Holiday traditions ideas to start with your family this year
Traditions are what kids remember, but it's hard to start new ones in the middle of the holiday rush. Tell your todo.is agent which holiday you celebrate, who's in the family and what you value, and it suggests traditions you can really keep: some free, some for far-away relatives, all placed on a simple calendar with reminders.
The prompt
- Suggest 15 holiday traditions ideas for my family for [HOLIDAY]. We are [FAMILY], we live in [WHERE] and we care about [VALUES]. Mix free ones and small-budget ones, include 3 that include relatives who live far away, 2 that give back to others and 2 just for the adults. For each give a short how-to and the best day to do it. Then put the 6 I'm most likely to keep on a calendar for [DATES] and remind me on [CHANNEL] two days before each one so I can prepare.
What to change
- [HOLIDAY]: E.g. "Christmas", "Hanukkah", "Eid al-Fitr", "Diwali", "Lunar New Year", "Thanksgiving", or "the winter holidays".
- [FAMILY]: E.g. "two parents and kids aged 3 and 9", "a couple, first holiday together", "a single mum and a teenager".
- [WHERE]: Your city or country, so outdoor ideas fit the weather.
- [VALUES]: E.g. "time together, not presents", "our faith", "keeping grandma's recipes", "kindness".
- [DATES]: E.g. "December 1 to January 1", "the 8 nights of Hanukkah", "the last 10 days of Ramadan and Eid".
- [CHANNEL]: WhatsApp, Telegram, email, Slack or Discord.
Example result
- Holiday traditions for the Okafor family
- Christmas · two parents, kids aged 3 and 9 · Manchester · values: time together, kindness, grandma's recipes
- For the kids
- • Book advent: wrap 24 books you already own (or library books). One a night before bed.
- • Christmas Eve box: new pyjamas, a film and hot chocolate, opened after dinner on the 24th.
- • Lights walk: thermos of cocoa, a walk around the neighbourhood to vote for the best-lit house.
- • Ornament of the year: each child picks or makes one ornament with the year written on it.
- For far-away family
- • Recipe call: video call with grandma in Lagos while you cook her jollof rice together.
- • Shared photo album: everyone adds one photo a day in December.
- • Letter swap: kids write a letter to a cousin abroad; open the replies on Christmas Day.
- Giving back
- • Reverse advent calendar: add one food item to a box each day, bring it to a food bank before the 20th.
- • Kindness jar: one small good deed a day drawn from the jar ("help a neighbour carry shopping").
- Just for the adults
- • Gift-wrap night: music, snacks and wrapping after the kids are asleep.
- • New Year letter: each writes a letter to the other about the year, read on January 1.
- More ideas
- • Gingerbread house contest, family pantomime trip, Boxing Day walk, a "best moments" jar opened on New Year's Eve
- Your calendar
- • Dec 1: start book advent and the reverse advent box
- • Dec 6: lights walk
- • Dec 13: ornament of the year
- • Dec 20: food bank drop-off
- • Dec 23: recipe call with grandma
- • Dec 24: Christmas Eve box
- • Reminders on WhatsApp two days before each one
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in the holiday, your family, where you live and what matters to you.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Pick the traditions you like; your agent puts them on a calendar and schedules the reminders.
- Next year, ask "repeat last year's traditions and add 2 new ones". Your agent remembers what you did.
Tips for a better result
- Start small. Two or three traditions you keep every year matter more than fifteen you try once.
- Let each family member choose one tradition. Kids care more about the ones they picked.
- Mix in traditions from both sides of the family, like a grandparent's recipe or song.
- With Google connected, your agent can also add the dates to your Google Calendar.
holiday traditions ideas: FAQ
- How do you start a new family tradition? Pick something simple, give it a fixed day, and repeat it. It becomes a tradition when kids start asking for it the next year.
- What are free holiday traditions? A lights walk, a family movie night, reading a holiday story each night, making cards for neighbours, a gratitude jar and a family photo in the same spot every year.
- Can the ideas fit a holiday other than Christmas? Yes. Name your holiday, like Eid, Diwali, Hanukkah or Lunar New Year, and the agent suggests traditions that respect its customs and meaning.
- Do the reminders cost extra? Reminders are scheduled to-dos. Each one uses a few AI credits from your plan.
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