As an (almost) 40 year old, the magic of Christmas still fills my heart with joy. I don’t think Santa will come down my chimney any time soon or that trains will arrive in the night to whisk me away to the North Pole. But the holidays still bring a degree of wonder and magic (a lot like Disneyland!) as I relive my own magical childhood through the eyes of my kids.
The other night my daughter was sitting on the couch when the lights to our Christmas tree came on. (Thank you Christmas tree outlet timer!) She ran around the corner to find me, excited that the lights came on, believing one of Santa’s elves came through to turn on the lights to help Santa find his way to her tree.
It was so sweet. Unguarded, childhood joy is magical and I love seeing it in my kids. I thought about all the different memories I had as a kid and the things I wanted to re-create for my own children. So here’s a list of my favorite magical (and not so magical), holiday traditions.
Enjoying the Magic of Christmas
- Letters to Santa
- Train rides on the Polar Express
- Christmas Eve cookies for Santa
- Stockings filled with gifts on Christmas morning
- Driving down Candy Cane Lane
- Christmas Lights but up by Santa’s elves (Many thanks to my father in law who comes to our home while we’re at work to put up our holiday lights)
- New ornaments on our tree a family trip/adventure
- Re-living memories through ornaments from prior years
- The sound of bells mean angels are near
- Putting unused toys into a bag for Santa to share with another child who will love it
- Decorating cookies for Santa
- Building gingerbread houses
- Holiday pajama visits with Santa
- Holiday pajamas on Christmas Eve
- Singing along with The Sound of Music
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
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