From Our Blog: What’s Your Favorite Holiday Tradition?

Collage of Mexican culture and holiday traditions
With cooler weather and the holiday season in full swing, additional family and friends time may be in your future! Whether you celebrate a specific holiday, multiple holidays, or none at all – breaking out special family traditions (or even starting your own) can be a great way to enjoy quality time together. We’ve compiled a list of fun holiday traditions our bloggers share with their families.

Fun Holiday Traditions for Families

“Early morning, on December 11th, the women in our family (extended included) get together to make tamales. Every person has a role, even the children. My oldest helps make the masa, and my youngest places the olive in the middle. Once they are wrapped and ready to be steamed, we do a quick dance around the tamale pots for good luck so they don’t burn. Then, we celebrate Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe late into the night and early morning on the 12th with tamales, mariachis, and family fun!” – Kelly

“Every holiday season, my wife and I try to plan one night out together, just the two of us. We’ll head to a nice dinner, and then do some Christmas shopping for the boys. It’s only a few hours together, but we get our shopping done, and it allows us some much-needed downtime (aka adult time). And then, naturally, we race home as fast as we can to see the kids before they head to bed!” – Evan

“Our family celebrates Chanukah. We love lighting the menorah together each night and giving our kids small presents. They’re mostly little tokens, but my favorite is the one night when we give them money - half they get to keep, and the other half gets donated to their charity of choice. But we've always truly reveled in the whole holiday season - especially since 2007 when my daughter was born…on December 25th! She wasn't due until January, so she certainly was the most special and surprising holiday gift we've ever received. Celebrating her birthday brings an extra spark to any and all holiday traditions we have. She loves her Christmas Day birthday!” – Melissa

“My favorite holiday tradition is to spend Christmas with family! But there is something that I would love to turn into a tradition someday. One year, we were in Colorado on Christmas night, and saw skiers come down the mountain holding candles as music played on the slopes. It was a beautiful, glittering, magical sight that I’d love for my children to see every year.” – Naoko

“I came across a great cinnamon bun recipe years ago and made them with my niece for our family and neighbors for the holidays. It’s become a holiday tradition where I now make them with my girls. It can be a long and messy process, but the end result is delicious! As soon as Halloween was over this year, my daughter started asking if it was time to decorate the house and make cinnamon buns.” – Laura

We want to hear from you! What holiday or winter traditions do you share with your family and friends? Comment below.

More on Quality Family Time

  • The holidays can be a busy, stressful time for parents. Find helpful stress management tips to quell holiday stress and enjoy quality time with your family!
  • For this mom, a kindness calendar ended up being the perfect way to blend family traditions while celebrating the true meaning of the holidays.
  • Hygge is the idea of taking a little time to slow down and savor the moment. Here are some easy and fun ways to practice hygge with your family this winter.
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Bright Horizons
Bright Horizons
In 1986, our founders saw that child care was an enormous obstacle for working parents. On-site centers became one way we responded to help employees – and organizations -- work better. Today we offer child care, elder care, and help for education and careers -- tools used by more than 1,000 of the world’s top employers and that power many of the world's best brands
Collage of Mexican culture and holiday traditions