When I was a kid, almost as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers were put away, you could find me riding in the back of my parents’ car while we searched for holiday lights. These days, you’ll see me in my mommy van with husband and kids making more than one trek to look at lights, except that we add the extra touch of snacks and hot chocolate. I also love to make fudge and sugar cookies with my kids to give as gifts, like my mom did with me. Check out these traditions designed to make the holidays fun for EVERYONE!

Traditions With Your Family

Drive around your city looking at holiday lights and decorations. Play Christmas music or winter songs on the radio to get in the spirit, or go just the opposite and play silly kid songs or rock-and-roll! Jot down your favorite places so you won’t forget to check them out again next year.

Have a special meal. Kids love having company over for a special meal and some playtime. Plan a fun brunch with an egg casserole, monkey bread and juice. If this idea doesn’t thrill you, consider going out to a special kid-friendly restaurant you’ve never been to before (no cooking or clean-up for you … gotta love it!).

Enjoy a movie night or three! Make some popcorn, grab those Twizzlers, and drag every pillow and blanket in the house to the TV room. My movie picks for you, depending on the ages of your kids, include: Elf, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Polar Express, Scrooged, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Home Alone. Don’t forget the classics for the little ones, like: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and how about The SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special?!

Relax. Sounds simple, but it’s one tradition your kids will absolutely love. Something happens in my house around the beginning of December that I call “Full-on Stress Freak-out”. It’s often hard for me to stay in the moment and do things like play new games with the kids, sit down and color, be silly, and just let the dishes and laundry go. I think we spend too much time trying to make our home look perfect for the holidays, when we should focus more on what we can do for and with our children. I try to make December the month that is dedicated to the kids.

Traditions With Your Family … For Others

Take food and treats to a fire station for the firefighters who live there 24 hours a day. Consider frozen lasagna with some French bread, a bagged salad, and some cookies to make their lives easier for just one night. Don’t forget about nursing home residents who might not get many visitors … How they LOVE to see little kids whether they bring treats or not!

Bake cookies for friends, family, teachers, neighbors, and absolute strangers. You can make them in any shape you want: bells, dreidels, Christmas trees, stars of David, plain old circles, animals, or candy canes. Then frost them in different colors with either store-bought or homemade frosting (just add food coloring!). Add sprinkles and crushed-up candy canes as a finishing touch.

Help someone in need. Head to  www.VounteerMatch.org to check out opportunities like being a bell-ringer for The Salvation Army for a couple of hours. Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.org) lets you pack a shoebox with gifts for a child somewhere in the world. You can even track your box online to see which country it ends up in!

Adopt a family that can’t afford to celebrate this year. The Salvation Army (www.SalvationArmyUSA.org) will give you a list of needs for each member of a local family. You could also contact a local battered women’s shelter, homeless shelter, or church to learn about needy families. Take your kids out for a shopping trip for someone else and I promise you they will never forget it. My kids love buying “need” items, such as clothes, coats, and books. Later, they pick out “extras” like small electronics, Barbies, candy, and stuffed animals.

Sidebar: Holiday resources for everyone

The Jewish Family Fun Book: Holiday Projects, Everyday Activities and Travel Ideas with Jewish Themes by Danielle Dardashti and Roni Sarig

Holidays Around The World: Celebrate Christmas: With Carols, Presents, and Peace by Deborah Heiligman

The Children’s Book of Kwanzaa: A Guide to Celebrating the Holiday by Dolores Johnson

Jewish Holiday Style by Rita Milos Brownstein, Donna Wolf Koplowitz

Christmas Cookbook; Simple Recipes for Kids (First Facts: First Cookbooks) by Sarah L. Schuette

Kids in the Holiday Kitchen: Making, Baking, Giving by Jessica Strand and Tammy Massman-Johnson