Top 10 Holiday Traditions

It’s that time of year again! 

Honestly, time is flying by. Part of me is like ‘thank God 2020 is almost over’ but then part of me is just like ‘shit, that means I’m getting older’. I mean I remember when I was a kid and my mom would tell me “wait till you get older, time flies by”. Well, mom, thanks. It’s happening.

I digress.

Back to turkey day!

Turkey day for our family is all about cherishing our time together with friends, family, & each other. Creating memories & traditions. Sharing love & laughter. Eating good food with good conversations. 

I live for experiences & creating memories. I want my kids to look back when they’re older and remember the incredible times we spent together as a family and pass that on to their kids.

Our Holiday Traditions

Thanksgiving Tablecloth

The year JackJack was born, I bought a large white tablecloth and some paint. At first, I was just gonna have the kids go in the garage & plaster the thing with paint. But then I thought how cool it would be to do handprints. So every year on Thanksgiving, we paint our hands & those who we’re eating with and make handprints on the tablecloth. This is our third year - I think it’ll be super cool to look back 15 years from now and see how the kid’s prints have grown & to remember those we shared the day with. 

Leaf Piles

The hubby loves this one. We love to be outside on Thanksgiving (usually before eating our body weight in food). The kids will go on the trampoline, we’ll play soccer or football. But their favorite is jumping in leaf piles. So, my dad-of-the-year husband grabs a rake or broom & piles all the leaves up at the end of the slide. And one by one the kids go down it. He re-piles the leaves. Down they go. He re-piles the leaves. Down they go. Bless his soul, it goes on like this for a solid hour.

Christmas Decor

Yes, we are the family that sets up Christmas decorations around the house the day after Thanksgiving. The kids LOVE it. Jackjack breaks ornaments, Ava gently sprinkles fake snow on the tables, Will complains because he just wants to relax on our day off, & I drink mimosas and sing to Christmas music - loving every second of it. Just keeping the tradition alive, ya’ll.

Holiday Lights

A few days after Thanksgiving, usually that Saturday, we go see holiday lights. We typically go to Centennial Olympic Park or the Atlanta Botanical Gardens - for my Georgia folk. The kids have so much fun creating their own adventures in the maze of lights!

Advent Calendar

Promptly on December 1st, we hang up our advent calendar. Rather than candy filling all the pockets, I write activities on mini Christmas cards and stick them in there. The kids take turns picking the card out for that day. Some of the activities I’m using this year are:

• Baking Christmas cookies

• Watching a Christmas movie

• Reading a Christmas book

• Making a gingerbread house

• Making a Christmas list

• Writing a letter to Santa

• Making a Christmas T-Shirt

• Making Christmas cards

• Making an ornament

• Making s’mores

• Reading bible verses with holiday candles I choose to do this one on each Sunday in December

• Making paper snowflakes

• Having a hot chocolate ‘bar’ 

• Volunteering as a family

• Making caramel corn

• Decorating white mugs with sharpies (and then baking at 350 degrees for 20 minutes)

• Cleaning up toys to donate

• Making blessing bags for the homeless

• Then I put candy in the remaining pockets (I use YumEarth’s Organic Candy Cane Lollipops & Organic Mini Candy Canes)

Pro Tip: save the bigger projects for Fridays or Saturdays, saving the ‘easier’ ones for during the week. Gotta keep a mama sane. 

Those are our traditions. But, there are so many more!

Some Other Awesome Family Traditions

Pass a Journal Around

I learned this one from a patient of mine and, honestly, I’m going to start doing it. Simply pass a blank journal around the Thanksgiving table, asking all the guests to write at least one thing that they are thankful for. For kids too young to write, have an adult transcribe. Over the years, fill the book with comments and enjoy reading them aloud at Thanksgiving celebrations to come. It sounds like such a wonderful way to reflect on how gratitude changes over time.

Personalize The Table

Ok, so we all want that Pinterest perfect unobtainable stunning holiday tablescapes. But, let’s be real here, that’s stressful. Why not mix it up? 

Some of the most beautiful Thanksgiving tables bring family stories to life by mixing & matching dishes, napkins and serving trays.  Instead of reaching for the fancy china set you only pull out once a year, why not choose pieces with history? You can then tell the stories about where you were when you collected it, who gave it to you and why it’s special. Even a chipped china plate can be reused with love and laughter as you share how that chip occurred and why that person, perhaps no longer alive or nearby, brought joy to your lives and hearts.

Also, don’t worry about fancy Etsy-bought place cards. Instead, have the kids put their beloved art skills to good use. 

Making homemade place cards is something everyone can enjoy — and it makes the table that much more special. Have kids trace & cut out leaves or collect pine cones from the backyard and turn them into place cards. Even the act of collecting items for the table will create lasting memories for the kiddos.

Have a Special Breakfast

Yes, I know we all eat way too much on Thanksgiving anyways so.. I mean.. why not have a special breakfast, too? 

Maybe it’s special homemade chocolate chip pancakes or a gigantic bowl of cereal while watching the kid’s favorite movie. Either way, it could turn out to be a great tradition that’s a change from the normal routine of rushing around. 

Followed by a Morning Walk

Ya’ll know I love nature. Going on a family walk is a great way to work up an appetite for alllll the food, but also… it’s just a nice way to connect to nature and to each other. It’s the perfect beginning to a busy — and sometimes stressful! — day.

Give the Kids Important Jobs

Whether it’s serving dessert, setting the table, clearing the table, or passing out the bread - help the kids feel like an important part of the festivities by giving them “their’ job each year. It may not be absolutely perfect, but the kiddos will be so proud of themselves! 

Happy (almost) turkey day ya’ll. I hope everyone has a great holiday!

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The Discovery Doc - Dr. CeCe Brooks - Atlanta Holistic NP