Healthy and Fun Holiday Traditions For The Whole Family

The holiday season isn’t just about giving gifts and indulging. At least it’s not supposed to be. In theory, the holidays are meant to be a celebration of health, happiness and optimism for the new year to come. More than anything though, the holidays should be about spending time with the people you love. Unfortunately it’s all too easy to become overwhelmed by the various financial and social pressures that ultimately result in a lot of unnecessary holiday stress.

Maybe the Grinch had to learn the hard way, but there are more than enough holiday specials to teach the rest of us that this time of year isn’t just about material things. The holidays are supposed to be a time for all of our hearts to grow three sizes by creating memories with friends and family. Some of the most fulfilling moments of the season come from the annual traditions that get passed down through the years. But with each new generation comes the opportunity to make new traditions and rituals that someday your children will share with their children.

While there are so many ways you can incorporate healthy and fun traditions into your holiday, here are a few ideas for things the entire family can do together that are sure to be entertaining, festive and memorable.

Volunteer with a nonprofit or charity organization

No matter your age, personal wealth or social status, giving back to your community is rewarding. While that’s true any time of year, during the holidays there are even more opportunities - especially locally - to be generous with your time or financial resources.

If you’re not sure where to get started, a website like Volunteer Match where you can find a range of needs from meals on wheels drivers to volunteers to help seniors with snow removal. You can also look for local chapters of national organizations like Make a Wish or the Ronald McDonald House. While national charity organizations serve people from all across the country, they have specific missions in local communities where you can get personally involved. For example, you can set up a caroling group to raise money, volunteer in the “family room” at the Ronald McDonald House, or help to organize and run a fundraising event.

You can also keep an eye out for opportunities to volunteer your time at local shelters, hospitals or schools to have an immediate local impact. Your family could sponsor another family by providing gifts or food. You can also donate lightly used winter clothes to those who need it most, right where you live.

Doing any of these things as a family will bring you closer and help you appreciate all of the wonderful gifts in your own life. You can make it a tradition by choosing an activity that is meaningful for your family and doing it year after year, or choosing something different each year and making the selection process a family project. Each person can nominate a cause or volunteer initiative for the year that is important to them and as a family you can decide which one will be this year’s family effort.

Make homemade edible gifts

Food and the holidays are basically synonymous. Not only is baking a great way to bond and contribute to parties and family meals, baked good are a great gift option for the people you want to appreciate, without breaking your budget, (i.e. teachers, personal trainers, school bus drivers, etc.). Baking has a lot of advantages as a tradition, you can involve the whole family, keep it on the healthier side and find plenty of creative recipes that yield a few dozen cookies, brownies or cupcakes.

These Chocolate-Pistachio Orange Peels are a little bit sweet and a lot festive. They only take 10 minutes of prep time and are an adorable treat to share during the holidays. You can also make homemade granola and package it in a mason jar with some festive ribbon - or if you’re looking for a savory option, try a homemade hot sauce or these low-carb cauliflower bagels.

What helps makes this a tradition is involving the whole family, not just in the kitchen, but in every part of the process from deciding what to make, to making the gift list to creating the wrapping and decorating the plates and jars.

Sign up for a holiday-themed Race or Walk

If you want to some physical activity during the colder holiday months, charity runs or walks are a great way to get outdoors as a group. Do a little research into the events happening in your area (Google will even show event listings if you search for “Races near me”) and participate at whichever level you’re most prepared for, whether it’s a one mile walk, a 5K or 10K race. It’s a great way to get out of the house, bundle up and support a good cause.

Events like these usually take place early in the morning, so you won’t have to worry about missing any evening gatherings while you’re out creating a new family tradition, and getting some exercise to offset all of the holiday eating that often comes along with the season.

Search for a new ornament to add to the tree

Decorating a tree is a classic holiday custom for many families. As you unpack all of the ornaments and reminisce about where each one originated you can’t help but relive happy memories and feel nostalgic. While that activity alone is enough to qualify as a tradition you can amplify it by making the addition of a new ornament each year a part of the rite.

One way to go about forming this tradition is to make ornament reconnaissance a special “mission” during a family day of shopping. As you divide and conquer on gift acquisition, you can task everyone with finding one ornament they’d like to add to your collection. When you reconvene show each other different options and make the case for why your ornament is the best fit for that year. You can also make this a digital quest by having everyone search online for an ornament they love and come to a “selection ceremony” ready to present the ornament they want to order.

Perhaps it sounds a little silly, but if you ask “What does this ornament represent to you?” you may be surprised, and a little sentimental, about what everyone finds emblematic of your family adventures for that year. This is the perfect, fun, “made up” tradition that everyone will likely look forward to each year.

See the holiday lights in the park

Many towns and cities feature a festive light display in a local park during the holiday season. For a small fee you can drive through and marvel at the various arrangements. You simply pile in the car, head to the park, and cruise around while taking in the lights. It’s such a spectacular sight that it truly is fun for the whole family and for all ages. This is a great holiday activity, particularly for elderly family members and small children, because everyone stays warm and no walking is required.

If you live in an area where a light festival is not in residence at a park, you can still make this a tradition simply by driving through your community and taking in the decorative lights put up by your neighbors. Consider turning it into a contest where everyone nominates a contender for “best light display” then you can all vote on your favorite. What does the “winner” get? Well, that’s up to you, and all part of the fun! You could bring the homeowner a tray of the cookies you made together, or perhaps ring their doorbell and sing a carol. Get creative, or don’t, but the more inventive you are the more likely the escapade will yield great stories to be retold at future family gatherings.

Go for a nature or neighborhood walk In The Morning

If you live in a part of the country that experiences cold weather, there is a lot of time spent indoors during the holiday season and throughout the winter months that follow. Full days stuck inside together can become tiresome and annoying when everyone starts to get on each other’s nerves.

So, after the presents are unwrapped but before the dinner table is set, dress in layers (it’s a great excuse to test out that new winter hat or pair of gloves you just got), and head outside with the whole family for a nature walk. It will be a quiet, peaceful time where it’ll feel like you have the whole outdoors to yourself. A little time outside is a great way to add some physical activity into your holiday and break up the day, while you can breathe in the air and reflect on the joy of the season.

Make It Your Own

There’s no right or wrong way to form a family holiday tradition, sometimes they happen by accident, like one burnt turkey a decade ago that is the reason you all order Chinese now every year. But you don’t have to rely on luck, or bad luck, to be the basis of your family customs. Use these ideas, or just get inspired to brainstorm your own, either way when it comes to making new traditions, sometimes you’ve just gotta take the reindeer by the antlers, and start your own.