03-28-2024  6:50 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
by BOTWC Staff
Published: 16 November 2022

These are sure to make your holidays merry and bright!

The holidays are fast approaching and there is no better time to make memories. We can almost smell the chestnuts roasting on an open fire while Jack Frost nips at our noses. While the holidays bring a bunch of generational traditions like cooking with family and opening gifts together, there’s always space to create new ones. 

To help you out, here are 5 new traditions you can set with your family this holiday season, courtesy of Pure Wow:

Mystery Gift Swap

Gift-giving is by far one of the most rewarding and stressful aspects of the holiday season. Every year it seems like the list of who to buy gifts for gets longer. While it may be easy to shop for your little brother, it gets a little bit tricky once you get to your second cousin’s baby niece and the lady from the church who always gives good hugs. In order to take the guesswork out of gift-giving, we recommend a mystery gift swap. This works best for adult family members and requires everyone to pick a name out of the hat. You can do it on Thanksgiving in preparation for Christmas or Kwanzaa; you’d only be responsible for getting a gift for the name you picked. Because it is only one gift, instead of many, you can increase the monetary limit and ensure that everyone in the family gets at least one incredible gift. 

Holiday Movie Marathon

Nothing says holidays like a good classic movie. Whether you’re into a family movie or a festive cult classic, we’ve got you covered with 9 Black movies that are sure to get you into the holiday spirit. Gather your loved ones, set aside an entire day, and get the drinks and snacks ready because it’s going to be a great time!

Give Back to Those in Need

This is an oldie but goodie and nothing gets you more in the festive spirit than giving back to those less fortunate. There are a variety of ways to give back and whether you donate gently used clothing, feed locals at a shelter or give money to a worthy cause, it’ll help make a difference. The point of this holiday tradition is to enroll the whole family in the good deed and make it an annual tradition that warms hearts for generations to come!

 
 
 
 
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Holiday Photos

This is one of our personal favorites to do and every year it gets better and better. The goal is to pick a theme for your holiday card and get the whole family to take pictures together. It sounds simple but the work is in the details. If you can coordinate everyone’s schedules and outfits, you’ll have beautiful cards every year and that one memory is priceless!

Write A Holiday Letter

Holiday cards are great, but a holiday letter is even better. The letter can be in addition to the card, or it can be something you send out separately, the choice is completely up to you. The point is that you have everyone contribute with an update, something they’re grateful for or their favorite memory and you send it out to your closest family and friends. The letter gives you a chance to reflect on the year while also giving an update to those loved ones who you may not talk to as much. In 10 or 15 years, imagine how many amazing memories you will have accumulated on paper for the whole family to see. 

Cheers to setting new traditions! Happy Holidays!

This article was originally published to BOTWC

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