girls pajamas | boys pajamas | boys snow boots | girls snow boots
Not too long after Joe + I were married, we had to move out of state for school. I am super close with my family, and the thought of being away from them during the holidays was so hard. So Joe + I decided we should start some holiday family traditions of our own! Hunter was just barely 3 years old, and Hudson only 1, but I was determined to start creating memories for my little people to always look forward to and get excited about! I’m sharing some of our favorite holiday traditions below.
When coming up with a tradition, I wanted it to be something timeless + practical. I really wanted it to be something simple enough that we could continue to do it for years to come. But exciting for all of us to look forward to too. I loved the Christmas pajama thing on Christmas Eve. But it always bothered me that you had to wait until Christmas Eve, to wear your holiday pajamas. Plus within 24 hrs the holiday was over. So I decided to put a little twist on it for my people. Every year on Thanksgiving night, the little people get to open their new Christmas pajamas, so we can enjoy them all December long!
I love any chance I can get to make my people match, and that definitely applies to this pajama tradition. As Hunter has gotten older, and our age range has grown, it’s been harder to find coordinating picks that work. So I was thrilled when I came across Gymboree’s Holiday Collection. They have pajamas as small as newborn all the way up to a size 12 for both boys + girls that go together, so I could grab all of them in once place. I also love that they aren’t the cheesy options you find in a lot of holiday pajamas. I like to keep them fun for the kids, but love keeping it to a simple pattern and Gymboree’s options are exactly that!
It’s such a simple tradition, but one that brings us closer together and always brings out that extra excitement in my people! I love reliving these special moments through their eyes. Plus how fun it is to be a kid again so we try to fit in as many fun traditions as we can! Some of our other favorites are below!
. HOLIDAY TRADITIONS .
- Decorating the Tree… As simple as it is, the little people always have a countdown going for this tradition, because it officially means the holidays have begun! We love to turn the fun Christmas songs up loud, and dance around while we decorate!
- Polar Express Night… Every year we plan out a night that will be our Polar Express night. We get in our comfy new jammies, snuggle up together, and watch The Polar Express and drink hot chocolate.
- 12 Days of Christmas Books… We have done this tradition for the longest, and one of my very favorites! At the beginning of the month I wrap up 12 Christmas Books. Every night counting down to Christmas Eve, my people get to choose a book to open and snuggle up to read together. It has been a great tradition to help us take the time to slow down + just be together during the rush of the season.
- Gingerbread Houses… We can’t forget about Gingerbread House decorating. With Hunter + Hudson getting older, it has turned to a more competitive tradition that we all love! I love seeing their creative designs + their totally different personalities shine through.
- Christmas Lights… This one is by far the simplest, but so fun for the littles too. We all load up in the van in our new jammies and favorite blankets, and drive around the city into different neighborhoods looking at the different Christmas lights. It will be so fun to be in a new spot this year and find new favorites!
Whatever your traditions might be, the holiday season is the best time to be a kid, am I right?! I love to just see their eyes light up at all of the magic that comes this time of year. So you know I always love to hear from you friends. So what are some of your favorite traditions + I’ll add them to the list above so we all can enjoy them!! Love you guys!!
xx kails
in partnership with Gymboree
photos: aubrey taiese
I love traditions. I actually just heard a speaker whose topic was traditions. She spoke all about being intentional about traditions and how they keep children feeling part of a unit. It was really great.
This year we have started a family thankfulness tree. I cut out different colored leaves and after dinner we all take a leaf from the basket and write our names and what we’re thankful for that day. Then I tape them to the way to create a tree shape. I really wanted to focus on teaching my kids about being grateful for what they have as opposed to just being excited about getting stuff.
We also get a new family ornament for the tree every year. They get Christmas jammies and we make hot cocoa on Christmas Eve then watch a Christmas movie together.
What a great way to remind them how blessed we are, especially this time of year! I completely agree on the importance of traditions. Thank you so much for sharing with me!
Our church does a Christmas carols night the first weekend of December we love to attend. We also bake cookies for our neighbors and write them a quick card as we live in a sub full of retired folks. But mine are little, I buy a huge tub and let the kids grease the pan and make balls of the premade cookie dough. We wrap them together with the kids and deliver them door to door. We call it “sharing Jesus”. Also each child gets a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. We go to the Dollar store and each is responsible to pick their own toys, socks, and needs, etc to fill it with.
I absolutely love these ideas! What simple fun ways to tie more service + the real meaning of Christmas in, especially with little ones. Thank you so much for sharing!