The holiday season can be full of beauty and togetherness, but it can also feel busy, loud, and overwhelming. This can be especially true when you have young children at home.

It is so easy to put the pressure on yourself as the parent to pull out all the stops and do what you see everyone else doing, but traditions don’t need to be elaborate or perfectly executed to be meaningful. The moments children carry with them aren’t the ones that looked the best, they’re the ones that felt safe, connected, and joyful.

This season, the goal isn’t to do more. It’s to be more intentional with what you already have.

Jump to: 

Traditions that begin with mindset

Classic holiday traditions 

New family traditions 

Montessori-inspired ways to celebrate

Simplifying family traditions 

Traditions that begin with mindset

Some of the most meaningful holiday traditions begin with how we approach the season. 

• Age-appropriate giving can look simple and tangible for young children:
• Making drawings or cards for family members, neighbors, or caregivers
• Choosing a toy to pass along together when it’s time to donate
• Talking about giving in concrete, everyday language

Practicing gratitude and connection doesn’t have to be formal:

• Naming one thing you’re thankful for at dinner or bedtime
• Sharing a favorite part of the day or week
• Creating small pauses to be together, without distractions
• Talking about something someone did for you that made you happy
• Brainstorm ways as a family to potentially spread holiday joy

These traditions build slowly, over time, and can lean into the pure heart that children have. 

Classic holiday traditions

You don’t need to reinvent the season to make it special. Familiar traditions, adapted to the pace of young children, can feel comforting to parents and children.

• Reading holiday books together
• Baking or cooking holiday classics
• Decorating the tree together
• Looking at Christmas lights together
• A yearly keepsake made with your child
• Themed advents
• Holiday movie nights
• Making a paper chain countdown to Christmas 
• Sipping hot cocoa together 
• Lighting a Christmas-scented candle 
• Playing outside, in snow or other weather 
• Wearing matching PJs on Christmas Eve 
• An exclusive Christmas meal or treat 
• Singing Christmas carols together 
• Making gingerbread houses 
• Writing letters to Santa 
• Making ornaments together
• Secret Santa gift exchange

Looking for new traditions?

If your family is ready for something new (but simple), here are some alternative family holiday tradition ideas:

• Read books, listen to music, or share simple stories about different celebrations such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or St. Nikolaus Day. This can be as easy as lighting candles, noticing symbols, or talking about how families around the world celebrate.
• Making snowflakes to bring a white Christmas indoors
• Each person adds something to the 'family stocking'
• A wrapping party
• Light a candle at dinner all December, taking turns who gets to light it (or with young children, who gets to blow it out)
• An act of kindness advent
• Family gratitude list
• No-electronics night, where the family can unplug and connect with puzzles or games
• Family sleepover 
• Midnight dessert feast - have treats in bed Christmas Eve 
• Quiet night of reading together 

Montessori-inspired ways to celebrate

Sensory experiences might include:

• Exploring natural textures like pinecones, fabric, or wooden ornaments
• Noticing seasonal scents, sounds, and light
• A holiday-themed sensory activity

Practical life moments can naturally become part of the celebration:

• Wrapping gifts together
• Setting the table or helping prepare food
• Carrying decorations, wiping surfaces, anything that keeps them contributing in real ways

For years you need to simplify holiday traditions

Some years might ask us to slow down. Holiday traditions can be simplified to meet your needs depending on the season of life you are in, while still committed to doing it every year. Simplifying traditions doesn’t mean you’re letting them go, it means you’re meeting your family where they are.

• Baking together might mean using store-bought dough
• Decorating a small tabletop tree instead of a large one 
• Watching videos of Christmas lights while listening to holiday music
• Coloring Christmas pages instead of a Christmas craft 
• Having a movie on in the background while you wrap presents 

Children don’t need everything to stay the same. They need to feel calm, included, and connected.

When there are young children at home, it’s okay to choose less.

The holidays don’t need to be full to be meaningful. In fact, simple, familiar routines can be especially comforting during busy seasons. Choose traditions that feel manageable, and let go of the idea that you need to do it all.

However this season looks for your family, we hope it’s filled with moments of connection, calm, and togetherness. We’d love to hear which traditions your family returns to year after year.