I’ll be honest…I’m becoming one of [those] people. While I’m not counting down to Christmas the day after Halloween and we have yet to own matching plaid family jammies, we have been getting our tree earlier and earlier each year, the boxes of decorations are “magically” multiplying, and the number of ways I know to use eggnog is (not to brag, but…) borderline impressive. The holidays are slowly but surely becoming my favorite time of year, and I make zero apologies for the amount of joy I squeeze out of every single moment between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
I think becoming a mama (specifically the mama of a little girl who treats every single holiday like it’s the best day ever) has been a big reason for this shift. There’s something about the excitement & charm & magic of this season that feels special, even sacred, and I just can’t let a time that’s filled with so many festivities fly by without making the most of it.
In the now five (!!?!) Christmases we’ve spent with Sloan, we’ve collected quite a few sentimental & simple & slow & soulful holiday traditions along the way. I thought it would not only be fun to document for my future generations to come, but to also give you a sneak peek of what happens behind the doors of the Davis home over the holidays aaaaaaand maybe even inspire a few more ideas as you celebrate the season.
A few quick (but important) notes about holiday traditions before we begin
While I love & look forward to every single tradition that I’m about to share, the pressure to make the holidays perfect can straight-up steal the very pleasure those traditions are meant to instill. So that same “less is more” approach I apply to (pelvic) health? I practice it here too. Here are a few “guidelines” to make sure your holiday traditions are nothing but nourishing and fulfilling moving forward, forever and ever, amen.
Accept that every year is different. I’ve spent some Christmases feeling all things merry & bright and others grieving the loss of a pregnancy just days and weeks before the big day. I’ve had some Christmases overflowing with family cheer and others filled with family drama. They say “the only constant in life is change”, and this applies to the holidays too. Every year is different and seasons might shift, but everything becomes easier when you can expect & embrace this ebb and flow of life.
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Prioritize presence over perfection. Some years my Christmas looks like a Pinterest board come to life, other times it’s held together by last-minute Amazon orders, another shot of eggnog, and the same scotch tape I use to wrap gifts just hours before they’re opened. But when I stop to acknowledge the reason for the season and appreciate the people celebrating it with me, nothing else matters and I can be really, fully present.
Change “always” to “sometimes”. Many people make the mistake of thinking traditions are something you have to do, a checklist that makes the season complete. But it’s not about consistency or obligation…it’s about connection and creating memories along the way, sometimes more than others depending on the year. Please know that you can pause, modify, or even abandon traditions with zero guilt if it means dedicating your time and energy to the things that truly light you up.
Less really is more. I’ve once heard it said that “those who enjoy the ordinary will have an extraordinary life”, and I believe this same sentiment most definitely rings true in the holiday season too. It’s not about how big your light display is or how much money you spend on presents. You don’t have to go to all the events, send out the fancy Christmas cards, or make 54 batches of cookies. When you can find delight in the little things they become big, and then those (maybe regular, maybe rare) big things will feel even more special.
The Davis Family’s best holiday traditions
Growing up, my favorite holiday tradition was everyone (my family plus aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) going to my grandparent’s house a few weeks before Christmas to decorate their tree, order pizza, and dance around to those oh-so familiar holiday tunes. Someday when my girl is all grown up, I want her to have fond and familiar memories to return to in this season – some of our traditions that she’ll keep and others she’ll tweak to make her own.
We do most of these holiday traditions every single year without fail, but many others we squeeze in when time, energy, and life allow. All of them are special because they’re ours and we choose to do them…not because we have to, but because they genuinely bring us joy.
ALLLLL THE HOLIDAY PUZZLES
There’s something about a puzzle that takes up half the dining room table that just feels like Christmas to me. We grab a few new ones each year while browsing our favorite local shops then always have one going throughout the season. I add a few pieces while dinner’s in the oven, Bob works on it as our night winds down, Sloan wanders over to “help” when the mood strikes, and my favorite is when our guests pitch in mid-party.
