If you've been following our blog for any amount of time, you'll know that The Harris Sisters are old souls who like to incorporate vintage items and old-fashioned traditions into our modern lives.
Christmas is the perfect time to look back to old family traditions and see which ones you might be able to work into your celebrations this year. You might be surprised at how fun some things from your childhood still are, and your children might enjoy them too!
30 Ways to Have an Old-Fashioned Christmas
Settle in for a healthy dose of nostalgia. How many of these Christmas traditions do you remember from your childhood?
Decorations
1. Set up a toy train to go around the base of your Christmas tree. This will provide hours of fun for little kiddos!
2. String bubble lights on your Christmas tree. Even if you have a pre-lit tree, you can string a few strands of these on the tree for a colorful vintage effect.
3. Place an (electric) candle in each of your windows.
4. Make popcorn or cranberry garlands.
5. Collect pine cones from your yard and use them to create a wreath or tuck them into a garland.
6. If you have holly bushes in your yard, snip a few pieces and use them to decorate.
7. Share the stories of your ornaments with your kids as they help you hang them on the tree.
8. Make handmade ornaments or photo ornaments.
9. Hang fresh mistletoe in your doorway.
10. Decorate your tree with vintage decorations, ornaments, and icicles.
11. Make pomanders out of oranges and cloves.
Food
12. Hunt down some old-fashioned Christmas candy - just like the kind that used to be at Grandma's house.
13. Decorate a gingerbread house.
14. Bake from scratch. Pull out your family recipes and set aside a day (or two) to make Christmas goodies and maybe even a favorite meal. These are The Harris Sisters' favorite family recipes for Christmas time:
- Grandma Elizabeth's Applesauce Cake
- Grandma Elizabeth's Magic Fruitcake
- Grandma Elizabeth's Oatmeal Cake
15. Enjoy homemade wassail.
Presents
16. Mail holiday cards. Even with social media keeping everyone up-to-date on your daily activities, it's nice to sit down and actually mail physical cards. Display any cards you receive so that you can enjoy them throughout the season.
17. Make homemade gifts for loved ones. Here are some ideas to get you started:
18. If you want to put together old-fashioned stockings, make sure to include a citrus fruit (like an orange or a tangerine), a pack of gum (we used to always get Doublemint), some chocolates, some nuts (still in shells), and a candy cane.
19. Wrap your gifts in brown paper tied with baker's twine.
Activities
20. Get together with a group of friends or neighbors to go caroling.
21. Attend Christmas Eve church service.
22. Grab some blankets and hot chocolate and go for a horse-drawn carriage ride.
23. Take the opportunity to dress up and get at least one family photo. Our parents and grandparents were far less casual with their dressing than we are now. So, while those matching Christmas jammies for the whole family are nice, they wouldn't have been considered photo attire back in the day. :-)
24. Combine fruits and spices to create a crockpot potpourri.
25. Bundle up and go ice skating.
26. Read Christmas stories.
27. Drive around to look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music.
28. Make paper snowflakes with your kiddos to decorate your house.
29. Watch your favorite Christmas movie together as a family.
30. Go to your town's local Christmas parade.
Christmas is a time for you to remember everything you have to be thankful for.
If you want to recreate a simple, old-fashioned Christmas, the best way to start is by taking out your calendar and marking out everything that isn't an absolute "must do." Then add in a few of the old-fashioned Christmas traditions listed above.
They will help to bring back the Christmas you remember from your childhood and add some extra joy to your Christmas celebrations.
Hope you enjoy a fun, old-fashioned merry Christmas with your family and I hope we've helped you to remember some family traditions to rekindle this season!
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