by Amy Twede

The magic of the holiday season is upon us. If you were like me as a child, this was the reason for being alive! My most cherished seasonal activities were exchanging presents, decorating our home, spending time with loved ones, and celebrating traditions.. Usually, we’d travel to St. George where my grandfather would bake a plethora of cookies and hand a tin full to each family. I specifically remember this tradition of my grandfather’s cookies because without fail, we’d receive a tin filled to the top, even if we were unable to travel to visit with family in Utah. The assortment was delicious, I remember only passing on one or two cookies that I didn’t like.

Now that I have kids of my own, traditions are something I think about every year. Which ones will I continue with my boys? Will we start new ones? Since becoming a mother, I’ve learned that nothing is set in stone. If you want to start a new tradition, start now! It’s never too late to try something new with your family. I’ve never had an advent calendar, but it’s something I desire to do with my kids. I do not have the energy this year to create one from scratch, so a store bought Lego Advent calendar seems to be in the cards for us this time around. And that’s ok, it will still be fun!

Some traditions which take less time and energy are watching holiday movies, looking at seasonal light displays (have you ever been to The Grand America to see their window displays?) and baking a yummy treat together.

Do you have some favorite holiday traditions? How do you create new ones? My top two suggestions for creating new traditions are to ask family and friends how they enjoy celebrating the season and ask your children what they like to do once the holidays come around. Our family celebrates Christmas. When I asked my four year old what he likes to do for the holiday he told me he likes decorating our tree and decorating gingerbread houses. Now, we’ve never decorated gingerbread houses at our house, but right there I received a suggestion which I can implement this year!

I hope you are able to celebrate this holiday season how you want to with your family. May you find ways to make new memories and carry on old traditions. 

*Photo by Riccardo Greg on Unsplash