There’s something special about the Christmas season—its warmth, rhythm, and rituals have a way of grounding families and giving kids memories that stick for a lifetime. If you’re hoping to build a few meaningful traditions of your own, you don’t need anything elaborate or expensive. What matters is consistency, connection, and a bit of magic.
Here are five child-friendly traditions you can start this year, including a classic hands-on favorite: cinnamon applesauce ornaments.
1. Make Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments Together
Few activities feel more like Christmastime than filling the house with the warm scent of cinnamon. These ornaments are simple, tactile, and perfect for little hands. They’re also sturdy enough to last for years if stored well.
Cinnamon Applesauce Ornament Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 ¼ cups ground cinnamon (plus a little extra for dusting)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon white school glue (helps with durability)
Directions
- Mix the dough: Combine applesauce and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the glue if using. Stir until a dough forms, then knead with your hands. It should feel like soft cookie dough—add more cinnamon if it’s too sticky.
- Roll it out: Dust a surface with cinnamon and roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Cut shapes: Use cookie cutters—stars, gingerbread people, trees, or whatever your kids love.
- Add holes: Use a straw to poke a hole at the top of each ornament so you can hang it later.
- Dry: Place ornaments on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them air dry for 24–48 hours, flipping halfway through. (You can bake them at 200°F/93°C for 2–3 hours if you’d like to speed it up.)
- Decorate: Once dry, thread a ribbon through the hole. Kids can also paint them with puffy paint or add glitter glue—just avoid anything water-based that might soften the dough.
These smell wonderful for years and become treasured keepsakes.
2. Launch a December Book Box
Wrap 24 holiday or winter-themed books—new, used, or borrowed from the library—and let your children open one each night leading up to Christmas. This turns bedtime into an event and naturally encourages reading. You don’t have to buy 24 at once; collect them slowly over time.
3. Create a Christmas Eve “Family Movie Basket”
Pick a holiday film you all love, then put together a simple basket: popcorn, cozy socks, a couple of candy canes, and a hot cocoa mix. Bring it out only on Christmas Eve. The repetition makes the night feel reliably warm and grounded, especially helpful for kids who get overwhelmed by the season’s excitement.
4. Start a “Kindness Countdown”
Instead of (or alongside) a traditional advent calendar, try a kindness countdown. Each day includes one small act—leaving a note for a teacher, donating a toy, holding the door for someone, calling a grandparent, or baking cookies for a neighbor. Kids get to see that generosity is part of the holiday rhythm, not just an afterthought.
5. Give Each Child a Yearly Ornament
Choose one ornament each year that represents something meaningful—an interest, an accomplishment, or a milestone. Label it with the year using a small tag or paint pen. By the time they’re grown, they’ll have a box full of memories to take with them, and each year’s tree becomes a visual story of your family.
Starting traditions doesn’t require perfection—only intention. Pick one or two ideas that feel doable, and build from there. Over time, these simple rituals become the heartbeat of your family’s holiday season.