It’s not about finishing the puzzle (although we’re halfway through our third Christmas puzzle for the year…this one and this one have already been completed). It’s about slowing down and intentionally creating quiet moments of togetherness that happen naturally when the weather turns, the nights are longer, and your hands are busy. Some people pass down precious decorations or sentimental recipes – I love the idea of having boxes and boxes of puzzles that can be enjoyed for generations to come.
A THEMED ORNAMENT FOR SLOAN
My grandma gave me a new ornament every year when I was growing up, and while I love the sentiment of that tradition and still put them up on my tree, the ornaments she chose don’t necessarily *ahem* match my current taste. I wanted to mimic this same tradition with Sloan, but (in true Libra fashion) pick a theme and style that she’ll *fingers crossed* love when she’s four and 44. We settled on reindeer for our girl, and each Christmas I search for the perfect ornament to add to her collection.
Sloan gets her own small tree that goes in her playroom and we give her that year’s ornament on the day her tree goes up. This year I found the most beautiful glass reindeer ornament from the 1920’s at a local antique shop, and someday I hope she appreciates how much time & thought & intention I put into choosing each and every one.
HUNTING FOR OUR TREE IN THE FOREST
Most years we go to a local farm to find our Christmas tree, but this year we purchased a permit to cut one down from inside the national forest. Not only was it an adventure to pour the hot cider, pack up the car, and peruse through the woods for hours for the perfect tree, but it’s significantly less expensive (only $5 a tree here in Washington state) and it contributes to overall forest health by thinning out the densely populated areas.
While finding a “suitable” tree was more challenging than I expected (we only ended up cutting down Sloan’s smaller tree this time around), this is a tradition I’d like to try again next year with more realistic expectations and a little extra patience. There’s just something special about knowing how hard you searched for the tree that’s the main event of your space.
GOING ALL OUT WITH GARLAND
Some people cover their homes in elaborate light displays, others set up holiday villages that rival the real deal, and there are those who collect enough ornaments to cover every square inch of their Christmas tree. I am none of ^^those^^ people, but I #lowkey LOVE the look of a mantle overflowing with garland, and ever since moving into our home that has a massive fireplace, I add a few new strings of it every year.
Most years I hunt through our small local shops to buy one (or three ;)) additions to my garland collection. Without fail, we make a dried orange garland (these pre-dried oranges are a game-changer), sometimes we sneak in strings of popcorn, and I’m absolutely smitten with how this finger knit yarn garland turned out this year. At this point you can barely see our stockings under all the garland, and I honestly couldn’t love it more.
DRIVE AROUND LOOKING AT LIGHT DISPLAYS
When it gets dark by 4 PM and your almost-five-year-old squeals every time she sees Christmas lights, this one is not only easy, it’s essential. The week before Christmas when everyone’s displays are up and ready to go, we drive around nearby neighborhoods looking at lights. It’s simple, it’s free (minus gas), and it’s something we look forward to as a family every year.
Sometimes we just hop in the car, turn on the Christmas music, and go. There have also been years we stop for hot cocoa, travel a little further, commit to a roadmap that takes us through the best spots, and play Christmas Light Display Bingo along the way. You know I love all things accessible, achievable, and affordable, and this tradition checks every single box.
MY “FAVORITE THINGS” PARTY
If you’ve never heard of a “favorite things” party, then buckle up, friend…after reading this you’re prooooobably gonna want to plan one for Christmases to come. I’ve hosted a “favorite things” party since 2022 and it’s *officially* the best excuse to gather your favorite girlfriends, serve your favorite foods (I usually make it all but you could totally go potluck-style), and gift one of your favorite things with a friendly cutthroat game of white elephant.
This year I served a spiced iced tea with a splash of eggnog that was a huge hit, a paleo mulled “wine” that everyone wanted the recipe for afterwards. And of course I included my famous bacon-wrapped goat cheese-stuffed dates, high protein buffalo chicken dip, and bacon & jalapeno deviled eggs. While it’s a lot of work, this is something I and my friends look forward to every year and I always feel like it helps me go into the holiday weeks ahead with a full heart.
