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5 Holiday Traditions to Start Now

12/10/2021 · In: Lifestyle

One of my favorite things about the Holiday season is getting together with friends and family and creating meaningful traditions that we all look forward to each year. We are often so busy we don’t get a chance to see each other at other times of the year. As I get older, the holidays are less about exchanging gifts and more about spending time together. Creating traditions is a great way to bring friends and family together during the season.

1. Tree Trimming and Home Decorating Parties

Each year, we start with our tree trimming and decorating party. Usually, it’s just family and as the years have gone by, we put out fewer items. It’s a tradition we all look forward to each year. We cap off the evening with a holiday movie, Moose Munch and eggnog. Until our tree was completely overloaded with ornaments, tree trimming was also when I gave the first gift of the season; an ornament for each person, or representing a memory we shared during the year.

Variations include ornament exchange, and ornament making parties. The mother of one of Brooke’s grade school friends hosted an ornament exchange for our daughters. We participated for several years. The girls now have a small collection of ornaments for their trees and fond memories of the parties and the friendships they shared to go with them.

We love crafting at our house, and among the easiest of crafts are ornaments for the tree. Whether you collect pine cones and tie them with ribbons to the branches of your Christmas tree or you go in for more elaborate decorations, making ornaments is a great way to bring family and friends together to make memories.

A funny aside, we still have a styrofoam ball with patches of glitter that I made with my father when I was a little girl. It’s crazy looking, and I don’t put it on the tree, but it brings a smile when I see it each Christmas.

Bonus tip: Crafting is a great way to keep kids busy during parties. I would often hire a baby sitter, set up a craft table, turn on Christmas movies and the kids were happy and entertained.

2. Baking and Making Together

Over ten years ago, one of my friends started a gingerbread house decorating party. It was the first party of the season, and always one of the best. She served a lovely catered tea, it was a great opportunity to make new friends, made a gingerbread house to bring home and catch up with friends each year.

Next came a cookie exchange, each of us brought our favorite cookies to exchange. We caught up of the books we read, exchange a year’s worth of friendly gossip, sample great cookies, exchange recipes, and come away with cookies for the rest of the gatherings we’d host as well as a few sweet gifts to pass on. We’d often create a simple cookie cookbook as an “after” gift with photos of the guests and their special cookies along with the recipes. When I see the little cookbooks each year, I remember fondly each of the events and how lucky I am to have such amazing friends.

3. Meals and More

I love hosting brunch over the holidays. It’s a great opportunity to invite friends to wear their festive p.j.’s—maybe even have a contest for the cutest snuggly outfit.

I know people get a kick out of ugly sweaters and neckties, but I’m a fan of dress up cocktail parties, even though I don’t drink anymore. I’m happy with sparkling cider or tea, visiting with friends and any excuse to get dressed up!

4. Keepsakes

One of my favorite gifts is a friendship ball. I love exchanging the ball each year, just adding a simple little trinket in the ball and remembering all the years we have been exchanging it.

Friendship bracelets, and lockets with special messages are also thoughtful ways to let your friends know how much they mean to you. It’s sort of cool to have things to pass back and forth over the years, it give an excuse to keep in touch, so often, we forget.

5. Other Traditions

Each year, we have lunch in a small nearby town, the restaurant is especially festive, and the food is crazy amazing. I’m always on the look out for activities that we can share and memories to cherish.

Secret Santa gifts are so much fun, though I’m not a fan of gag gifts, nor the kind of gift exchange where you come home literally with junk. Perhaps a variation would be canned goods or a gift for charity.

Some times I wish we didn’t feel so pressured to give gifts, it can be so hard to find the right thing. We end up giving gift cards (essentially just exchanging money) or silly stuff that creates clutter, gets tossed out or donated to charity.

Like Cindy Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, sometimes I think we need to get to the heart of Christmas which is expressing love and making happy memories.

Hey there! I’d like personally invite you to join our community here at Sharing a Journey. Grab my free beauty guide and receive weekly updates by clicking the image above. I chat on Facebook Live every Tuesday night at 7:30 pm Eastern time, and am active on Instagram (@sharing_a_journey) and love to play on Pinterest (sharingajourney) so be sure to follow my boards for my favorite outfits, recipes, decor, seasonal inspiration and travel.

By: Nina · In: Lifestyle · Tagged: #holiday traditions, almost empty nest, fun holiday traditions, holiday tradition ideas, holiday traditions to start now, sharing a journey, sharingajourney, Top 15 blog for women over 50, women's fashion over 40, women's fashion over 50, women's fashion over fifty, women's fashion over forty

About Nina

Sharing A Journey is an award winning blog for women "of a certain age" who love life and style with a little inspiration mixed in. The blog and it's author Nina Anders has been featured in notable publications including Forbes, Next Avenue, Thrive Global and Parade. Photos by RSEsteyphotography Let's do midlife together!

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Comments

  1. Julie | This Main Line Life says

    12/04/2018 at 9:16 AM

    Those are some really great holiday tradition ideas. I’m with you… I like dress up cocktail parties, maybe because I so rarely have the chance to really dress up anymore, but I love your pj brunch idea. That would be such a fun way to get together with the neighbors for the holidays.

    Reply
  2. Liz Klebba says

    12/04/2018 at 6:27 PM

    Happy day, Nina! Thank you for sharing your traditions! I love the brunch and jammies idea. We don’t jump on the Christmas bandwagon until mid-month when we buy our tree; we’re trying to stay in the present of Advent. Our concession to the Thanksgiving weekend holiday madness is watching a Muppet Christmas Carol. It’s even more fun now with the grands! I don’t understand the ugly sweater/tie craze, either. Why buy something purposefully ugly to wear only once a year? It offends all my fiscal and aesthetic sensibilities! Give me a cocktail dress event any day!

    Reply
  3. Emma Peach says

    12/08/2018 at 3:44 PM

    I enjoy crafting and baking too – at any time of year, but especially around Christmas. How lovely that you saved a decoration from your childhood 🙂 Thanks for linking up!

    Emma xxx
    http://www.style-splash.com

    Reply

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