3 things I'm doing differently this Christmas

I grew up in a home that was full of traditions, and Christmas was no exception. Between my dad’s love for routine and mom mom’s love for planning fun excursions, we soon had a plethora of Christmas traditions that were loved by the whole family.

The tree hunt the day after Thanksgiving, the boxes of cherished Christmas decor hauled up from the basement, the Christmas albums that played throughout the home, the cookie recipes, the light show at the park, the style of gift giving, etc.

The traditions only built greater anticipation for us as children.

Now, as a mom myself, I’ve given much thought to the traditions that should be in our place for our family to enjoy. But somehow I seem to fall into the mindset that we must determine what all of our traditions will be from the beginning, and we must be sure to get them right.

This, of course, is not reasonable at all and certainly not how my own family’s traditions were made.

Traditions are slowly crafted and take time to build.

So here are three things I’m doing this year to help us on our journey of building traditions that will add extra joy to Christmas each year.

#1: Building a collection of timeless decor.

We live in a world where trends meet our eyes constantly, and we are prone to feeling behind if we don’t have it all at once. I’ve fallen prey to this in the past, but this year I’m shifting my mindset and accepting the fact that my house will not be exactly how I picture it in my mind this year. But I will slowly build up a collection of timeless Christmas decor that will last far longer than the trends of today.

This allows me to build over time and stay within our budget, and also allows our children to fall in love with the same Christmas decor year after year.

Remember: Your children haven’t seen the Instagram Reels and couldn’t care less what the comments say, they can’t wait to pull out the same familiar items year after year.

Here’s what I’ve invested in so far.

#2: I’m shifting traditions to make sense for our family.

If something good isn’t working quite right for your family, don’t be afraid to adjust. Traditions are rarely perfect the first time around - find a way to make it better!

This year, we’re unwrapping Christmas jammies the night we put up the Christmas tree instead of on Christmas Eve - more time to enjoy them before Christmas day!

(I’m also giving a Christmas book with the jammies to help us build up our Christmas Library - here are a few favorites!)

#3: I’m introducing my children to Advent readings.

This has long been a tradition for me, and this year, with Everett turning three, I feel that we can start incorporating it with him.

Christmas Day can come and go with such a burst of activity that we often feel as if we “missed it”. Advent devotionals have helped change that. It’s the perfect way to slow down and prepare your heart for the celebration of Christmas.

Here is what we’re using this year - and some we’ve used in the past!

I hope this was a fun read and helped bring a little extra inspiration. I’d love to hear what you are doing differently this year (or what you love doing every year!)

Share it in the comments!