Christmas morning traditions to start with your family

2021 is our first proper Christmas as a family. Last year, V was only a few weeks old, and the South East of England was under restrictions, meaning that it was a little pointless to try to establish some traditions. This year I want to introduce some Christmas morning traditions for our little family. After all, children don’t remember the presents or the food, but they remember the traditions, the mood, and the interactions.

Open presents on the bed

A Christmas morning tradition that we had when we were young children was joining my mum and dad in bed and opening presents from our stocking. A personal decision I’ll be running with is that the stocking or sack is from Santa, all other presents are from us. So what better than to invite your babies to join you to share in the magic of Father Christmas – or Santa – and rummage through the gifts he brings? Add to the ambiance by playing a pre-planned Christmas playlist of the best festive tunes, and make memories.

This might not be suitable if you have older children who want to stay in bed, but if you are the parent of a buzzing pre-schooler who wakes at 5am, you don’t even have to get up!

Saving the big presents

It’s so easy for kids to just blast through all the presents in the first hour, then abandon all but one. Though it’s not strictly a Christmas morning tradition, one I’d like to make is saving the ‘big’ presents for the afternoon. That way, it’s easier to separate presents from Santa with presents from family, and it gives children the time to really enjoy the presents they have opened earlier in the morning.

Related: Why I won’t say Santa got my kids their Christmas presents

Think about it, if you give your child a Switch in the morning, what are they going to want to spend all day playing? It’s what I did when my parents got me a GameBoy way back in the early 2000s!

Have a festive breakfast

A festive breakfast is probably my favourite tradition. Even though you are going to stuff your face all day, there’s something magical about bacon for breakfast on Christmas morning. I have a real soft spot for cinnamon – it’s the perfect addition to any Christmassy meal, so for me, a festive breakfast consists of cinnamon pancakes, berries, bacon, and maple syrup, all washed down with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate.

Take a family photo

I think it’s really important to take a family photo every year, whether it’s just your household or the extended family. A little morbid, but you never know when it’s going to be the last Christmas as a family. Though not a family photo, I managed to take a photo of both of my grandfathers on their last Christmases with us, and I cherish them.

On a lighter note, a family photo on the same day each year really shows how quickly the children in your family grow up. What a lovely collection to be able to treasure.

Put away the new gifts

Another tradition worth creating is the tidy away time. If you are hosting Christmas dinner, you can’t have shreds of wrapping paper and a hundred toys scattered around the living space. Likewise, how annoying would it be to go to bed after a long day entertaining family, and find the contents of a stocking dumped on your bed. Get the kids to find homes for their new belongings, and it gives you a little bit of time to do what you need to do – if your kids are old enough of course.

Get dressed in your best

We don’t have that many opportunities to get dressed up, so why not spend Christmas morning putting on your best, doing your hair, and putting on your make up. Pairing this process with a glass of prosecco just adds a little extra fun to it all.

These are just a handful of traditions I can think of, but I’m sure that I’ll add to them as the years go by. Perhaps you have traditions of your own. I’d love to hear them, so why not share in the comments below?

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