OPEN JAMMIES ON CHRISTMAS EVE
I mentioned earlier that we’re not a matching Christmas jammies family (yet!), but every year we get Sloan a new set of pajamas that she opens after church on Christmas Eve, wears through the night, and then looks the cutest on Christmas morning. These jammies are the only gift Sloan gets from Santa and it’s become one of those rituals that signals “Christmas is really here”.
I appreciate the excuse to get her another much-needed pair of pajamas and she sees them as extra special every time she puts them on. Colored Organics is my favorite place to find 100% organic cotton jammies for kids (we don’t want our little ones spending half of their day in toxic plastic clothing), and I personally love that the patterns are seasonal without screaming “Christmas” and can be worn year-round.
CINNAMON ROLLS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING
Sweets are not the usual in the Davis home, so something sugary and gooey on Christmas morning is an anticipated treat by everyone. I only make cinnamon rolls three times a year – Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas morning, so you know it’s going to be a special day when they’re on the breakfast menu. I’ve tried multiple recipes over the years but have finally settled on this sourdough recipe for the dough (& baking instructions), this recipe for the filling, and this recipe for the honey-sweetened frosting. It’s a lot of moving pieces, but trust me…this combo is *chef’s kiss*.
I make them the night before then throw them in the oven right before everyone wakes up. The sweet smell of warm cinnamon as we open presents and the sticky goodness with our eggnog-spiked coffee – it’s become synonymous with Christmas morning in the best possible way.
GIFTING WITH INTENTION
Between Black Friday deals that scream “buy me!” and the temptation to make each year’s Christmas “the best one yet”, it’s hard not to get alllllllll the gifts, especially when it comes to our girl. Since Sloan’s very first Christmas, we’ve followed a framework that puts importance and intention behind each and every present: something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. These four gifts (plus Christmas jammies and a few stocking stuffers) have proven perfect for our family year after year.
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Does this always happen perfectly? Um…no. Some years certain categories overlap or get skipped altogether. But having this framework helps us give gifts with purpose and teaches Sloan that the holidays aren’t just about giving & getting more, they’re about giving & getting things that matter.
PS – If you like the idea of this gifting framework but have the budget and/or bandwidth for a little bit more, I stumbled across an extended version that I think you’ll love: something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, something used, something made, something to do, something played. How cute is that!?
INSTEAD OF TRADITIONAL GIFTS, BOB & I INVEST IN OUR HEALTH
My husband and I give each other gifts for birthdays, Father’s & Mother’s Days, and even our anniversaries, but at Christmas we invest in our health instead. This tradition came out of the realization that, by the end of the year, we have enough “stuff”, and we’d rather go into the next 365 days with better health than the coolest gadget or cutest new jacket.
This year we invested in circadian rhythm lights for our home (they’ve only been up for a week but I’m officially OB-SESSED). Other wellness purchases we’ve made instead of buying Christmas presents include our sauna, a peloton bike, and the Eight Sleep mattress. Some years we have the ability to spend more than others, but every time we feel good about prioritizing our physical & mental health over material things.
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Your traditions, your way
At the end of the day, the “best” holiday traditions are the ones that bring you and your family joy…not the ones that look good on Instagram or mimic what you saw on an arbitrary list. Whether your Christmas looks like ours with half-finished puzzles & an ungodly amount of garland & homemade cinnamon rolls, oooooor it looks completely different with its own special rituals, what matters most is that you’re showing up for the season in a way that feels genuinely grounded & good.
Some years you’ll nail every tradition and feel like you’re living in a Hallmark movie. Other years you’ll be scrambling, surviving, and shocked how December flew by so fast. Both can be beautiful when you release the pressure of perfection and embrace the gift of presence instead.
So pick the traditions that light you up, skip the ones that stress you out, and remember that changing “always” to “sometimes” isn’t lowering your standards…it’s raising your joy. Years from now when Sloan looks back on these Christmases, she won’t remember if we perfectly decked the halls or checked off every tradition’s box. She’ll remember that we were there and that we made space for both the magic and the mess. And honestly? That’s the only tradition that really matters.
-Amanda
Disclaimer: The content provided here does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized healthcare. I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. If you have concerns about a medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult with a licensed healthcare professional.
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