Our Holiday Traditions
Cinnamon & Applesauce Ornaments
Every year, our kitchen fills with the warmest scents of Christmas as we make our handmade ornaments. It’s so easy and the recipe is just three ingredients - applesauce, cinnamon and cloves. (I always grab my ingredients at The Dollar Tree.) Use your favorite cookie cutters: stars, hearts, trees… whatever feels magical that year. Some become ornaments, others become garland. As they dry, the whole house smells like Christmas morning.
I’ll share the simple recipe below — it's simple, kid-friendly, and one of our favorite December traditions. These little ornaments last for years, but more than that — we are spending time together and making memories.
Recipe for Cinnamon Scents
3/4 cups Applesauce
1 1/4 cups Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. Ground Cloves
Combine in small bowl - stir, work with hands until mix is smooth & claylike. (Can add a little more applesauce if needed.) “Flour” parchment paper with cinnamon. Roll out dough to about 1/8” thickness.
Cut shapes with open metal cookie cutters. Make holes in the top of scents with a toothpick. (large enough to thread ribbon through) Transfer to cookie sheet. Bake in a 120 degrees oven for 1.5 hours. Turn oven off - leave overnight or 5 - 6 hours. (You may want to hot glue ribbon, buttons, etc. to decorate.)
A Special Ornament
One of my favorite traditions began when my kids were born. Each Christmas, I choose one ornament that represents something meaningful from their year - a hobby, an achievement, a favorite movie, a milestone, etc. I tuck it into their stocking, and they open it first thing on Christmas morning.
Each child has their own keepsake ornament box. They hang their ornaments every year, and one day - when they’re married or have their own home - I’ll wrap up their Christmas Ornament Keepsake Box and give it to them for Christmas. A lifetime of memories, wrapped in tiny ornaments - ready to continue on their own trees.
Live Christmas Trees Without the Hassle
We still go out as a family every year to pick a live Christmas tree. There’s just something about that fresh pine scent that feels like home. But I’ll admit — there are parts of a live tree that used to be a hassle… until I found two little solutions that changed everything:
A tree watering pump that looks like a wrapped present under the tree - no more crawling under branches, forgetting to water or spilling! It has a light that flashes when you need to add more water. Worth every penny!
Tree lights attached to a ring that slips right over the top of the tree - no more tangled strands! Hanging the lights is now fast and easy
Getting a live Christmas Tree is one of my favorite Holiday Tradition and simplifying the hassle has made it a lot more joyful.
Displaying Santa Photos — Our Heartwarming Collection
Every year, I display all of my children’s “Santa Pictures” in place card holders. Some are pictures are silly, some pictures are sweet, and some pictures are my kids being terrified of Santa. We love looking at them each year. They are precious memories of chubby cheeks, wide-eyed smiles and the sweetest reminders of Christmases past.
This display is so simple - yet it’s one of my favorite Christmas decorations.
Christmas Coloring Placemats — While the Turkey Cooks
Keeping kids entertained before big holiday meals can be tricky so years ago my mother started using Christmas-themed coloring / activity placemats. It keeps little hands busy and makes the table feel festive. Just use the themed placemats, place crayons in a Christmas tin in the center of the kid’s table and you’re all set.
Simple. Fun. A life-saver during holiday meal prep.
A Special Breakfast Plate Used on Christmas Morning
When my children were little, they each decorated their own special plate for Christmas breakfast - and we’ve used them every year since. Those plates don’t come out any other day of the year. They make Christmas morning feel extra special in the simplest way. It’s a tradition they still love - and one they’ll probably pass down to their own families one day.
Making & Decorating Sugar Cookies
This one can be messy - but magical. Rolling out the dough, sneaking little bites, laying out bowls of sprinkles…and the joy of seeing a tray full of cookies decorated by every personality in the family. The cookies are great - but honestly, it’s everything around the cookies that I love most: the laughter, the music, the memories being baked right in. Great little gifts too!
I’ll share my mom’s Sugar Cookies recipe below. The best!
Recipe for Sugar Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 Eggs
5 cups plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar (for Icing)
food coloring (for Icing)
Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, mix. Then add dry ingredients, milk and vanilla. Mix. Chill about an hour. Take some out of refrigerator, roll out on floured surface and cut cookies. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. (Recipe can be halved.) Let cool.
Icing for Sugar Cookies
Put powdered sugar in bowl and add water to thin to a spreading consistency. Add food coloring. Simple, yet so yummy!
One Christmas Candle — For the Whole Season
Each year, I buy one special Christmas candle and burn it all season long. It becomes the scent of that Christmas. It’s such a small thing - but it makes the whole house feel cozy during the holidays. Christmas scents bring about such wonderful emotions for me!
Our Christmas Card Album
I’ve saved every photo Christmas card that my family has sent over the years and added them to a Christmas album that is displayed on our coffee table over the holidays. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy looking through this album every year. It truly warms my heart! (8 x 8 Albums works great)
Handmade Gifts for Grandparents
Every year, my children made a handmade gift for their grandparents - and it always meant so much. They’ve made painted clay paperweights, handprint mugs, windchimes, ornaments, even little performances on the piano. It wasn’t about perfection - it was about spending time to make something for special people whom they love.
To this day, those gifts are still displayed in my parents’ house.
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