The best Christmas traditions create physical keepsakes — things you can look back on every year.
Annual Ornament
Buy or make a new ornament each year for each child, dated. By the time they leave home, they have a full collection.
Handprint Ornaments
Salt dough or clay ornament with each child's handprint, dated. Recipe: 1 cup salt, 2 cups flour, 1 cup water. Roll, imprint, bake at 120°C for 2 hours.
Christmas Eve Box
- New pyjamas for the Christmas morning photo
- A Christmas book
- Hot chocolate kit
- A Christmassy activity
Photo Tradition
Same photo, same spot, every Christmas morning. The first year it's cute. By year fifteen it's priceless.
Memory Journal
Each Christmas, write a short summary: who was there, what they got, any funny moments. Over the years, it becomes a family history.