9 memorable family Christmas traditions you can start with your loved ones

The holiday season is a wonderful time to keep up with ongoing family Christmas traditions or even to start new ones. Every family has their own unique way of celebrating and making holiday memories but, what makes every moment extra special is that you’re all together.

Looking for new Christmas traditions to start with family can be so exciting. Plus, you might just find something that your family loves doing and then continue it every year after. The holidays are celebrated in different ways so we asked Team Motherly to share their favorite family Christmas traditions. Check these out for inspiration this holiday season!

Team Motherly’s most cherished Christmas family traditions

1. Staying up ’til midnight on Noche Buena

My family practices Noche Buena which is a Christmas Eve celebration, popular in latinx countries, in which we stay up until midnight then we open presents. Usually we eat a special meal that we spent all day making. In my family, we make tamales and other Colombian specialties–like buñuelos, empanadas and morcilla. — Rachel, Client Services Manager

2. “Cookies & Cocktails”

We started doing “Cookies & Cocktails” every year with my inlaws where we have some festive cocktails and make a bunch of different holiday cookies to share and everyone has a job in making fig cookies from the old family recipe. I also mandated at the outset that everyone has to wear Christmas themed pajamas, even our official ‘cookie testers.’ — Jen Watro, Head of Audience Development

3. “A mad dash to the theaters”

Every year on the day after Christmas, my whole extended family comes to my parents house and we all vote on a movie to see in theaters that day. Everyone has to vote and then we have to find a time that works and a theater that has tickets. It usually ends up being a mad dash to the theater. — Kate Anderson, Chief of Staff

4. Feast of tamales

Like many Mexican families, we make tamales! My mom schedules it for a few days before Christmas, and she simmers the filling for hours, then as many family members who can make it are put to work, filling and wrapping them, then she steams them. It’s so much fun to gossip and make fun of each others’ tamale-making skills. Everyone gets their own portion to take home, and then we eat them all together on Christmas Eve. — Shannon Vestal Robson, Senior Director of Content Strategy

5. Christmas movies marathon

My husband and I (newbies to starting traditions in our home) host a movie night at our house for all the kids. They come over, we make dinner, watch Christmas movies, make cookies, etc. It gives the other parents a break from the kids for the night. Then in the morning, we all convene for a big Christmas breakfast. — Mariah Maddox, Essays Editor

6. The matching pajamas extravaganza

We spend Christmas night at my in-laws wearing matching pajamas and playing Friends Scene It! Winner gets full bragging rights and gets to choose the matching pajamas the following year. — Hayli Craig, Editorial Operations Manager

7. Night at the Nutcracker

Growing up, my dad would take me to see the Nutcracker ballet every December, and it quickly became my favorite annual Christmas tradition. (We’ve seen various versions of it probably close to 30 times now!) I fell in love with the music and dancing from an early age—and hope to continue the tradition with my two boys starting this year, now that they’re old enough to sit still for longer periods! — Jess D’Argenio Waller, Health & Wellness Senior Editor

8. Holiday cards over the years

I save all my holiday cards on a binder ring and bring them out each year, with ours from each year on the top of each bundle. My daughters love to see how families and children have grown over the year. — Jill Koziol, Co-founder and CEO

9. Annual “Antler Bowl”

On Christmas Eve, my family would dress up for church based on a color palette. Every year is different. We attend an evening mass followed by a late family dinner then at midnight, we would open gifts. On Christmas Day, we go over to my aunt’s house to compete in our family annual Antler Bowl. Each family comes up with a game to play, and the family with the highest score wins the trophy and bragging rights for a whole year!! It’s a lot of fun and of course, so much yummy food and goodies! — Mai Tran, Graphic Designer