Throughout the year, everyone has their own set of traditions. My favorite season for traditions is the holiday season. There are so many ways to celebrate the holidays, and so many chances to get together with family, my favorite.

As I get older, I look back at all of the things I’ve done with my family over the years around the holidays, and my drive to keep our traditions alive continues to grow. At the same time, as I get older, it becomes more of a challenge to do so. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life; we all have work and other things to do.

The holidays only last a few short weeks, so now I try my best to soak up every last bit of the holiday cheer. It truly is the most wonderful time of year; don’t let the to-do lists of everyday life get in the way of all the baking, crafting, and other holiday activities.

Here are a few of my favorites below:

Looking at Christmas lights

In my town growing up, we knew of the few houses that would go all out with the lights and decorations. It was always fun to walk about and take it in. They often would draw a crowd of other families too. It was fun to see everyone enjoying something together, plus it this one of the great FREE ways to celebrate the season.

Decorating the Christmas tree

Always my favorite. When I lived at home, my mom and I would always decorate together. Now that I live on my own, we still decorate the tree together. We plan a night and do our routine of putting cookies in the oven and listening to Christmas music.

Making ornaments

Speaking of decorating the tree, my favorite part about this is looking at all of the homemade ornaments we’ve collected over the years. This year, I went to a friend’s house, and we had a day of Christmas movies and ornament making. It was the best day! Another fun idea among friends would be to do an ornament exchange each year.

Attending local events

For the last few years, I’ve been in charge of coordinating our family holiday events. Since I’ve moved we’ve gone to my town’s tree lighting, it’s so cute and another free celebration. We’ve also rotated going to other local events in Philadelphia, Peddler’s Village, and Longwood Gardens. My favorite is going to the holiday markets and buying unique gifts for people.

Wearing matching Christmas PJ’s

For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have worn matching PJs on Christmas Eve. We haven’t stopped now that I’m grown. I’m in charge of getting our PJs now. We do something different each year and get a picture by the tree. Keep an eye out on Instagram for this year’s pic.

Hosting a PJ party of Ugly Sweater Party

Speaking of matching PJs, this year, my girl cousins, my aunts, my mom, and I are having a PJ party. We’re going to watch movies and do a secret Santa. In the past, we’ve hosted ugly sweater parties, as well. I have a full post with tips on how to throw an ugly sweater party so, check it out!

I can go on and on with other things we’ve done throughout the years, but I would be here all day typing.

Some holiday traditions I look forward to doing someday include a Christmas cookie exchange and sending out a Christmas card.

What are some traditions that you’ve done throughout the years? Leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading!