Baby's First Holiday — Ideas and Traditions for Your Family's Celebration

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year! . . . Did I miss anyone?

Whether or not you grew up with strong traditions in your household, adopting customs during the holiday season that your children can look forward to each year is not only fun for the little ones, it makes for a more meaningful experience for your entire family. Here are some holiday traditions that you can adapt for your clan to make December that much brighter. There is nothing that warms the heart like nostalgia, and incorporating your old traditions with some new ones will be a lot of fun.

Commemorative Decorative Piece. It doesn't matter what holiday your family celebrates, most cultures have items that hold meaning spiritually, socially or symbolically, while others are for simply aesthetically purposes. For those who celebrate Christmas, buying or making custom tree ornaments, stockings and batches of cookies for Santa are among common celebratory practices. On the first day of Kwanzaa, many families make time to create handmade gifts that often contain educational messages about African traditions and history. Menorahs and dreidels are two very symbolic items that can be given to a baby who is getting ready to celebrate their first Hanukkah.

 

Attend Festive Celebrations. Look into your community's events to see which winter celebrations would be fun for your family. We attended Upland's Annual Christmas Parade & Holiday Faire last weekend. We enjoyed the parade, and we plan on coming back again every year. 

Document It. Those chubby thighs and pudgy toes won't stay that small forever, and you can never take too many pictures! If family pictures aren't your thing, snap a couple shots of your baby in front of holiday decor or while you participate in your customs, new and old. If you have the time, schedule a shoot with a photographer or convince a friend to take some pictures of you in exchange for dinner or something.

Click here to learn how-to take your own holiday photos!

Give in to the Cheese. Even if there are some traditions that seem pointless with a baby (they're not going remember their first holiday celebration, anyway), it's still fun going through the motions of traditions for you and your family.


What cheesey holiday customs are you giving into this year to celebrate the holiday season? Please share your ideas and traditions in the comments below!! :)

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