Holiday House mini print by Rachael Novak of Shore Society
A few years ago my husband and I noticed that our kids (then ages 3 & 5) were becoming waaaay too focused on their Christmas wishlists. It seemed like, to them, Christmas was ALL about presents. So we decided to shift the focus as much as possible away from toys and gifts to other holiday traditions. Since then, each year we’ve attended the Nutcracker or a Christmas-themed play; enjoyed lots of Christmas movies and stories together; decorated each of their bedrooms with their own miniature Christmas trees, lights, and nativity scenes; “adopted” a needy family to shop for; and baked and delivered Christmas cookies to friends and family. Now they really look forward to each of these activities, and we feel like their concept of what Christmas is all about has gotten so much bigger than just presents. It’s made the Christmas season so much more enjoyable for all of us! Their favorite activity, by far, is baking, decorating, and delivering Christmas cookies to neighbors, friends, and family. We all sit down together to decide what cookies we’ll make, put together a list of who we’ll deliver them to, and map out our route. I buy melamine holiday plates from Target (only about $1 each) or sturdy paper plates, and of course I print some sarah + abraham gift labels to top our wrapped plates of cookies. 
We usually pick the Saturday before Christmas and devote the entire day to baking, decorating, packaging, and then the best part – delivering! Last year the kids’ favorite recipe was one that I found in Parents Magazine: Red-Nosed Reindeer cookies. They were so easy and looked so cute! I’d love hear about your family traditions – please share in the comments!
