They won’t remember, but we will. Christmas is my very favorite holiday! Not only because my faith is extremely important to me, but it’s also the holiday with the most traditions.
READ: Favorite Holiday Traditions: From My Family to Yours
Growing up in an immigrant family, my parents were always working. There was never margin for anything other than the essentials. Now, as an adult and a parent myself, I can see that my parents did the best with the hand they were dealt. But as a child, I was always confused and frustrated comparing myself to the other kids’ stories of traditions and opulence. A specific story haunts me to this day. The teacher asked the class, “What is your holiday tradition?” I remember lying and copying something another classmate said. I didn’t even know traditions were a thing! I was just thankful I had food and a roof over my head every year. I made a promise to myself that when I grew up, I would have as many holiday traditions as I could.
READ: Jacksonville’s BEST Holiday Events Guide
Decorate to the nines. Levi was only three months old during his first Christmas season, but I still had an urge to make it as special as I could. To me, red and green are the colors of the season. I keep my house decked to the brim with poinsettias and garland. My house smells heavenly, and the baby was small enough to not tear anything down. That was the first and last year my house will look that pristine! My secret trick to a seasonally scented house is using fresh garland from Costco.
Buy special ornaments. Another tradition I love is that every year Matthew and I buy ornaments to add to our tree that represent our interests or favorite things or a memory from the year. I found out I was pregnant during Christmas and ran to the store to add a stork ornament to commemorate the milestone! Of course, Levi’s first ornament had to be “Baby’s First Christmas!” It makes my heart so happy every time I glance at our tree and see all our favorite things. It is one of the instances where I am happy to swap aesthetics for practicality. It’s not the most cohesive tree, but it’s ours.
Cruise for Christmas lights. We also love wearing ours while doing another favorite activity: cruising for Christmas lights around town! Nothing beats the magic in a child’s eyes when you pass an extravagant display. Our favorites are the lights on Girvin at Blackhawk Bluff, but be prepared to wait! Click here for a complete list of all the local spots.
READ: Cruising for Holiday Lights In & Around Jacksonville
Include some holiday books in the rotation. My traditions continue with Levi’s reading! I love to switch out the books in his room based on the season. Some mamas do it every month, but quarterly is the best fit for us. I love updating the books in the classic red and green color scheme and adding a mix of both The Christmas Story and Christmas classics. Some of our favorites include The Night Before Christmas, The Polar Express, Little Red Sleigh, Sounding Joy, and The Promised One. You can easily find them on Amazon and get Prime shipping!
Wear matching Christmas pajamas. That brings me to our coziest tradition: Christmas PJs! This is a great way to get into the spirit. You must try out wearing matching pajamas to decorate the house or lounge around all month long. Old Navy has some family matching for a great price, but my favorite brand is hands down Little Sleepies. You can’t go wrong with anything you choose, there’s nothing cuter and cozier than matching your littles! 
Visit Santa at home! Saving the best for last, my all-time favorite tradition that we do is to have my husband dress up as Santa! Instead of paying money to go see Santa, we invested in a $60 Amazon suit and take our sweet time to get the cutest shots. Levi is such a sweet and bashful boy that he didn’t cry at all, probably because he could smell Daddy. I was looking forward to the hilarious screaming scared-of-Santa pictures. Either way, taking these photos without being rushed and being able to get the perfect memory captured is worth the price of the suit and my sanity!
This year brings even more excitement to celebrating the Christmas season as my baby is now just starting to walk. He is even getting his own miniature tree for his room, and we will see how long it lasts. Whether your babies are 15 months or 15 years, I firmly believe that it’s never too early, or too late, for traditions to begin!
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions with littles? Comment below!
