The holidays almost automatically make memories. Usually, these memories involve others. Most of the time, this is family, though close friends, neighbors and even strangers play a role in some of the best holiday memories. Fortunately, itâs possible to take a more deliberate approach to holiday memory-making. Hereâs a look at some of the ways you can create lovely and lasting memories for your family.
Spend Time with Family
Busy schedules, budgets, and winter traveling conditions can make spending time with family more challenging during the holidays. However, with the right planning, you can overcome these obstacles. If youâre having trouble getting time off work, it is sometimes possible to secure time off by volunteering to work other holidays, like Thanksgiving or New Yearâs Eve. Saving money for several months before the holidays is one way to get around the budgetary issues. Finally, avoiding the airlines at this time can help save you money and scheduling hassles. Sometimes driving is a better option to go see your loved ones, so itâs important to keep in mind safe driving tips to avoid any problems while traveling. First, make sure that your car is in tip-top shape. Have the tires changed, the fluids checked and the brakes looked after. Next, put supplies like food, water, blankets, flares and other emergency items in your car. Finally, check your potential travel routes to see which one offers the safest passage.
Start New Traditions
Building something together builds bonds in a family, and the Christmas holiday gives you plenty of opportunities to start some new-to-your-family traditions. Fortunately, these new traditions donât have to be complicated to be meaningful. You just need to practice them consistently for them to stick. Some easy ideas include making new ornaments for the tree each year, starting a cookie exchange, writing and designing a family holiday card to send to friends and family or making a DIY Advent calendar to help you count down the days until Christmas.
Get Involved in Your Community
Our homes exist in the community, as do our families. We shop, we play and our kids go to school there. Indeed, for most people, life as they know it wouldnât exist were it not for their communities. The hustle and bustle of daily life makes it easy to feel divorced from our communities. Although the holiday season tends to be busier than many other times of the year, it also offers us some of the best opportunities to reconnect with the people in our communities. The best memories usually involve other people and what we do for them. Doing activities like serving dinner at the local shelter on Christmas, going caroling or visiting a widow are just some of the ways you can build holiday memories and get reconnected to your community.
While itâs possible to go out of your way to make memories during the holidays, itâs also important to remember that some of your most cherished holiday memories have an element of the unexpected in them. The trick is to plan fun activities but leave open some time for unstructured activities. This allows you to weave a tapestry of memories to help you enjoy memorable holidays for many years to come.
If youâre looking for some great Christmas decorations and cards, check out our Christmas-themed inventory!