35 cheap family Christmas traditions kids will remember

The short answer: the best cheap family Christmas traditions are the things that happen year after year. Pick a handful, let the kids help choose and put them on the calendar.

• 35 ideas for home, food, giving, around town and keepsakes
• Pick a handful, not all of them, and choose things you'll enjoy too
• Repeat it: that's what makes it a tradition
• Plan without overspending and safety reminders are below
• Next step: Plan it with the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99).

The traditions kids carry with them usually aren't the most expensive parts of the season. The best cheap family Christmas traditions are the things that happen year after year, the ones that make December feel like your family's December.

I love traditions that work for every age in the house and don't require a big budget. This list has 35 free and low-cost ideas, plus a simple way to choose a few and plan them so they actually happen.

How to choose traditions that stick

Before the list, a few guidelines that help a tradition last:

1. Pick a handful, not all of them. Three to five traditions are plenty for one season. You can always add more next year.
2. Choose things you'll enjoy, too. If a tradition stresses you out, it won't survive the year. Our guide to holiday stress has more ways to keep the season manageable.
3. Repeat it. A tradition becomes a tradition by doing it again. Same time, same place, same song, if you can.
4. Let the kids help choose. Kids tend to care more about traditions they picked.
5. Put it on the calendar. A tradition without a date often turns into "maybe next weekend."

Free and low-cost traditions at home

If your family has an elf, our list of elf on the shelf ideas has 60 free or nearly free setups and a printable 24-night plan.

A family game night costs nothing: print our free Christmas bingo cards, play a round of Christmas trivia, or race to finish a Christmas word search. At the table, take turns with would you rather questions. Teens and adults can play Christmas Scattergories with just paper and a timer.

1. Christmas movie night with a twist

Pick a movie, make popcorn and let everyone wear pajamas. Add a twist your family will look forward to, like a homemade "ticket" for each kid or a new movie chosen by a different family member each year.

2. Decorate the tree together

Let each person hang a few ornaments while the same holiday playlist plays every year. If you have young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics' holiday decorations safety tips suggest avoiding sharp or breakable decorations and keeping trimmings with small parts out of reach.

3. A homemade advent calendar

Fill numbered envelopes or bags with small activities instead of store-bought treats. Our advent calendar ideas include plenty of no-cost options.

4. Christmas Eve box

Fill a box with pajamas, a book or a cozy treat for Christmas Eve. It doesn't need to be new every year. Some families reuse the same box and fill it with hand-me-downs, a library book or hot cocoa packets.

5. Family read-aloud

Read one holiday book each night in December. Your local library is a great free source, so check whether you can place holds early in the season.

6. Holiday game night

Pull out the board games or play Christmas party games like holiday charades. Keep a running scoreboard from year to year.

7. Build a blanket fort

Spend one evening in a living room fort with flashlights and stories.

8. Write letters to Santa (or to each other)

Younger kids can write to Santa. Older kids and adults can write a short letter to each family member about what they appreciated this year.

9. Holiday music dance party

Pick a night, push back the furniture and dance to holiday songs. Let each person choose one song.

10. Make paper snowflakes

All you need is paper and scissors. Tape them to the windows and add new ones every year.

Traditions around food

If your tradition is a yearly get-together, our holiday party planning checklist breaks hosting into weekly steps, with a sample budget.

A family baking day is one of the cheapest traditions. Our guide to Christmas cookies has three easy recipes and a baking schedule.

11. Holiday baking day

Choose one or two family recipes and make them together every year. Our Christmas baking list helps you plan ingredients ahead so you only shop once.

12. Cookie exchange

Each family bakes one big batch and trades, so everyone goes home with a variety. Our guide on how to host a cookie exchange walks through the details.

13. Hot cocoa bar

Set out mugs, cocoa and a few simple toppings you already have. Make it the reward after a cold walk or a decorating night.

14. Christmas morning breakfast

Choose one breakfast that only happens on Christmas morning, like cinnamon rolls or a special casserole.

15. Recipe keepsake night

Sit down with grandparents or older relatives and write down family recipes in their words. The Family Recipe Binder is a pretty way to collect them, and our family recipe binder guide has tips for getting started. Prefer a bound blank recipe book? Our My Family Recipes paperback is coming soon.

16. Gingerbread (or graham cracker) houses

Graham crackers, frosting and a few candies can make a fun alternative to a kit.

Traditions around giving

Making presents together can become a tradition of its own. Our list of diy christmas gifts has kitchen, paper and craft ideas that kids can help with.

When it's time to choose the gifts themselves, our list of christmas gift ideas has low-cost ideas for every person.

17. Kids choose a donation

Let each child pick a toy or book in good condition to donate, or choose a cause to support.

18. Thank-you treats for helpers

Bake cookies or make cards for mail carriers, teachers, sanitation workers or neighbors. Our holiday tipping guide offers thoughtful, budget-friendly options.

19. Neighbor card delivery

Make homemade cards (here are Christmas card messages to write inside) and deliver them to neighbors, especially anyone who lives alone.

