Great Holiday Traditions

My favorite time of years is coming up. I love the holiday season! Getting together with family and friends is something I look forward to every year. I thought I'd start off by sharing some great holiday traditions. Most of these are courtesy of some lovely people at Hot Coupon World, so enjoy!

1. Give a gift to charity

We all look forward to seeing the joy in our family members’ faces when they open a great gift we have given them, but in the holiday shopping frenzy that encompasses the entire month from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, it can be easy to overlook those who may not receive any presents this year. Make a donation to charity in honor of the holidays, or sponsor a toy drive for a local charity such as Ronald McDonald House. Kids can get involved by donating toys they no longer play with, which can teach them valuable lessons about giving and social responsibility.

2. Bake some Christmas cookies

Gingersnaps, snicker doodles, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and butter cookies in the shape of little Christmas trees were my favorite holiday cookies. I loved helping my grandmother put them in tins to give to our mail carrier, favorite bank tellers, and good friends. This is a great activity to do with kids- they can add sprinkles, icing, and help use the cookie cutters. Just make sure they don't eat them all before you get them out!

3. Give a Christmas ornament

Specialty craft shops always have lovely ornaments to decorate your tree. Picking out an ornament to give as a gift is not only inexpensive, but also personal, as you can include why you chose that ornament for the recipient in the accompanying card.

4. Listen to a great Christmas story

Old Time Radio had a series called "The Cinnamon Bear". Listen to one episode each night from December 1st through the 24th to see if Judy, Jimmy, and the Cinnamon Bear will find the silver star needed for their Christmas tree. It was stolen from their attic by the Crazyquilt Dragon. (The series can be ordered from Amazon.com).

5. Indulge in a Christmas Movie Marathon!

Spend some time enjoying a Christmas movie with family. Popular choices include Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Prancer, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, A Christmas Story, and (my favorite) a Charlie Brown Christmas!

Feel free to leave a comment and add your own favorite holiday traditions!