Keep reading for fun family Christmas traditions that are a little different than the “norm” and don’t focus primarily on gift-giving.
Dave and I enjoy giving generously to our children throughout the year — especially on their birthdays. However, we’ve always tried to keep Christmas a bit simpler, especially from a consumeristic standpoint.
I come from a family who is big on giving lots of Christmas gifts… so over the last 13+ years, I’ve consciously made an effort to simplify our own family’s Christmas gift-giving traditions.
The kids can still look forward to lots of goodies from grandparents (I don’t have as much control over that) but here in our own home, we’ve tried to take the focus off of receiving gifts during the holidays, and instead spend more time, energy, and money on focusing on what we do for others (either others in our family, our school, our church, or our community).
This doesn’t always look the same every year… but every year usually gets a little simpler, a little easier, and a little less consumeristic!
If you’re looking for ways to simplify your holiday season and reduce consumerism in your home, I’ve got a handful of ideas from my readers!
10 Gift-Free Family Traditions
All of these ideas were submitted by readers on my email list.
1. Book a Family Vacation
Traveling somewhere together as a family (either over Christmas break or at a designated time in the future) is a great way to build memories together and take the focus off gift-giving.
And it doesn’t need to be a fancy, expensive, or exotic vacation to count. You could simply book a hotel or Air B&B in a local town for a couple of nights.
2. Donate to a Family in Need
Several readers mentioned that instead of giving gifts to their own children, their family shops for a local family in need — gifting them with presents and gift cards anonymously.
This tradition could be in addition to gifts for your own children/grandchildren if you don’t want to completely stop that.
3. Volunteer Together
Several other readers mentioned fun family traditions of volunteering together around the holidays (or all year long).
Here are a few ideas suggested many times:
- Serve food at homeless shelters.
- Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home (or wherever).
- Pass out treats to neighbors.
- Make bags of goodies and toiletries for homeless people.
- Volunteer for a local community program (everyone always needs more help this time of year).
- Offer to give a little extra time to your church or school for wherever they need help.
Whatever you decide, you could make a day of it and go out for dinner or dessert afterward, giving you time to discuss the events of your volunteering experiences.
4. Contribute to Charity
Do a little research on local charities that might resonate with you or your children and choose one or more to donate to in your family’s name.
Several readers mentioned this… and here are a few of their ideas:
- Donate library books (new or gently used) to a local children’s hospital or shelter.
- Donate winter gear to a homeless shelter.
- Shop together for groceries that you will then donate to a local food pantry.
- Visit a nursing home
- Choose a child from a 3rd world country to sponsor all year long (Compassion International)
5. Let the Kids Plan Your Festivities
One reader mentioned a really fun tradition — they give each of their children $100 to plan an event, activity, or experience for the entire family.
The kids spend time thinking, planning, and writing down their plans. They open these “plans” on Christmas morning and then complete all the planned activities over Christmas Break.
This is a great way to get your children thinking about what others in the family would like, instead of just themselves… and it removes the focus off of “getting things” and onto “spending time together”.
7. Celebrate Advent Instead of Christmas
Advent is a season of waiting and anticipating Christ’s birth — starting 4 Sundays before Christmas.
Our church celebrates the season of Advent with special candlelightings and readings. This is something you could do at home with your family too.
You could use an Advent calendar, an Advent devotional, or a Jesse Tree (this is what we’re doing this year).
7. Plan a Late-night Christmas Eve Celebration
A few families mentioned their tradition of going to a late-night Christmas Eve church service, followed by late-night snacks/appetizers at home and opening one gift (usually right around midnight).
Other readers mentioned something similar, but focusing on celebrating Jesus’ Birthday at midnight with a cake and a “gift for Jesus” instead of gifts for each other.
Either way, this tradition left Christmas day open to hang out together, instead of opening gifts.
8. Donate Gifts to Angel Tree Kids
Instead of having your children buy gifts for siblings, you could choose a few names off a local Angel Tree and shop with your children to purchase gifts for these kids in need.
We’ve done this before and tried to choose kiddos who were the same age/gender as our kids, which made it a little more meaningful.
9. Enjoy a Family Gift
I love the idea of giving and receiving one “family gift”, as mentioned by several readers.
This takes the focus off what each individual wants and instead, brings the focus back to something fun and enjoyable for the entire family.
Here are a few ideas mentioned by readers:
- popcorn and candy for a movie night at home
- a few games for game night
- gift cards for a meal out together
- ski passes
- a stack of puzzles to work on over the winter
- a trampoline or large item everyone in the family can enjoy
- memberships to the zoo, museum, or other local attraction
- tickets to a concert or other event
- a weekend trip
You’ll find tons more creative ideas if you Google “family gift ideas”.
10. Shop Together
If the idea of going completely gift-free sounds a bit intimidating for you, consider ways to scale back your gift-giving, and make the process a little less “anticipatory”.
For example, you could have each child make a list of a few things they need or want. Then, plan a day and shop together as a family. Let each child pick out a few things from their list, maybe go out for lunch or dessert, and then call it a day.
This saves you tons of time shopping, wrapping, and trying to hide gifts until Christmas day. It also removes the focus on gifts from Christmas but still allows you to be generous towards your children on the specified shopping day.
