Start a New Holiday Tradition

We've got a guest post from our wonderful UK Intern Samantha Rogers

It’s December and we all know what that means… “Tis the season to be jolly!” Below are Lexington Family Magazine’s Top 10 new traditions to try with your family this Christmas. Try one or all of them to make sure your family’s holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year.

Santa’s Little Helpers: The Elf on the Shelf is the newest craze hitting Pinterest pages and Facebook walls this holiday season. It’s a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists.

When a family adopts the doll and gives it a name, the elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole every night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day’s adventures. Each morning, the elf returns to its family and hides in a different place to watch the fun.

Kids love to wake up and race around the house looking for their elf each morning. Elves typically appear in their families’ homes at the beginning of the holiday season and return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Elves can be bought at department stores this Christmas, or if you’re feeling crafty, head to Pinterest for ideas.

Annual Ornaments: This is one of my personal favorites. Starting when your kids are little, give them an ornament every year to put on the tree.

My family opens them every year after Thanksgiving dinner. I have about 20 in my collection today, from my “First Baby” ornament to my glass ballerina.

Not only will family members want to help decorate the tree with their ornaments, you can pass them down when your kids grow up and start families of their own. Always make sure to write their name and year on the bottom of the ornament.

Better Than Thanksgiving Dinner: Be anything but boring this Christmas Eve. Start a special Christmas Eve dinner tradition. Order a couple pizzas from your favorite pizzeria or whip up that top-secret family recipe that’s always a crowd-pleaser. My family, originally from Florida, cooks a seafood feast every year, with shrimp, clams and oysters. It’s one of my favorite meals of the year, maybe more so than turkey and stuffing. It’s a fun way to celebrate Christmas Eve and to spend quality time with family.

Christmas Eve Fashion Show: We’ve all heard the age-old idea of choosing one present to open on Christmas Eve, right? This year, instead, have the kids open a pair of brand-new pajamas.

We even have a fashion show at our house every year to display our new threads.

While your kids’ pajamas can match, they don’t have to. When I was little, my brother always got the superhero pj’s, my sister, the animal print and I wore anything that sparkled. Two years ago, everyone got UK-themed gear when I decided that’s where I wanted to go to college.

Not only will they get excited for bedtime, talk about a great photo op on Christmas morning.

Not Your Average Milk and Cookies: When I was little, my parents told us how tired Santa Claus was by the time he reached our house. “He’s only halfway around the world when he gets here,” my mom used to say.

Because we were afraid he would fall asleep at the sleigh, we chose the cookies with the most sprinkles to give Santa, setting a dozen high on a plate by the tree.

We also brewed coffee and tea to give Santa an extra jolt of caffeine to finish his route. This is a great way to make Santa come alive for your kids.

Bon Apetit, Rudolph! You can’t forget Dancer, Prancer or Vixen, not to mention Rudolph. Right before the kids go to sleep, make reindeer food to spread over the lawn. Mix together oatmeal and glitter and place in bags.

After the kids put on their new pajamas, let them loose to sprinkle the reindeer food on the grass. Even though it’s freezing outside, it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. Make sure to have hot chocolate and your video camera ready.

Don’t Forget the Pets: Making stockings for the family pets is a fun craft for kids of all ages. My family decorated one for our dog. It hangs on our staircase with the rest of the family’s stockings.

We also make a family trip to a pet store the Saturday before Christmas to pick out treats and toys to put in our dog’s stocking. Then on Christmas, Jade has presents to open and play with, too! This is an easy present the kids can help pick out and wrap. Visit the Pampered Paws Boutique at the Lex. Humane Society to find pet gifts and help support homeless animals at the same time.

Let the Kids Play Santa: This year, have the family draw names and give a gift to the person whose name you pick. It can be as easy as a photo book of the family’s greatest memories or a board game to play on Christmas Eve.

My family loves to watch movies, so we pick out a movie for our Secret Santa. We set a dollar limit, but we also have a competition to see whose DVD was the cheapest. It’s a great way to spend time together in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.

The Best Christmas Cookies Ever: From Santa Claus to Grandma, everyone wants homemade Christmas cookies. But this year try a new theme.

Shake up your annual cookie-baking tradition by letting your kids pick a cookie cutter they love and take it from there. If your 3-year-old picks a duck, do a barnyard theme for the Christmas cookies.

If he picks a fish? Go with a cool, blue under-the-sea theme. Who cares if the cookies don’t immediately scream “holiday?” It’s a fun and creative way to get the whole family baking.

The True Meaning of Christmas: This year, make sure your kids know that Christmas doesn’t come from a store but means a little bit more. Start a new tradition by adopting a child from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. You can purchase cards at Kroger and provide dinner for a family on Christmas Day. Our family hangs the card on our Christmas tree as a reminder.

Or play Surprise Santa and prepare care packages for your local public servants. Deliver Christmas cookies and other treats to the local fire or police station, whose officers may not have time off for the holidays. But make sure your visit stays a secret – the element of stealth adds a little extra oomph to your act of holiday charity.

Check out the December issue of Lexington Family for ways your family can volunteer as a family.

Samantha Rogers, 20, is a sophomore at UK and is serving an internship at LFM. She is the oldest of three children and celebrates Christmas in Louisville.