December Blog- Magic and Memories
- arworth
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
WELCOME DECEMBER 2025 and National Write a Friend Month!
Many of us are just starting to get our warmer clothing out of hiding as we see a dip in the temperature. It is hard to believe the end of 2025 is almost upon us. Along with the cooler weather, warmer clothing in layers and hot chocolate on the grocery list, there are wonderful things to do and celeb
rate in December besides Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanza and others like remembering the holiday traditions with stories to connect family celebrations and keep those traditions alive in our hearts.
In this month's blog post, I wull focus on how to write heartwarming stories that are tradition based and holiday themed. Tapping into childhood memories is the first place to start. In order to begin writing holiday stories, we must examine the connection to experiences and tradition.
Part 1 - Writing - "Crafting Magical Holiday Stories"
Growing up with two parents from traditional backgrounds, having a stay at home Mom who was a mom of all moms to others, and a grandma and Aunt and Uncle who all lived in our two family house together, my holiday stories had a lot of family tradition which all stemmed from my Northern European (German, Austrian, Irish, Scottish and most likely French) influenced roots and an open mindedness to bring those stories to life.
My favorite holiday traditions at Christmas started in our kitchen baking and cooking delicious german foods and baked goods. Weeks before Christmas, around Thanksgiving, my mom and grandma and I would use every inch of counter space rolling dough, shaping it into a variety of forms and sizes and decorating dozens of our finished products. It truly did get us into the holiday mood!
Decorating the house and tree was the second part of holiday memories while listening to the family record player and the sounds of Bing Crosby, Mitch Miller, Dean Martin and a bunch of German albums that played the Vienna boys choir with such beautiful sounds. Growing up with all these family traditions gave me a sense of security and comfort while learning about my parents childhood traditions too. Here's one of my stories:
"My dad always waited until the last minute to buy our Christmas tree and put up our lights on the house. He was busy as a carpenter and wanted to get the tree that would shed its needles slowly so he said it's best to wait until the week before Christmas. I remember when I was about eight or nine, going with him to buy our tree. We did not live near a tree farm so cutting one down was not our option but we always got a tall tree that was full and healthy. My mom would make us a thermos of hot chocolate and pack some Christmas cookies to take along. It seemed like it took forever but once we found our perfect tree, and brought it home, it went immediately into a large bucket filled with water to keep it from drying out until we could put it in the base and bring it inside our living room. The air was cold and smelled like snow and living near the beach, I could tell we would have snow for Christmas."
Writing in reflection of how the actual memories took place is a great way to write thoughtful stories with a magical holiday feel. Using these types of themes, such as in my children's book, "My Baby and Me," I wanted to capture the sweet memories of what my daughter's doll meant to her as we journeyed through days and nights together at home and away. Establishing these traditions at an early age is good for both child and parent. Family connection through the magic of holiday traditions is a priceless experience which can be revisited over and over through the generations and will become a welcome part of the love and sharing in the spirit of the giving season of Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanza or any religious and spiritual holiday you may celebrate.
Here you will find a shareable print out of writing prompts to use with your youngsters to begin writing about your own family traditions.
Don't forget to add illustrations to your stories when possible to give it a
boost! Have Fun writing!
Part 2- Education-"The Importance of Stories in Celebrating
Traditions"
When teaching children about holidays and the importance of what traditions are and how to preserve them for generations, it is important to discuss the cultural values, history and identity of the people who experienced the things that created the opportunity for passing down stories and the legends and customs that surround belonging to a heritage.
Every family has a history of where the originated and how or if they migrated to a new place like when the early settlers, Pilgrims, came to America. Our culture is rich with an eclectic mix of culture, beliefs, and lifestyles which make us who we are. Fostering these cultural traditions within the family unit is the key to the preservation of the memories that are carried along with each member to pass onto future generations.
I remember in my family hearing how my great grandparents passed down the tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve by opening small gifts left in the stockings like candy, chocolate, a small toy like a spinning top or puzzle and drinking hot cocoa listening to Christmas Carols before going to Church at midnight. My grandparents and parents carried those traditions down to me and my siblings. With all of us gathered around the living room checking on our stockings and finding suprises like small amounts of money and candy canes or lottery ticket, it was so exciting to open and share with our family. We had a deep connection to the celebration itself because we were all there together. It was an opportunity to let the adults tell their stories of traditions and hearing how different life was and their experiences. Keeping the spirit of the past, present and future in all the stories is the best way to build community and identity within the family. Teaching children the "hows" and "whys" of traditions brings about an honor to celebrate a family's growth and connecting the emotional changes in the years gone by.
It's never too late to teach children about holding onto their family traditions and keep it a part of their future.
Playing games is a great way to use all the senses too, making learning fun and having a sense of belonging. Writing questions on Post It notes and guessing the "who" it was and "what" took place is a great trivia type of game to play while snacking on nuts, fruits, chocolates, cheese and crackers, etc. and gives everyone a chance to learn a new fact about another family member.
Another tip for sharing family stories is to play a "mad lib" game using your own family details in a story and work with a partner to create some "hidden" truths about their family to use as a new "first" holiday tradition and keep it going each year. The laughs will be sure to keep your belly aching for days!
Part 3 - Parenting - "Making the Holidays Memorable for Kids"
Every parent knows how busy the holidays are and often times, life gets forgotten about or put on the back burner when so much preparation work must begin. It's easy to get caught up into a routine that goes against our ability to make those holiday memories stick.
Creating family moments that offer the opportunity to enjoy each other' company without the distractions of outside things is what holidays are all about.
One of the things my parents did for my siblings and me when we celebrated the holidays was to allow us to be flexible with our routine during Christmas break. Eating meals, watching holiday movies, sleeping late and doing chores were some of the things we lightened up on. Playing with our new presents, making plans to hang out more with friends and eat foods we normally didn't eat was something I looked forward to. Having sleep overs with friends also became a fun activity and something we didn't do during the school year. I even remember when my parents took me and a few friends ice skating at the site of the 1965 World's Fair in Flushing, NY (Queens) which was about forty five minutes from where we lived. Planning fun and meaningful trips a few times during the Christmas break was great fun.
Most importantly during the holidays is to provide memorable moments that reflect a meaninful life of love, gratitude, tradition and family. One activity that captures all these elements is to create a decorative memory box filled with special notes, stickers, photos, and small trinkets that have special meaning to each family member. The memory box can be opened throughout the year to remember the meaning of the holiday tradition and add additional items to tie the family together for generations to come!
SOME SPECIAL DAYS TO REMEMBER IN DECEMBER:
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES - 15TH
CHRISTMAS DAY - 25TH
HAVE A SAFE, WONDERFUL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK IN JANUARY FOR THE NEXT BLOG POST!