Related Reading: 10 Clutter-Free Gift Traditions
Keep in mind that making any big changes to how you handle family holidays probably won’t be quick or easy. You might need to make gradual changes over time… and you might get some complaints and pushback.
Also, you are allowed to try something for one year and then decide it’s not for you.
Just because you try a year with fewer (or no) gifts, doesn’t mean you’re locked into never buying another Christmas gift again.
I’d love to know:
mary in maryland says
As a kid we said the rosary every evening after dinner. During advent we had a wreath lit during that time and turned the lights off. Lighting the wreath was a kid’s first time to use matches, so very, very special.
Giftwise, we found many of the same gifts under the tree every year–the Lincoln logs, the Chinese checkers, and the erector set. My folks didn’t like toys with many small parts to lose in the shag carpet. So Mom packed up those toys when she took down the tree–on a school day during naps. They reappeared the next year with the Santa gifts and were available until we went back to school.
Julia K says
Advent has become a really important tradition for our family. Down here in Australia – December / January is our loooong summer school holidays. My children finished school for the year on December 4th and don’t go back until the end of January. I usually try and get most of my Christmas Shopping done prior to the school holidays and then I can focus on celebrating Advent with the children.
We have a large Advent Calendar with pockets that hangs on our Kitchen wall. Each pocket contains an envelope with an Advent “Activity” as well as a small chocolate / candy for each child. They take it in turns reading the activity out each day. The activities are a mixture of fun things / outings / craft and giving back. This helps break up the l-o-n-g weeks between school finishing and Christmas Day.
Here’s this years activities:
Dec 1 – put up christmas house decorations
Dec 2 -breakfast food in christmas colours
Dec 3 – decorate tree
Dec 4 – christmas movie night at home
Dec 5 – christmas in cooroy ( a local Christmas Festival)
Dec 6 -see “love the coopers” at the movies
Dec 7 – christmas craft – melted crayon baubles
Dec 8 -shop for 2015 christmas ornaments & sibling gifts
Dec 9 – bake & decorate gingerbread men
Dec 10 – help pack joy packs at “the shack” ( a local charity for at risk young people)
Dec 11 -ice skating
Dec 12 – carols at cotton tree ( community carols)
Dec 13 – visit maleny botanical gardens and aviary
Dec 14 – sunshine coast christmas lights – maroochy baptist
Dec 15 – make some christmas decorations
Dec 16 – evening swim then fish ‘n chips by the beach ( remember it’s HOT here LOL)
Dec 17 – dinner in christmas colours
Dec 18 – white christmas at movie world
Dec 19 – swimming at currumbin
Dec 20 – myer brisbane christmas windows
Dec 21 – make a nativity set out of recycled materials
Dec 22 – go for a swim at kiamba
Dec 23 – drive around and look at christmas lights
Dec 24 – make some fudge for the neighbours
Andrea says
wow — this is awesome! Thanks for sharing and have a Merry Christmas!
Heidi says
My husband’s grandparents are farmers in the Midwest and my husband grew up working each summer on the farm. A few years ago, he brought back some old barn wood home to SC after our annual summer trip to the farm. He used the wood to make a beautiful stable for a nativity set that we use each year with our girls. On the night we put up our tree, he tells the Christmas story using the stable and hand painted figurines that he mom made for the nativity. His father did the same thing with him and his sister for all their childhood years.
My other favorite tradition is the Dec 23rd “Christmas-Eve-Eve” sleepover that my sister has for my two girls. They always make a gingerbread house, roast marshmallows, and enjoy the last appearance of our Elf on the Shelf while my husband and I finish up any last minute Christmas stuff. I might be willing to change most any traditions we have, but that Dec 23rd sleepover is staying! 🙂
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
Making buckeyes. We’re very perfectionist and make several hundred a year – always getting compliments wherever we bring them. Not only are they delicious, but they make for great homemade gifts. Plus, I have good memories of sitting around the kitchen table and rolling them with my siblings so my Mom could dip them.
Abbie says
I just wanted to thank you so much for sharing your mom’s hot cocoa recipe-it is so yummy! What a fun addition to our Christmas family time!
Andrea says
you’re welcome! Enjoy 🙂
Mary Beth Bisinger says
i had a friend share this with me when my 20 something’s children were young. We all color , sign and date a page in a large Christms coloring book. We are still using the same book, and everyone enjoys looking at it thru the years. Guests and extended family who visit love to participate.
Andrea says
this is so fun! thanks for sharing!
Mrs. W says
We do the 12 days before Christmas to spread out the excitement of Christmas for 1/2 the month. Each day the kids get to get one present out of their stocking for the 12 days before Christmas. It is something small usually candy (something my kids rarely get), or special treats (larabars, fruit squeezies, etc), or stickers, little notebooks, etc. It only costs me a few dollars to do this, but my kids get so excited to open up one stocking present a day for the 12 days before Christmas.
We also limit the number of gifts we buy to 5. I love buying gifts but the limit helps me to be careful for what I pick out. And some of the gifts are practical like new pajamas or books and the rest are a toy or two.
Lori says
4 gifts-a want ,a need, a wear, and a read. Makes it simple. I totally agree, giving back is the best gift of all!