Christmas Traditions

It feels like every year the holiday season comes up quicker and quicker. Am I right? One second you’re getting ready for Halloween and you snap your fingers and the Christmas music is playing. In all the craziness, we are often rushing from place to place, taking care of our responsibilities, that we forget to truly enjoy the moment.

In my family there are certain traditions we have each year to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. It’s super important to keep these great traditions going to really enjoy the Christmas season. In a blink of an eye it will be over and the New Year will be here.

Oh Christmas Tree

First things first, we go to a Christmas tree farm out on the East end of Long Island to get our Christmas Tree. This has become a family tradition that we have tried to do every black Friday, just after Thanksgiving. We put our real tree up just a week later. It’s a great time to spend together and spend a day out east.

Personalized Ornaments

Every year whether there is a milestone or just a memorable moment, we get ornaments to reflect that moment during the year. It’s a great keepsake to look back on and remember what each year had in store. It’s a great tradition to start for others. Gift your family members or friends personalized ornaments that will be reminder of 2019 for years to come. Shop personalized ornaments here.

NYC Trip

My family each year has a tradition of going in the city and watching the Christmas Spectacular and the Radio City Rockette’s. It’s something we have done since I was a small child that gets us all excited for the beginning of the Christmas spirit. In addition to going to see the Christmas Spectacular, we spend the night seeing the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and all the dressed up Christmas windows.

The Holiday Lights at Jones Beach

The Jones Beach Light show has become a recent tradition. As a kid, my family would take us in the car to see the light show until they discontinued the drive through light show. Just a couple years ago, they brought back the lights and the tradition picked up right where it left off. It has become and old and new favorite.

This year we added to the Christmas festivities and enjoyed the holiday lights at the Bronx Zoo. It was so cool to see the zoo all lit up for the holiday season. You just can’t go wrong with Christmas lights brightening up any dark place.

Giving Back

All our Christmas traditions are important to me, but the most important this Christmas season is always to give back. We often can get wrapped up in getting the perfect present or putting together the perfect Christmas party, but we forget to stop in the moment and be thankful for everything around us. There are so many others that are not experiencing the same Christmas whether it be someone losing a job, someone getting sick or just falling on hard times, there’s someone who might need an extra little something this year.

“Another great option is to adopt a family who can’t afford to get their kids the gifts they really want this Christmas. “

Think about donating your time, possibly in a soup kitchen or at a shelter. Another great option is to adopt a family who can’t afford to get their kids the gifts they really want this Christmas. The last few years we’ve been adopting a letter from the United States Postal Service Operation Santa that allows letters to be adopted from a single child or families across the United States. This year we were able to provide for a family checking off all the things we could possibly ship to them on their list.

Can’t adopt a whole family? Check your local area for toy drives that are currently going on. In the Long Island Area, toys will be donated to children and families currently residing in the Ronald McDonald House. There are tons of organizations looking for toys this time of year so they can help everyone in need.

No matter what your traditions are or what your family may do, big or small, remember to enjoy your loved ones this holiday season. Enjoy the little moments together as that’s what the holidays are truly about.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!