Houzz Call: Share Your Personal Holiday Traditions

For some the holiday season means decorated trees, twinkly lights and festive parties. For others the holidays are a time for candles, contemplation and family meals. Whatever holidays you celebrate, chances are you have loads of traditions that go with them, some new, some old. We’d love to hear about them and the special moments they bring — what you like to make and eat, how you decorate, what types of things you remember doing as a kid that you still do today and new traditions you’ve initiated with your children and loved ones. Here are some to start you off.

This year the Festival of Lights begins December 16 and culminates December 24. If you celebrate Hanukkah, what special traditions does your family enjoy? Which decorations do you pull out every year, and what do they mean to you?

9 Fresh and Fun Hanukkah Decorating Ideas


Are you counting down the days until Christmas? Advent calendars are a tradition in my family — my grandfather used to send all of us Advent calendars he’d purchase from Anne Kilham in Maine. Since he’s passed on, my mom keeps up the tradition. I love opening up the doors to see the sweet surprises behind them each day.

What holiday tradition has a grandparent or great-grandparent handed down to your family? Tell us about it in the Comments, and post a photo if you have one!


Las Posadas, a Latin holiday, is celebrated for nine days starting December 16 in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other places. Folks reenact Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter; this can include singing and processions to homes, where people feast on homemade tamales, pozole and other favorite foods.

Do you have a similar tradition in your family or community? Tell us about it and share pictures!


Maybe your winter holiday traditions are more about cozy dinner parties, fireside gatherings and winter sports. Do you host an annual cookie-making party? Throw a big holiday bash? Or celebrate the winter holidays with an annual trip to somewhere snowy? Post your stories and pictures in the Comments!


The winter solstice, this year on December 21, is an important day in many cultures. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the shortest day and longest night of the year. (In the Southern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year.)

It’s a seasonal shift that calls for celebration no matter where you live. In Chinese and other Asian cultures, the winter solstice can be a time to gather for a big meal of rice ball soup, dumplings or hot pot. For others winter solstice is a day for quiet reflection. Do you have a winter solstice tradition? We’d love to hear about it.




This image came to us from Australia. Because it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere in December, many people there enjoy their Christmas dinners outdoors. Is it warm where you celebrate the holidays? What do you decorate with that you don’t see in colder climates? Post your pictures!


For those of you who don’t have a chimney or a mantel, do you come up with an alternative? Do you leave out stockings or clogs? Share a picture!


Kwanzaa begins December 26 and runs for seven days, ending on the first of the year. Interior designer Nicole White Quinn recommends using the holiday as inspiration to “get busy adding loads of Kwanzaa influence to your decor.” Are there any special objects, artwork or textiles you pull out this time of year? What’s the story behind them?

If you celebrate Kwanzaa, please tell and show us how your family celebrates and which part of this weeklong holiday means the most to you.


I hope your New Year’s Eve traditions are more exciting than mine, which usually involve a sofa, Chinese food and Netflix. So let’s get down to it: Are you a host on this night? Are disco balls, karaoke or party hats involved? With whom do you spend the evening? Do you celebrate on December 31 or wait until the lunar new year?

The Spanish and the Portuguese eat a dozen sweet grapes at midnight to look ahead to the 12 months of the new year. The Japanese eat buckwheat noodles to symbolize longevity. In the U.S., it’s common to kiss at midnight. What do you do when the clock strikes 12? Tell us in the Comments!


While some people spend New Year’s Day recovering from the night before, others are gathering for brunch with family and friends. The meal can feature eye openers such as mimosas or Bloody Marys. And many people serve foods symbolizing luck and prosperity. In the southern U.S., black-eyed peas, greens and corn bread may be on the menu. For some Korean families, rice cake soup is an annual tradition. Other popular foods include whole cooked fish, long noodles, lentils and ring-shaped and round foods, such as bagels and oranges. Then of course there’s the all-American tradition of football — watching games on TV or playing it — accompanied by an all-day buffet.

Tell us: What do you do to start off the new year? Are there other winter holidays you celebrate that we left out? Please chime in and share your favorite traditions in the Comments!

URL: Houzz Call: Share Your Personal Holiday Traditions http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-25217.html