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16th December 2024
01:06pm GMT
If you're looking for some inspiration, you've come to the right place because below are some of the most heartwarming and quirky Christmas traditions started and kept by various families.
On a day that's all about togetherness, the most simple and even unexplainable of ideas can end up serving as the dearest of memories as your children grow up.
On a Reddit thread, families were asked to share their 'weirdest' family Christmas traditions that they uphold year after year and, it turns out, they are more heartwarming than weird.
One family has welcomed a Christmas Elf each year that their now-adult children still participate in.
"On Christmas Eve, we have a tradition of the Christmas Elf. All the kids take turns putting on the pointy green Elf hat and putting a present under the tree. They are all in their 20s now, and my wife still makes them do it.
"We have a bunch of pictures of bored, annoyed 20-year-olds posing with a present by the tree wearing a stupid green Elf hat," the user shared.
Another Reddit user shared that their special Christmas tradition is one their dad started.
"My dad has this thing where every year he gives people pajamas. Like he'll give you a regular gift, but aside from that he will also give you pajamas. He's done this to me and my mom for years and also does it to every girl I've dated.
"I don't know why he does it and I've honestly never asked, but I feel like if he stopped doing it, I would be sad because I actually look forward to seeing what kind of weird pajamas he got for me this year," they wrote.
Another user's tradition was born out a rule made for Christmas Day.
"When Mr. & Mrs. Smith first came out on DVD my sister got it in her stocking. Our family's rule was you can go through stockings before the adults are up, but no presents. We would wake up at 5, then play with the stocking stuffers till they woke up at like 9.
They added, "We watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith that year and my mom walked in and loved it. We now watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith every Christmas morning."
"We hide an Xmas ornament shaped like a pickle in the tree somewhere and let the kids try to find it. Whoever finds it would get $10 or a small gift. We had to separate into a group of the boys and a group of the girls, but since we're older and none of us have kids yet we just break it down into a small group," they explained.
Lastly, and probably my favourite one, is a tradition that has evolved as the children have grown.
"Since my sister and I were about 15 and 12 our dad has made it a scavenger hunt. We start out with a intro poem thing that's in the tree, it all rhymes and everything. It has a vague clue to the first gift and each gift after has a clue to the next.
"At first they were just around the house but as we got older they spread around the neighborhood and around the city when we could drive. The whole thing is so unique, I love it," they concluded.
Traditions really are a way of saying, 'I love you' without saying anything at all and can be a powerful bonding experience.
Do you have any special Christmas traditions that your family maintain?
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