3 Simple Ways to Make a Christmas Tradition Memorable
This post is sponsored by Stephen’s Gourmet Hot Cocoa through the Mom It Forward Influencer Network. All opinions are 100% my own!
I love hearing about other people’s Christmas traditions. Some have been passed down for generations, and others are just special to a small family. I love traditions because I think they do bring a family closer together when they get used to the ritual of doing them every year.
It makes the holiday fun and also, memorable. I love holiday traditions so I want to share a special one to me all while including the essential elements that make for a remarkable Christmas tradition.
1.A Good Story
The first part of any successful tradition is that it has to have a good story behind it.
One tradition that I had growing up was on Christmas Eve. My sisters and I would stay up late so we could open up one gift at midnight, but only one. We’d stay up late drinking hot cocoa and counting the minutes until midnight. We would look forward to this time; even though, we knew what the gift would be.
You see every year my mom relishes in this tradition. We can open one gift at midnight, but she got to pick which gift we open. The gift the night before is always Pajamas. But not just any pajamas, fancy ones! Sometimes that were satin button ups PJs other times they were Henly material two pieces. The one thing we all came to expect was that they would be PJs. Once we opened our gifts, we were instructed to put them on immediately.
The next day we’d all be awake bright and early to open our gifts in our new PJs. My mom would take pictures of our expressions as we opened presents. I find it a bit ironic now that I cannot find any such pictures after years of doing this. But the memories are strong nonetheless.
Regardless of whatever your reason for beginning a tradition, you have to have a good story for why it started in the first place. In my case, it is something we always did when I was growing up, and I would love to tell my friends about our tradition that we did every year. And that is why the story part is so important. It has to be exciting, easy to tell and meaningful.
2. A Taste Connection
Remember how I said we drank cocoa while we waited? Now anytime I have hot cocoa I think of waiting up late until Christmas morning arrives. Especially when it is Stephen’s Candycane Cocoa. When I was younger, I would take a candy cane from the tree and use it to stir my cocoa. When I have Stephen’s those memories just come flooding back. And even though I have gone years without telling the story of our Christmas tradition it all comes rushing back.
I like Stephen’s Hot Cocoa because not only is it rich, creamy and quite simply the tastiest I’ve ever had. Not to mention that they are continually introducing new and unique flavors, as well as cocoa innovations like their Single-cups for Keurig®-style coffee makers. Stephens also offers an exceptional selection of delicious ciders, whose traditional (and not-so-traditional) flavors make the perfect drink for any holiday.
Some of Stephen’s Gourmet signature cocoa flavors include:
- Salted Caramel
- CandyCane
- Mint Truffle
- Dark Chocolate
- S’mores
To see all of their delicious and unique cocoa flavors visit: https://www.indulgentfoods.com/
But the taste, and or smell connection is so important when it comes to holiday tradition. Because when/ if someone forgets a given holiday tradition, your sense of taste and smell are great reminders of a memory you happen to hold dearly.
3. People You Care About
Lastly, the Christmas tradition has to involve people you care about. The holiday season is for friends and family, so it is kinda important to spend time with them while establishing your tradition. While I have no intentions of making running 5ks a Christmas tradition; I have to say that my running it with the support of my family members was priceless. It made the memory that much better for me.
The reason why the people around you matter in a tradition because it stirs up all the feels. And we remember feels long after they dissipate. And this also helps us recall a fond memory.
I hope I’ve proved to you not only why Christmas traditions are important, but also how to make them memorable enough to continue for generations. If you need hot cocoa to aid your custom, you should enter the Stephen’s Hot Cocoa Giveaway below where you have the opportunity to win a full year’s supply of hot cocoa. What are you waiting for?
Enter to win a year’s supply of Stephen’s! We’re giving away 15, one-pound cans of our delicious, one-of-a-kind cocoa to a fortunate winner! What’s more, you get to choose which of our 22 flavors you’d like to try! From bestselling classics (like Candycane and Mint Truffle) to our newest creations (including Old Fashioned Chocolate Malt, English Toffee, and Salted Caramel), the choice is yours!
