• Kid-Friendly
Holiday Traditions
Tradition is a
big part of the
holiday season.
Families lean into tradition
each December,
and perhaps no people
participate in holiday
customs with more enthusiasm
than children.
Whether it’s decorating
the family Christmas tree or baking cookies for Santa on
Christmas Eve, children look forward to various holiday
season traditions once the calendar turns from November
to December.
Parents of young children can make this unique time of year
even more special by engaging in various kid-friendly traditions
that are sure to produce lots of fun and even more
lasting memories.
• Advent calendars: Th e precise origins of Advent calendars
are unknown, but historians believe the tradition was
started by German Lutherans in the nineteenth century.
More than a century later, roughly 50 million Advent
calendars are sold across the globe each year, according to
Marketplace.org. Advent is a nearly monthlong period of
preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ
on December 25. Each day during Advent, children open
a fl ap, window or door and fi nd a small gift, poem, candy,
or another item that adds to the excitement of the season.
• Matching pajamas: Th ough the tradition of wearing
matching holiday pajamas may not have the same lengthy
history as Advent calendars, it’s nonetheless a very fun custom
for families. Parents can decide how frequently their
families dress up in matching pajamas at bedtime during
the holiday season, but doing so on Christmas Eve is a popular
way to make a fun day even more special. Another idea
is to host weekly holiday movie nights during the season,
which presents a perfect opportunity to don matching PJs.
• Holiday lights tour: Holiday lighting displays have come
a long way in recent decades. Whereas it might once have
been popular to string a few strands of lights around the
exterior of a house, many holiday celebrants now beckon
their inner Clark Griswold and turn their properties into
areas with enough illumination to land a small plane. Holiday
infl atables for the yard add to the awe of such displays.
Kids tend to be especially fond of these types of displays,
so parents can make a point to pick a night each holiday
season to go on a tour of their neighborhoods and towns to
see this year’s off erings.
• Christmas dance party: Sweets are another staple of the
holiday season, and what better way for kids to burn off
some of that extra sugar than to dance it away to a holiday
music playlist curated by Mom and Dad? Cue up some
holiday classics but let kids dance to a few of their own
favorites as well.
Kid-Crafted Holiday Decor Ideas
Children can make the most of their time
crafting items for holiday decorating.
Getting children in on the
fun of decorating for the
holiday season makes this
time of year that much more special.
Children who make their own
ornaments and other items can
proudly display them all season
long.
Th ere are plenty of handmade
holiday crafts to keep little fi ngers
occupied. Here are some ideas to
spark imagination and hours of
creative fun.
Easy snow globes
A visit to the craft store will uncover
various items that can be turned
into snow globes. Look for a plastic
cookie jar-like container with a lid
that screws on tightly; otherwise,
choose glass mason jars. Use a general
ratio of one cup of water, three
teaspoons of glycerin or an oil like
baby oil or mineral oil, and a few
teaspoons of glitter. Glue a plastic
Christmas tree or snowman fi gurine
to the underside of the lid of
the jar with a rubberized adhesive
or another glue that will hold up to
wet conditions. When dry, replace
the lid, invert the jar and watch the
snow fall.
Salt dough ornaments
Salt dough is a modeling dough
made from two cups of all-purpose
fl our, one cup of salt, and about
3/4 cup of water. Mix the ingredients
together and knead until the
dough is smooth and easy to work
with. Add more fl our if it’s too
sticky; more water if it’s too dry.
Kids can use cookie cutters to cut
shapes from the rolled-out dough,
or sculpt freehand. Remember to
poke a hole through the top of
the ornament to thread through
string or ribbon later on. While the
dough can be dried out by air in
about a week, a faster method is to
bake in an oven at 250 F for 11/2
to two hours, or until the dough is
dry and hard. Kids can then paint
the dried creations.
Paper gingerbread fi gures
Children may delight in making
life-sized gingerbread girls and boys
they can decorate and then hang up
on the wall. A roll of brown postal
•
paper will work, as will other embellishments
like markers, paints,
crayons, or ribbon. Kids take turns
being traced while lying down on
a piece of rolled-out paper. Th en
the general shape is cut out and
decorated. Children can raise their
arms, bend their legs, or vary their
positions to give life to the gingerbread
fi gures.
Winter wonderland
It can be fun to create a diorama or
small winter landscape that can be
set out with other decorations. Craft
stores will likely sell small, plastic
evergreen trees this time of year, or
they may be available in the model
train aisle of a local hobby shop. Th e
trees can be given snowy boughs
with a little acrylic paint. Include
fi gures of bunnies, deer and whatever
else kids can dream up. A thin
strand of LED, battery-operated
lights can add some illumination to
the scene. Secure all items to a piece
of cardboard or foam board for ease.
Edition 809 Holiday Magic 2025 www.ALLISLANDMEDIA.com