If you’re like me, you may be starting out with a new family of your own. You have cherished Christmas traditions that you wish to pass on to your children, but you’re also interested in creating new traditions. Or maybe, like me, you live in a warmer climate, and it’s hard to get that “holiday” feeling when the temps are constantly in the 70s and 80s. I have decided that I’m not going to sit around waiting for that holiday feeling I used to get when I lived in snow country, but that I would discover new holiday customs for my growing family.

1. An Ornament for Each Child – A specially chosen ornament for each child every Christmas to put on the tree may not be significant when they’re babies and toddlers. When they’re able to choose the ornament themselves, and then hang it on that 8 ft. tree come December 1st, it will become something each child will eagerly look forward to. Unwrapping each ornament and seeing the growing collection of keepsakes can trigger special memories of each Christmas spent long after they’ve forgotten the present they got last year. When they’re older, they can keep the ornaments in their own homes, perhaps leaving several special ones to spruce up the parent’s tree.

2. Go Ice Skating - (and drink hot chocolate at the rink side) There’s nothing quite like gliding on smooth ice in an outdoor skating rink or if you’ve got a natural pond that’s frozen over, good for you! I have to settle with a man-made one but I’ll take it. You can’t ice skate all year. And lacing up those first pair of ice skates for your little ones can be the start of a long-standing holiday tradition. Don’t forget to have some warm beverage like hot chocolate, or hot apple cider to help with that little nip in the air, even if the nip is manufactured by ice machines.

3. Watch the Nutcracker – It’s kind of a rite of passage for many little ones to be taken to their first stage show. It makes it even more significant to watch this classic and perennial favorite that usually only appears during the month of December. Other ideas would be watching plays or musicals put on by your local Children’s theaters. We’re taking our 2 year old to A Christmas Carol put on by the Children’s Theater group this Friday. Make sure to check the recommended age, and gauge your child’s own tastes before taking them to a particular show. I was pleasantly surprised to see that A Christmas Carol was recommended for all ages.

4. Make Christmas Arts & Crafts – I’m planning to make paper snowflakes with my daughter when she’s older. I’ve found simple directions online and (I hope) that she’ll enjoy all the paper paraphernalia and eventual snowflakes that will come out of them. It’s bonding time well-spent in my opinion. (I must confess, I am pretty excited and will probably try it this year, though my 2 year old will not be able to participate in cutting). For the little ones. you can stick to non-scissors activity like making pipe cleaner candy canes or glittery pinecones which you can then have them hang around the house for decoration, or to trim the tree.

5. Bake Christmas Cookies – (or make other confections). I don’t bake much except for around the holidays. This year, I’ve bought my sugar cookie mix, got my cookie sheet and special Christmas cookie cutters shaped like a Christmas tree and snowman, plus colorful sprinkles. Yes, even a two-year old will enjoy making the cookies with you, especially the tasting part . You can guide their little wrist with the cutting, and have them help with the decorations. Having them wait in anticipation for the completion of their handiwork makes this even more fun.

6. Watch Christmas Parades - How often do you get to see Santa and his reindeer, elves, and other festive fixtures in holiday parades? Bundle up the kids and watch their eyes light up! Be sure to see the BIG parade on Christmas morning!

7. Go on a Christmas Light Tour - Every city has them, pockets of neighborhoods where every house in the cul-de-sac, street, etc. has a tradition of putting up Christmas decor on steroids, attracting passers-by on foot or car to admire the handiwork. Last year, my toddler was too little to really care, but we’re going again this year because, personally, I really, really enjoyed it.

8. Listen to Christmas Carolers (or sing yourselves!) – Waiting for Christmas carolers to stumble on your doorstep is probably futile. Most Christmas carols are organized events. Check with your church, your local schools if they have any caroling planned. They will usually tell you the neighborhood at which they’ll sing, and what dates and times so you can be around to watch and revel in the holiday songs.

And of course, there is always the lovely unveiling of Santa and his elves, as well as Christmas movies, Christmas feasts, and whatever else your family loves doing come holiday season. I hope the suggestions above are helpful, and I hope that your family enjoys them!

There are many ways to make each holiday season special. We’d love to hear about your family’s special holiday traditions.

