Holiday Traditions from our Good Day Shop Family

From well-established happens-once-a-year activities to creating everyday seasonal rituals, writing your own version of the holidays is completely up to you. We asked you to share some of your traditions and here are some of our compiled favorites, big and small, from us and you. 

• Keeping a family (or framily)  holiday journal to record gatherings & memories
• Making extravagant hot cocoas in a favorite mug (Kelly says make it even better as a build-your-own-bar, spike optional)
• Picking a fancy recipe from a new cookbook & having a holiday dinner just the two of us
• Pajama and games day

More from our community:

Kyli

• Day after Tday, cut down Xmas tree at a farm (family tradition they do now too)
• Xmas charcuterie party, cover table with brown paper and half is cookies she bakes and the other half is charcuterie (everyone brings one cheese and an accompaniment to contribute
• First big snow of the year, they watch Grand Budapest Hotel movie

Anya

• Make chewy molasses cookies
• Watch the Family Stone

Christie

• Cook together as a family and eating together - just hanging together

Allison

• Christmas chili party with friends & a yankee swap

Cathy

• Swedish smorgasbord with family

Lexy

• Celebrating St Lucia Day

Noelle 

• Make a ton of cookies and candies and give to teachers, bus drivers & friends

Patricia

• Annual crescent moon cookie bake (grandma’s recipe)
• Ornament exchange with family and friends

Dave 

• White elephant exchanges.. we do it every year now

Anna

• Pickle ornament/gift: “To start a tradition that will last year after year, this little Christmas Pickle brings lots of holiday cheer. The night before Christmas hang it on a small plant or tree; do it while everyone's sleeping as it must be done secretly. On Christmas morning when you arise, the first one to find it will get a surprise.”

Amanda 

• Natural stove top simmer with dehydrated oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, anise, allspice berries and depending on timing, a few cuts from the christmas tree.

Shelby 

• Christmas Eve pajamas 😁🎄

Ashtyn 

• We like to get the gingerbread house kits from Target and make those while watching a holiday movie 💛

Jenny 

• Cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

James 

• Going someplace remote for new year’s

Cody 

• Seafood Chowder on Xmas Eve, Braised Lamb Shank on Xmas, taking a goofy picture with daughter in front of a tree and posting all the years.

Katie 

• Kids’ Christmas books that only come out of storage in December. A lot of classics, but some new ones too.

Carly 

• We always have cheese fondue and graze for dinner as we decorate our christmas tree with our favorite xmas movie.

Kaley 

• My family had a felt advent calendar that looked like a Christmas tree and each day I got to decorate it with one of the felt ornaments. I still do it as an adult ❤️

Robin 

• We make fondue at home for New Year's Eve. Kiddo's big enough to help with the prep and loves the ritual of it all. We usually cozy up on the couch and watch a movie afterwards, then the ball drop
• My family's Xmas eve gathering at my aunt's house is always a themed potluck and decidedly a comfy-pants hodge-podge kind of affair. Think chili with a topping bar, taco bar, baked potato + soups + salads buffet, etc. 

Jon 

• Lasagna for Xmas meal.

Kelly 

• Gingerbread house decorating party + hot cocoa bar with optional boozy add-ins.

Courtney 

• A friend, her kids and I make Christmas cookies. Bonus points for niche shaped cookie cutters, or cool ways to decorate. Also, family holidays = trivial pursuit.

Kayte 

• Since Paul and I started dating, we have always had Chinese on Christmas Day. So that’s our tradition. Last year we busted out the blackstone and made our own 

Amanda 

• We buy each other a game to play on Christmas Eve

Ryann 

• We do a “thankful wall” in November. Everyone gets a different color post-it pad and we write or draw things we’re thankful for and stick them on the wall. The sticky notes go down when the holiday decorations go up.

Michelle 

• Ever since we were kids, my younger sister would put this little Santa Christmas countdown thing out and change the number every day. She still does it to this day. Last year, it hit me in a huge way how much this little tradition means, 30+ years and counting. ❤️
• Another newer tradition is pj's, gift exchange, movies, and appetizers on Christmas day. Then Christmas dinner on the 26th. It started by accident but has become our tradition. It allows for so much more relaxation, less stress, on "the day" and everyone participates and enjoys the meal (preparation included) the next day

Leah June

• Love having dried mulled wine ingredients out in a glass jar ready to use. Smells great too.
• Decorated Christmas wreath from trimmed wisteria branches & flowers from the garden.
• Adding to the friends and family Christmas party playlist while wrapping presents. The more obscure the songs the better! Each song reminds me of someone, sometime or someplace.
• Magic Boots on Christmas Eve. The elves deliver fun, little gifts and place them in the boots when no one is looking. We have decorated magic hiking boots in Montana and wellies for England.

Karen 

• As kids, we’d do an ornament exchange with our cousins.🎄💕

Laura 

• My sister and I gift each other “bad-for-us cereal” that our parents would never buy us.

Jon 

• Getting fresh/warm apple cider donuts at the apple orchard. Note: not all orchards make and sell cider donuts, so choose accordingly... 😉