As a mom of teens, the days of sitting on Santa’s lap and planning classroom holiday parties are long gone, but I love the fact that my boys still embrace some of our family Christmas traditions. They demand to trim our tree while sipping hot cocoa with Christmas music playing in the background. They make sure we’re having our big family breakfast Christmas morning, and up until work schedules started getting harder to plan around, they came with us to choose the perfect tree.
Just because they’ve outgrown some sweet traditions doesn’t mean they don’t still enjoy spending time as a family and having special activities to look forward to around the holidays.
Here are a few fun traditions you can start with your teens:
- Go To a Holiday Light Display
If your kids have outgrown the holiday lights around the neighborhood in their pjs tradition, check out some of the more sophisticated displays. A few of the best ones are Calloway Gardens Fantasy in Lights, the Chinese Lantern Festival at the Atlanta Zoo, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Lights. - Have a Gingerbread House Competition
I admit, I never did gingerbread houses with my kids because the thought of my OCD oldest trying to get everything perfect sounded like a nightmare. But most older kids have better skills to execute this task. And who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? - Have a Classic Christmas Movie Night
Just about every family has a list of Christmas movies they watch without fail every year, so why not make an evening of it complete with sweet treats (homemade cookies, anyone?) and popcorn? Everyone can get in festive pajamas, cozy up on the couch with their favorite blanket, and watch amid the glow of the tree. - Elevated Advent Calendar
Every year, my boys would look forward to their dollar store advent calendar filled with tiny little chocolates. It was such a thrill for them to have that little waxy piece of candy to open every day until Christmas. There are some really fun (and some super expensive) advent calendars out there now, you’re sure to find one that will appeal to your teen. For girls, try the ones from E.L.F. or Glow Recipe. For boys, I love this one from Nuts.com - Play Minute-To-Win-It Games
This is a great one to do on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and even get their friends involved. These games are meant to be quick and high-energy so they’re perfect for teens. Prizes can range from cash to lottery tickets, to small gift cards. - See A Holiday Show
If your teen is the artsy type, make a tradition of seeing holiday concerts or ballet. The Northeast Atlanta Ballet puts on the Nutcracker every year at the arena in Gwinnett. I’ve seen it twice and it was wonderful and made a great mother-daughter date. Of course, the Atlanta Ballet also performs it every year. I’d also recommend seeing what’s being featured by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and at the Fox. Dress up and enjoy a fancy dinner on the town too!
Holiday traditions don’t have to end just because your kids are getting older. It’s a great time to introduce new ones and strengthen your family bond! Even though they may not say it, teens crave this time spent with loved ones and creating amazing memories.
