Holiday traditions aren’t just rituals on a calendar. They’re the heartbeat of the season—the moments that ground us, connect us, and remind us what truly matters. They’re also what we remember most when we look back at holiday seasons past. In this special editorial, we’re sharing your most cherished traditions, from quirky annual rituals to time-honored family favorites. Your holiday stories prove just how magical those moments can be.
As you read through these highlights of reader memories, let it inspire you to create—or reinvent—traditions of your own. After all, it’s these shared moments that transform the holiday season from simply festive to genuinely meaningful.
Food
“Meundo and tamales from the hardworking hands of matriarchs in our hometowns. Bless them!” – Jennifer Rose-Kavanaugh
“Making my mom’s Minestrone soup on Christmas Eve!” – Gretchen Brown
“We have paella on Christmas Eve. Now that our kids are in college, we play games and then have a nice dinner. We also pick one evening right around the holidays and have a cooking competition. We team up, and we pick up a random ingredient ahead of time that has to be used in the dish. One year, we did all appetizers. Another year, each team got a course. We also have done blind wine tasting using random wine my folks pull out.” – Holly Lister Castillo
“Making my moms Carmel popcorn, which is a secret family recipe with almonds and pecans! I only make it once a year! It’s so delicious.” – Nicole Whyte
“I make your crock pot stuffing every Thanksgiving. It’s a crowd favorite and so easy!” – Julie Niedzwiecki
“I make my late mother’s famous peanut butter balls.” – Jennifer Tuttle Robertson
Movies, Books, and Productions
“Watching It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard on Christmas Eve. One of our traditions.” – Sherry Uribe
“I read The Night Before Christmas and The Christmas Story every Christmas Eve.” – Mary Dundas DeMoss
“We drive around in our Christmas jammies with pizza and some hot cocoa. We look at Christmas lights, while listening to Christmas music! Another one we love is getting dressed up fancy and going to our local Nutcracker ballet. I live for Christmas traditions!” – Stacey Partridge
“On Christmas Eve, we watch It’s a Wonderful Life. We wear Christmas jammies all day.” – Diane Ma
“We love to go to the Nutcracker. Yes, boys can go too! Then, we look at all the Christmas lights and talk about the year we’ve had and all the blessings we are grateful for. Ending the day with hot cocoa while opening one gift. Most importantly, we are together as a family.” – Kat Ann
Games & Competitions
“Our son gets a new ornament from us and his grandparents every year. He goes on a scavenger hunt to find an ornament in the house.” – Carley Elizabeth DuBois
“We wrap each kiddos’ gifts in different paper. They don’t find out which is theirs until Christmas morning, finding a small one at the bottom of their stocking. It’s a newer tradition (four years), but our boys love it.” – Gladys Evelyn Ramsdell
Decorations
“Well, my aunt passed away this year. I loved her very much. Every Thanksgiving, she put up her tree. She would let her children, her nieces, and nephews decorate it if we wanted to. So, I’m going to put up my Christmas tree on Thanksgiving every year for now to carry on that tradition.” – Rene Stoik
“I love all things Hygge — candles, hot tea, salt lamps, cozy blankets, soup, and connections with loved ones. We live in Indiana, and for years, I have struggled with low mood and energy in the winter. Shifting my mindset and making my routine and environment cozy has been a game changer for me.” – Jenni VanSkyock
“Cutting down our Christmas tree as a family the day after Thanksgiving!” – Rebecca Coontz Swyers
“On Black Friday, the Christmas decor comes out, and it takes all weekend to create the Magic.” – Heather Winter
Gifts
“My husband and I both grew up with a small train and village under our Christmas tree. We love that now we get to do that for our 2-year-old son. We have a mix of little houses and LEGO creations, with all different themes: Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, the Disney castle, the Haunted Mansion, and a bunch of the Christmas-themed LEGOs. It was so much fun to watch our son interact with it last year, and we can’t wait to see it light up his face again this year!” – Janine Marie
“I still do Elf on the Shelf for my four boys. They are 22, 20, 17, and 17. It brings joy every morning during December.” – Danielle Cooper
Crafts
“We go to a local ceramic studio every Thanksgiving. We each pick out an ornament to paint. Now, after 16 years and three kiddos, my tree is filled with memories and homemade ornaments.” – Jennifer Hargreaves Crawford
“My Mom has a December birthday, and we celebrated a few years ago with crockpots of chili and hot chocolate, simmering all day while we made wreaths out of a combination of greenery we each brought from the woods around our houses. Turned out to be the start of a fun holiday tradition.” – Andrea Cralle Hathaway
Activities
“The week of Thanksgiving, we have a family camp out with all the turkey and dressing fixings. Every year, we camp at a different spot.” – Niece Hale
“We enjoy our Thanksgiving meal with extended family. Then, after we drive to the North Shore in Minnesota and go to Betleyville, a large Christmas light display with different stations spread throughout with things like Santa, stores, and popcorn.” – Chelsea Markfort
“I have a sleepover at my parents house on Christmas Eve. My brother, his wife, and kids and my husband, kids, and me. We play board games or pool together. Then, we open Santa’s gifts in the morning.” – Tiffany Neiter
“Advent with activities that are grounded in quality time: one day we make ornaments, one day we wrap gifts for the less fortunate, and one day we watch a movie. The kids never know what comes next.” – Aura Fain
“We get hot chocolate and drive around looking at Christmas Lights at least one night in December. We also do new jammies. Christmas morning, we open one present at a time to make the morning last longer.” – Joy Franklin
“We volunteer at a senior center every year the day before Thanksgiving, making floral arrangements with the seniors, making challah, singing and dancing. It brings good cheer and builds relationships in our community.” – Mindy Pannell
“We have a Mailbox that says “Letters to Santa.” Well we changed it to “Love Letters,” which are letters to each other. It stays out all year long, and we all put notes to each other in it. Every Christmas Eve, after dinner we gather together in the living room, and we read the notes to each other. It’s just short simple notes, but it means so much. Then, we open our gifts. We also read the Christmas story and sing Christmas carols.” – Lavena Dodd
“The lighted Christmas boat parade downtown on the river. So fun!!” – Nancy Porter
“We make homemade gingerbread houses (Pampered Chef) at Thanksgiving with all the cousins. We also dress up for the Thanksgiving Detroit 5k.” – Denise Coop
