Our family is big on Christmas traditions and has always been. Now that we have a granddaughter, I thought it would be fun to start some new ones that she will always remember. Last year we started the tradition of opening our gifts while skyping with our daughter who lives 2,000 miles away. It was so much fun, I wonder why we never thought of it before. After the gift opening, and before we say goodbye, we all have a toast to celebrate the upcoming year. Those of us who don't drink, have a glass of sparkling wine.
We also have traditions the we are still carrying on from years ago, but this year I'm adding another tradition for Christmas Eve. We are going to have a hot cocoa bar. The cocoa will be cooking in the slow cooker. The house will smell fabulous! I have a beautiful wooden tray that I got from my mother. I'll place a red napkin inside along with colorful (battery operated) lights wrapped with a piece of evergreen garland cut to fit the inside edges. I'll use mason jars to hold things such as candy canes, marshmallows, rolled wafers, and chocolate chips. And we must not forget the Christmas sprinkles! This tray will be in our bay window, in the dining room, where our granddaughter can reach it herself. Many years down the road, she will always remember the hot cocoa bar at Nana's on Christmas Eve. I'll share a picture after the holidays.
Have you thought about starting a new Christmas tradition? They don't have to be elaborate or expensive, just something that will be memorable and fun. If you need some ideas, a lot can be found right here.