Whether it's decorating the tree as a family or watching Christmas Vacation for the umpteenth time, we all have traditions that make it truly feel like the holiday season. If you're on the hunt for a new family tradition to start this year, take inspiration from our editors' favorite holiday activities.
Bake and decorate sugar cookies, hide a fun ornament on your tree, or light a countdown candle to mark the days until Santa's arrival. These are the traditions our editors do with their families year after year.
JACOB FOX. FOOD STYLING: ANNIE PROBST
Make and Decorate Sugar Cookies
"My family always makes an abundance of cookies and candies during the holiday season, but it's definitely not Christmas until the sugar cookies come to the table. My brother and I still laugh our way through some silly decorations every year at our parents' house. We finish the decorating event with cocoa and make sure to save enough for Santa."
— Katlyn Moncada, Food Editor
Hide the Christmas Pickle
"Each Christmas, our family hides a pickle ornament in the tree. The first person to find it gets an extra (small) gift that is usually something the entire family can enjoy, like a puzzle."
— Caitlin Sole, Senior Home Editor
JACOB FOX
Make Family Recipes
"In all the craziness of the season, holiday activities that are supposed to be enjoyable—like making Christmas cookies—can feel like a chore waiting to be checked off a never-ending to-do list. A few weeks before Christmas, I take a day off of work and spend the day making Christmas cookie recipes I’ve collected from all my favorite people: My mom’s fudge, my best friend’s magic bars, and my grandma’s famous mint chocolate brownies. I spend the day in the kitchen listening to Christmas music and thinking fondly about each person as I make their recipe. Then, when it comes time for holiday parties and family gatherings, I don’t have to stress about baking, because it’s already done!"
— Emily VanSchmus, Home Editor
Light a Countdown Candle
"Lighting this candle each day in December until Christmas really helps the anticipation build, especially for children. Plus the candlelight helps make everything feel more cozy."
— Viveka Neveln, Senior Garden Editor
Give Gifts in Fabric Bags
"For the past 20 years, my family has been exchanging gifts in reusable fabric bags. We have a big family, so we used to have multiple trash bags full of town wrapping paper and bows to throw away after the holiday. Now, we divvy up our reusable fabric bags (most hand-sewn by my mom and grandma) at Thanksgiving and use them to 'wrap' our Christmas gifts. After the holiday, we fold them up and save them for the next year."
— Emily VanSchmus, Home Editor
Make Swedish Meatballs
"I love the Swedish meatballs from Marcus Samuelsson's Aquivet cookbook. They are easy and light not the typical heavy sauce that most people associate with the idea of Swedish meatballs. They feel festive for the season with the addition of homemade quick pickles and lingonberries."
— Jessica Thomas, Style and Design Director