11 Best Old-Fashioned Family Christmas Traditions to Start in 2024

Christmas is such a hectic time of year and old-fashioned traditions are one of the best ways to slow down, enjoy the season, and focus on things that are truly important. If you’re looking for ideas to make this Christmas extra special, here are my top 10 old-fashioned family Christmas traditions for everyone to enjoy!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of year. And, while I love all of the lights, elaborate decorations, and fun Christmas movies, it’s the simplest traditions that are always my favorite.

As my family grows and the kids get older, I want to focus on including old-fashioned traditions like the ones below in our Christmases each year.

This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure  here.

Make Your Own Decorations

Making your own decorations is not only fun for the whole family, but it also puts the focus on spending time together instead of spending more money. From popcorn and cranberry garlands to handmade ornaments, there are endless ideas!

Here are a few of my favorite tutorials from my blogging friends around the world!

• Salt Dough Ornaments
• How to Create an Activity Advent Calendar
• An Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree
• Dried Orange Slice Decorations
• How to Sew Simple Fabric Star Ornaments
• DIY Christmas Wreath For Less Than $10

Send Christmas Cards

These days it feels rare to receive Christmas cards in the mail, but it just makes it all the more special! While you may not want to send a card to everyone you can think of, this is a fun way to have a little extra connection with your friends and family this time of year.

There are so many great options to choose from! You can do family photo cards, newsletters to let people know what you’ve been up to over the past year, classic Christmas cards, or even handmade cards.

Celebrate Advent

These days Advent is celebrated in so many ways by people of many beliefs. However, traditionally during Advent Christians remembered how Israel waited for their Messiah, and they also took time to remember how they were waiting for Christ’s second coming.

There are various ways to celebrate a traditional Advent with your family, and here are a couple of wonderful resources!

• Chronological Biblical Advent Calendar for Kids
• Storybooks for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide

Bake Together

This can be a fun family event no matter the ages of your kids! Toddlers love making a mess with dough and licking bowls while older kids may enjoy getting creative and picking out new recipes to try as a family.

Making and decorating cutout sugar cookies is a classic, but here are a few more ideas if you want to try something new this year!

• Gluten Free Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins with Chocolate Chips
• Easy Homemade Wassail Recipe
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Rustic French Canadian Tourtiere Recipe
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Crisp Sheet-Pan Pancakes
• Snow Ice Cream
• Perfectly Gooey Pecan Pie Bars (No Corn Syrup!)

Start with the Christmas Story

Starting your Christmas celebration by reading the second chapter of Luke from the Bible is one of the most meaningful traditions you can have with your family!

This is often done Christmas morning, however, Christmas Eve before bed is also a wonderful time to do this as a family. That keeps kids from getting too impatient to open their gifts to hear the story!

Have a Game Night

Playing games is such a fun way to spend more time as a family this year! Whether you just play a few simple card games or pull out Monopoly or Risk, this is a tradition that can last throughout the years as your kids grow.

Go Caroling

These days it seems like most of the Christmas caroling we see is in the movies! However, this is a wonderful tradition to bring back for your family.

The idea of walking around singing isn’t always a favorite with kids and teens, so it’s important to make it a fun event everyone looks forward to. Kids love when their friends are included, so you could invite a few families to go caroling with you.

Ending the evening with fun Christmas snacks and drinks also makes the event more fun for everyone!

Read Together

Nothing is cozier than settling in for an evening in front of the Christmas tree to read a good book! No matter what ages you have in your home, there are numerous wonderful books for you to read together.

• The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Moore
• The Greatest Gift (the book It’s a Wonderful Life was based on), by Philip Van Doren Stern
• A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
• The Christmas Story Little Golden Book, by Jane Werner Watson and Eloise Wilkin
• Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss 
• Storybooks for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide
• Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott  

If you need more inspiration for books to read with young children, check out this list of family Christmas story books!

Give Handmade Gifts

Making gifts for the people on your list is so much more special than just buying something for them online. This is a wonderful activity for kids as well!

If you need some inspiration, here are a few fun ideas!

• Homemade Face Wash
• Farmhouse Crochet Potholders
• Photo album or scrapbook
• Gifts in a Mason Jar
• Houseplant starts
• Hand Sanitizer Spray
• Handmade ornaments
• Baked goods
• Cross-Back Apron

Watch It’s a Wonderful Life

While watching Elf will always be a Christmas tradition in our home, it’s often the old-fashioned Christmas movies that are the most meaningful.

It’s a Wonderful Life has been a Christmas classic since the 1940s for good reasons, and it still has a powerful meaning for us today. It’s truly an old-fashioned family tradition worth including in your Christmas.

And you get old-fashioned Christmas bonus points if you decide to watch it in the original black and white! 😉

Attend a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

This is one of the most traditional and meaningful ways to celebrate Christmas Eve! Even if you don’t have a church you attend or your church doesn’t have a candlelight Christmas Eve service, it’s worth taking the time to find a place you can visit for Christmas Eve.

Final Thoughts on Old-Fashioned Family Christmas Traditions

Often the old-fashioned family Christmas traditions that have withstood the test of time are the most meaningful. Going back to these simpler times with your family can help you enjoy the Christmas season to the fullest and remember the things that are important.

While trying to do everything each year would defeat the purpose of slowing down, pick a few of your favorites to try this year! If you like them, maybe they’ll become new traditions for your family to keep every Christmas.

What’s your family’s favorite old-fashioned Christmas tradition? Let me know in the comments!