Holiday Traditions: Starting Traditions with Grandchildren
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Holiday traditions: every family has them. When we become grandparents, the traditions we cherish with our own children may not continue. Our adult children will be creating their own family culture, and that may not include traditions we thought they’d want to continue. While we may be sad those traditions have ended, we have the opportunity to create new traditions with our grandchildren. Even better, those traditions can be an opportunity to pass along our values.
Passing on values with holiday traditions
One of our family’s favorite traditions passed along two values we wanted our children to learn. When they were small, we saved our spare change all year long in a special jar. Every December, we’d count and roll the coins, then take the kids to the toy store. There, they’d each get to choose what to buy with their share of the money we’d collected. Their decisions were never easy—they each thought long and hard about what they might want if they only got one toy for Christmas.
After everyone had figured out how to spend their allotment, we’d take our toys to the checkout stand. Every year, a surprised cashier always happily took our payment despite it being entirely in change.
The final step was letting each child put the new toys they had selected in the box for Toys for Tots. Granted, the year my youngest was not quite two, she had to be coerced to give up the baby doll she had chosen! I still have a very clear mental image of the longing look on her face as we walked away from the donation box.
This Christmas tradition became a cherished family outing. Family traditions are important, and when you combine family traditions and values, you create a powerful message to your children and grandchildren. For us, this was a tangible way to show them how pennies and dimes could add up, and to let them in on the excitement of giving to a good cause. Saving and giving were both values we wanted to pass along.
Unfortunately, our grandchildren live too far away to make this a tradition we can carry forward. We’ll have to find other ways to create traditions with them.
If you want to start a value-based holiday tradition with your grandchildren, you only need to look around you to get started. The key is to figure out what values you want to pass along, then look for ways to share that with your grandchildren. Maybe it is taking part in Christmas Eve worship as a family. Maybe it’s a New Year’s Day hike with litter clean up included. Maybe it’s making cards together (even if it’s over video chat!) to send to a local veterans’ home.
Holiday Gift Traditions
If there is a new grandbaby in your family this year, why not start a holiday tradition of a special gift that will show that you have cherished them from the start? Starting a collection on their behalf, and adding to it each Christmas or Hanukkah, can make gift buying easy. Even better, it will provide them with something special when they are grown.
Just be careful to choose something that will be easy to take care of and store, and that won’t be outgrown. In other words, a new stuffed animal each year is not the best idea! Here are four ideas that grandchildren and their parents will love:
Holiday books
Buying a holiday-themed book each year is a popular tradition. There is as much fun in selecting one as there is in the opening! What’s more, these books will be read and enjoyed year after year. Start with a board book like Babies Love Christmas or the classic Night Before Christmas. We love the versions from Hollie Hobby and Mr. Boddington’s Studio, but keep going back to the classic. We’ve got more Christmas book ideas in this blog post, or you can find our suggestions for Hanukkah books for babies here.
Holiday ornament
Choosing an ornament for your grandchild each year is another special way to celebrate. You can select one personalized with the year, or one that represents what they are interested in at each age. Either way, when they are all grown up, they will have a meaningful collection to decorate their own home. Check out Etsy for a wide selection or find one at Hallmark.
Commemorative coin
One grandfather I know buys each of his grandchildren a commemorative silver dollar each year. The twist here is that he doesn’t give it to them. He keeps them safely stored, and when each child reaches 18, they will get the whole collection.
They’ll know that Grandpa was thinking of them every year since their birth, and they’ll have something with a little value as they start their adult life. Find a local coin shop, or order directly from the mint. You can order from the US Mint. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Mint has a wide selection. And the Royal Canadian Mint also offers many gift options.
Quilt square
If you are a crafty grandparent, another idea for a long-term gift is to start a quilt. Each year, ask mom or dad to give you something the child has outgrown, or choose a print that showcases something about them. Then create a quilt square with that fabric (or start an old-fashioned crazy quilt!). When your grandchild grows up and goes out into the world, they can wrap themselves in memories and love.
Check with parents before starting a tradition
Whether you want to start a holiday tradition with your grandchildren that passes on your values or one that simply revolves around fun, make sure you’ve discussed your plans with parents. It’s always important to run any ideas past parents before sharing them with your grandchildren. Parents may have reasons they’d like you to change your approach, or suggestions for traditions you can all enjoy together. Family traditions that involve the whole family are the best kind.
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