The Winter Solstice is December 21, bringing with it a different significance to many people. An American school child may remember that it is the shortest day of the year, the first day of winter. To the ancients it was the most powerful day of the year, of great astrological significance. Pagans did (and still do) view it as a day for celebrating renewal. The early Christian church saw it as an enemy to be conquered.

To be sure, they did conquer it. In fact, the church was so successful at overtaking the pagan customs, and wrapping them in new clothes, that you may celebrate the Winter Solstice and not even know it! The following Christmas traditions are, in fact, lifted wholesale from various Winter Solstice celebrations.

Gift giving:
Although Christians give gifts to represent the gift that God gave his people (Jesus), the Romans gave winter gifts long before Christmas was started. The Roman holiday of Sigillaria was celebrated by giving children rings and seals.

Yule Logs:
Burning a yule log was seen by the Scandinavians as a way to fight off the cold and dark, as well as to bring good luck. Oak represents the waxing (or, coming) solar year, and holly represents the waning (or, closing) solar year.

Mistletoe:
The Scandinavians are also responsible for bringing us the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. In Norse mythology, the god of evil (Loki), gave the god of winter (Hoder) an arrow made from mistletoe. He used the arrow to kill the god of the summer sun (Balder). His mother was so happy that she kissed everyone who passed under the tree. Her tears of joy became the berries on the plant.

Candle Lighting:
Candles are used symbolically for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrations. It is a custom started by the Romans, who lit candles to convince the sun to shine again and to ward off evil.

Bell Ringing:
Christmas celebrations often include bells—ranging from bold church bells in steeples to tiny silver bells on shoes. This idea came from Pagan celebrations, which were noisy affairs, including bells and other noisemakers intended to frighten away evil spirits.

Christmas trees and other greenery:
Germanic cultures celebrated the solstice by lighting an evergreen, the “tree of life”. The Romans decorated their homes with green plants, as did European pagans, believing their magic powers enabled them to live when other things died. Many Christians use evergreens as a symbol of eternal life.

In Europe, many pagan cultures constructed megaliths as part of Winter Solstice worship. Although Stonehenge is NOT likely a place of worship for the solstice, it is the best-known example of this type of engineering. One place in Ireland, known as Newgrange, was built for this purpose. It is so perfectly aligned that even thousands of years later, the rising winter solstice sun shines through a “key hole” and down a passageway to illuminate an engraving (the triple spiral) on an upturned stone. Nothing in contemporary religious celebrations mimics this feat. And since they could not integrate this aspect of winter celebration into their culture, the medieval church simply ignored these ruins and let them fall into obscurity.

Of course, many non-religious people continue to enjoy Winter Solstice festivities today. Do you celebrate the solstice? Whether it is instead of or in addition to a modern religious holiday—tell us how!

We decorated our Christmas tree last night.  As I write this, I’m sitting next to the tree admiring the ornaments.

All of them are on the top of the tree so my son can’t grab them and hurt himself or the ornaments.  The tree is wired to the wall so that he, the cats, or the dog can’t topple it over.  At the top of the tree sits a fake chicken.  Yes, a chicken because the children saw the decoration in the store and begged us to put it on top of the tree instead of the angel.  This is the fourth year that we’ve had a chicken instead of an angel on the tree top.   I suppose we’ve started a tradition.

The ornaments themselves are mostly resin.  They can’t be broken and they don’t show chew marks if the puppy should happen to get a hold of them either.

I thought that we’d done a pretty good job of child proofing the tree, but I was wrong.  My toddler figured out that if he stood on top of the puppy who was asleep next to the tree, that he could climb up the branches to get to the ornaments.  Isn’t he clever?

This evening, after supper, we decided to put the tree in the playpen as an additional safety feature.  That way, the tree has a safety perimeter and even if my son stands on the puppy, he can’t grab the ornaments off the tree.

I was talking to a friend of mine just a few minutes ago and I sheepishly admitted to her that we needed to take extraordinary measures to keep my son and the tree safe.  She laughed and admitted to me that she’d done the same thing almost 20 years ago when her son was small.

Her admission comforted me slightly.  Apparently I am not the first person to have a kid friendly Christmas tree.  I’m sure I won’t be the last either.