photos seem like a small detail to most people. A few families try to update the tradition because they think that getting a new set of PJs may be better, except it only makes the day less special somehow.
But skipping them one year can make the photo album look a little odd. Families who decide to change the tradition often find that they’re left in December hunting for a pair that’s the same as the old set, or at least one that looks close to it.
Nighttime Christmas lights drive
Quite a few families plan a time over the festive season to look at neighborhood lights. Not necessarily because they’re trying to steal ideas, but rather, because it gave them a way to get into the holiday spirit. However, the one year that a family didn’t go is the year that Christmas lost some of its magic.
Perhaps someone was working late, or perhaps they assumed they could squeeze it in later. Either way, they’ve learned their lesson, and now these families will fuel up the car ahead of time and follow the same route, even when it means going behind other cars doing the exact same thing.
Gingerbread house building
Some families have their gingerbread kits lined up on a table by the middle of December. They decided to mix things up one year by baking cookies instead, as these seemed like they’d give them more variety in flavors.
Yet the cookies never got decorated, and most of them were left uneaten because they missed the original gingerbread houses so much. Sure, it was quite a hassle to decorate them, and yes, sometimes, you have to deal with the roofs collapsing. But there’s something special about the whole process of decorating a gingerbread house that you can’t get elsewhere.
Putting up the nativity set
People who own a nativity set usually know exactly where it belongs each Christmas, and they’ll also notice how lonely it feels when December comes and goes without it. The room just feels unfinished. After missing it one year, there’s always one person who makes sure it comes out early.
They’ll unwrap the figures and arrange them in the same familiar order. Regardless of whether they have other decorations still waiting in the hallway to be hung up, the nativity gets its spot sorted out right away.
Making handmade ornaments
Any families that keep handmade ornaments often regret the year they decided not to add a new one. Whenever the night for tree decorating comes around, all the old favorites are there, but nothing new goes on a branch. They feel like they have nothing to look forward to because there’s no surprise over what they’ll make.
As such, they decided to bring back the December crafting sessions. It doesn’t matter that the mess ends up spread out across the table. It doesn’t matter that they’re bound to disagree on which ornament looks the best. As long as a new ornament shows up, then it feels like Christmas.
Leaving snacks for Santa
Even when the kids get old, a lot of families will still leave out snacks for Santa. They’ll pick out a couple of cookies and pour some milk into whichever cup is clean, just because it’s a tradition. Any younger kids usually add carrots on the edge for reindeer.
The one season that they thought the kids were too old, they went straight to bed. Bad idea. The next morning felt wrong without the empty plate, so since then, the family leaves the snack out, regardless of how late it is or how tired everyone feels.
Worst Christmas Gifts To Give Your Wife or Girlfriend
While it can be tempting to take shortcuts or choose something convenient, there are some gift ideas you may want to avoid altogether. These include thoughtless, inappropriate, or insensitive gifts and gifts that imply criticism or judgment.
Worst Christmas Gifts To Give Your Wife or Girlfriend