Christmas Traditions + All the Goodies

Everyone has their own Christmas traditions. Whether it be the cookies they make, the way the start off their Christmas morning, or the way they decorate - each and every family who celebrates this wonderful holiday have their own traditions that make it special. It might be gathering around the living room with your family on Christmas Eve, snuggling up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa (OR COFFEE), and listening to the beautiful story of Jesus' birth. Or maybe you and your siblings sleep together around your Christmas tree on Christmas Eve while waiting for the glorious Christmas morning to arrive. Maybe you wake up early on Christmas morning to bake pies!! Whatever it may be, there's always something that makes Christmas a little extra special, every. single. year.


My family's traditions include MAKING ALL THE GOODIES. We always go wayyyy overboard on all the cookies and sweet treats that we love, but that's the way we like it. ;) What we'll do is make tons of cookies on the days leading up to Christmas, and then freeze them. Then we'll take out as many as we need to put on plates and serve during parties, or to snack on all day during Christmas weekend. They will usually last us through the New Year's celebrations, too, so that's a plus. ;) This year, I'm going to really regret all the sugar I plan on eating. There is no way I'm going to miss out on my traditional favorites, even if it means going against everything I know and believe about healthy eating. That's a whole other topic, but there will be more on it this Saturday (planning on it, anyway).

To start it all off, I'm going to share my family's favorite, traditional Christmas goodies.*

*not gonna actually share cookies with you, but I'll SHOW them to you, because I'm nice. ^.^ 

1. CUT-OUTS.

Guys, cut-out cookies are so traditional, we make tons of them, every single year. They don't even taste that amazing, but the whole decorating process and family bonding time is so much fun. That is until we get sick of frosting cookies and everyone leaves the rest of the decorating to that one unlucky person. I swear it happens every year. ^.^

2. Pecan Sandies.

image via Rachel @ A Southern Fairytale

Otherwise known as Snowballs, or Pecan Fingers, these cookies are pretty much a nutty, buttery, MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH shortbread cookie. These are THE MOST popular Christmas cookie in my family. They're pretty much everyone's favorite.....except mine. ;) As much as I love them, I think my favorite has got to be Peanut Butter Balls - #3

3. Peanut Butter Balls.

image via Danielle @ sogoodblog.com

Haha, I definitely love my peanut butter. This recipe - one of my favorites. Although, to be perfectly honest with you, I don't know that I really have a favorite. It's nearly impossible to not love them all equally. And while we're on the subject of peanut butter....

4.  Peanut Blossoms.

Photo by Madison Kaminski on Unsplash

These are those delicious peanut butter cookies with the yummy Hershey's kiss on top. They melt my heart.

5. Fudge.

Photo by Darren Coleshill on Unsplash

We make two kinds of fudge almost every year, and those would be Peppermint Fudge and Chocolate Fudge. I'm pretty sure we lost our Peppermint Fudge recipe, too, so that might be a problem? Nah, nevermind, we've got Pinterest. ;P For the Chocolate Fudge, we have an amazing recipe that my great-grandpa always used.

6. Gingerbread.

These were the gingerbread men (and women) my family made last year. As you can see, some of us got a little carried away. ;)

Gingerbread men are kind of like cut-outs for us, because we cut them out and decorate them with icing. This year, though, we are planning on making an EPIC GINGERBREAD HOUSE. I say planning because I don't know if it will actually come into action - our kitchen being out of order still. I'm hoping that next week we'll do it, but things get busy, so I don't know.

7. Peanut Clusters.

I just realized we have yet ANOTHER peanut recipe. Peanut Clusters - the best. These ones are super easy, too!

8. Shortbread Cookies.

My mom loves shortbread, and quite frankly, so do I. We usually make at least one kind, if not, more. One of the more traditional recipes would be Candied Cherry Shortbread Slices. I think that's what they're called anyway. ^.^

9. Thumbprint Cookies.

image via Cathy @ whatshouldimakefor.com

These could probably fit in the shortbread category. Some people make them with candied cherries in the center, but we usually go with the jelly or jam for a delicious, moist center.


Those are the cookies that we will ALWAYS make, but there are a few kinds that we will make only some years, and new recipes that we'll try.

Other Traditional Things

- We always have some sort of brunch casserole on Christmas morning, before we open presents. And we'll usually have homemade cinnamon rolls, too. *sighs*

- We play all the REALLY LONG GAMES that we don't play any other time of the year, BECAUSE THEY'RE SO LONG. Like, Risk. O_o And Catan.

- WE WATCH ALL THE MOVIES. Polar Express, A Christmas Carol, Elf, It's A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Holiday Inn....you name it. The week before Christmas we usually watch all the Christmas classics.

- With my dad's whole side of the family, we always get together somewhere around Christmas and have a huge Christmas bash at my Grammie's. We play bingo for prizes. We're talking STARBUCKS AND CHOCOLATE prizes. It's the best. 

- When my family is home on Christmas Eve, often after the service at church, we will snuggle up in the living room with cookies and eggnog (or cocoa. or cider. OR COFFEE.), and we'll read the story of Jesus' birth (THE REASON FOR THE SEASON), along with other classic stories - A Christmas Carol, for example. We'll usually sing Christmas carols, too. 

What are some of your Christmas Traditions? Favorite Christmas treats? How does your family start off Christmas morning? Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Favorite Christmas carol? Leave me a comment and tell me!