20. Volunteer together

Look for age-appropriate volunteer opportunities through local community groups, food banks or places of worship. Ask early, since some opportunities fill up during the holidays, or plan a volunteer day for January.

21. Secret helpers

Each family member secretly does kind things for another person for a week. Reveal everyone's "secret helper" at dinner on the last night.

22. Sibling gift shopping

Give each child a small, set amount to buy or make a gift for a sibling. It's a great way to practice budgeting, and a kids' chore chart with an allowance tracker can help them earn and track their gift money.

Traditions around town

For a longer list of outings and free ideas, see our 75 Christmas activities with a printable Christmas bucket list.

23. Christmas lights drive or walk

Make cocoa, put on pajamas and drive or walk through neighborhoods with lights. Some families keep a "best house" vote every year.

24. Free community events

Look for tree lightings, parades, concerts and library events in your area. Many are free.

25. Visit a holiday display

Shopping centers, parks and downtown areas often have free decorations or displays worth a visit.

26. Winter nature walk

Bundle up and look for pinecones, birds or the first snowfall. Collect a few natural items for the table centerpiece.

27. Sledding or snow day tradition

If you get snow, pick a snow day ritual, like sledding followed by soup. For cold-weather outings, the AAP's guide to keeping kids safe and healthy during the winter holidays is worth a read.

Keepsake traditions

Another free keepsake idea: fill in our printable family tree template together over the holidays and ask older relatives for the names and dates.

28. Yearly ornament

Make or choose one ornament per child each year (these DIY Christmas ornaments are easy for kids). Write the year on the back. By the time they move out, they'll have a collection of their own. For more on this topic, see our Christmas traditions hub.

29. Handprint or footprint art

Trace little hands on paper or press them into salt dough and label each one with the year.

30. Family photo in the same spot

Take a photo in the same place every year, like in front of the tree or the front door. Watching everyone grow becomes part of the fun. A decorated door makes a great backdrop; see our Christmas door decorating ideas.

31. Christmas journal

Keep one notebook where everyone writes a sentence or two each year: favorite moments, best gift given, what they're hoping for next year.

32. Time capsule

Put drawings, notes and small mementos in a box to open next Christmas.

Traditions for the end of the year

33. Pajama day on December 26

Make the day after Christmas an official rest day with leftovers, new books and no plans.

34. Thank-you note afternoon

Set aside an afternoon to make thank-you cards together. Younger kids can draw a picture.

35. Family goals night

Before the New Year, talk about what everyone loved this year and what they want to try next. A family budget meeting is a natural place to talk about shared goals for next year, too.

Quick picks: traditions that need no purchase

If money is tight this year, start with the ones that cost nothing beyond time. These numbers refer to the full list above:

Type	Traditions
Free at home	5 Family read-aloud, 7 Blanket fort, 9 Holiday music dance party, 31 Christmas journal
Free outside the house	23 Lights drive or walk, 24 Free community events, 26 Winter nature walk, 27 Sledding or snow day
Free ways to give	20 Volunteer together, 21 Secret helpers
Cost a little more	11 Holiday baking day, 13 Hot cocoa bar, 16 Gingerbread houses, 28 Yearly ornament

Pick one from each of the first three rows and you have a full season of free traditions.

How to plan your traditions without overspending

Even low-cost traditions can add up if you're buying cocoa, craft supplies and baking ingredients all month. A little planning keeps them affordable. If you want to bundle an evening activity with a small gift, use these ideas for a Christmas Eve box to set a limit before buying supplies.

Give traditions their own budget line

Add a small "traditions and activities" line to your holiday budget. The Holiday Budget Calculator and our holiday budget guide can help you decide how much to set aside.

Use what you already have

Check your craft drawer, pantry and holiday bins before buying anything new. Many of these traditions use paper, scissors, flour and sugar.

Put everything on one calendar

Write your chosen traditions on a December calendar so you can spread them out. The Christmas Budget & Gift Planner includes a holiday calendar along with your budget and gift pages. For a free option, the Free Holiday Budget Kit includes a six-week countdown.

Plan for winter break

If the kids are home for winter break, traditions make great anchor activities. Our winter break schedule for kids shows how to build them into the days.

Keep the focus off stuff

If your family wants to shift away from gifts, traditions are a great replacement. Our guide on how to tell family you're not doing gifts can help start that conversation, and Christmas on a tight budget has more low-cost ideas.

A few safety reminders

Many traditions involve candles, lights, baking and small decorations. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's holiday safety center has helpful tips on decorations, lights and toys. And the AAP notes that small button and coin batteries can be found in many holiday items, like flameless candles, light-up ornaments and musical cards. Its small battery safety walkthrough shows where to look.

Your next step

Ask everyone in your house to pick one tradition from this list. Write those on your December calendar tonight, and you've got a season full of moments to look forward to. For a calendar, budget and gift list in one place, try the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner.

See also: family New Year's Eve at home, baby's first Christmas on a budget and teach kids to budget for gifts.

For more inspiration, see how other countries celebrate in our guide to Christmas traditions around the world.