Christmas Traditions: How We Celebrate the Weekend After Thanksgiving
The weekend after Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite family traditions. Not because of the sales, but because it's the beginning of our Christmas traditions. Instead of rushing headlong into December, we treat that long weekend like a soft on-ramp: slow, sweet, cozy, and full of anticipation.
While many people decorate in October or early November (no judgment here!), we’ve found that waiting until the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving creates a sense of seasonal shift and intentional preparation. As if we are turning a page, not just adding decor.
And instead of decorating quickly just to check it off the list, we’ve made it its own tradition, one we look forward to every year.
1. We Unpack All Our Christmas Decor
On Friday afternoon, after a slow morning with sausage pinwheels and coffee, my husband brings up all our Christmas bins. I’m very proud of these bins; they are the result of years of slow Christmas collecting. All our Christmas decor items have been acquired over time, from thrift stores in July, as gifts from grandparents keeping the traditions alive, or homemade with my toddler.
Our ornament collection is special to us because it has also been slowly built up over time. Every time we go on a trip, we get an ornament or two to commemorate where we went. I also like to make an ornament for my daughter’s birthday that goes along with whatever the theme was that year, and I make an ornament of her favorite book from that year. It’s extra special to fill our tree with homemade, hand-picked ornaments that represent our years together as a family!
2. We Pick Out the Christmas Tree
On Saturday, we bundle up, grab hot drinks, and head out to find our tree. In year’s past, we’ve just gone to Home Depot or Lowe’s to pick out a pre-cut tree. That’s always been fun, but this year we learned about a Christmas Tree Farm not too far from our home. Cove Christmas Tree Farm has a great selection for an even better price than the big box stores. We grabbed carmel brulee and peppermint mocha coffees, a blueberry muffin for my almost-two-year-old, and turned up the Christmas music for the drive.
There was something magical about wandering rows of evergreens, smelling pine, and saying things like, “Maybe this one… no, that one’s too tall…that one looks like a bush… wait, what about this one?” I had never chopped down a Christmas tree before, and I’m excited to keep this tradition alive for years to come. Especially as our family grows and starts wanting to “help” chop! ;)
A real Christmas tree in our home feels like the very first “welcome” into the Christmas season.
3. Cinnamon Rolls Are Non-Negotiable
Store-bought, homemade, or frozen: it doesn’t matter. They are the smell of this tradition. I’ve always made store-bought, because building traditions can sometimes be a bit overwhelming at the start. But eventually, I’d love to start making them from scratch!
Since our toddler is still too young for a full cinnamon roll (that’s a LOT of sugar), we waited until after bedtime to start this year’s sweet treat tradition. It was lovely to share a pan of cinnamon rolls with my husband in our Christmasy home, while we cuddled on the couch and watched Die Hard (another Christmas Tradition of ours!).
You could just decorate. You could just watch Die Hard. But decorating + a great Christmas movie + cinnamon rolls = a favorite tradition.
4. Christmas Music & Movies: Required Atmosphere
Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, hymns, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” and classic instrumental playlists fill the background while we decorate. With every string of lights plugged in, the music gets even more fun to listen to! And of course later, after pillows are fluffed and the darkness outside makes the lights even cozier, we settle in with our Christmas movie and well-deserved holiday treat.
Nostalgia and good memories are built on repetition. Your traditions don’t have to be complicated to be special - just keep doing them and watch the magic build over time!
5. We Set Out a Christmas Book Basket
One of my favorite parts of our decorating weekend is pulling out our basket of Christmas and winter books. Throughout the year, I tuck little treasures away when I find them, like thrifted picture books in July, board books gifted from grandparents, or a new seasonal story I know Amelia will love. By the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around, the basket feels like a reunion of old friends.
Some books are classics I grew up with, others are modern favorites, and a few are ones I’ve wrapped or read aloud during past Advent seasons. Amelia recognizes a few of them now and gets so excited to flip through the pages before they’re even placed in the basket. It feels like such a simple tradition, but setting out that book basket marks the beginning of a season filled with slow evenings, cozy story times, and the sweet reminder that small rhythms make big memories.
Stay tuned for another post about how I wrap all the story books in Christmas wrapping paper and have my toddler pick out a new one each evening in December - another one of our favorite Christmas traditions!
Final Thoughts
Years from now, I hope my children won’t remember whether the house matched a magazine, but that Christmastime felt warm, slow, joyful, and sacred. That the season announced peace and joyful anticipation, and our home and hearts agreed.
Here’s to cinnamon rolls, pine needles, movie nights, twinkle lights, and the kind of traditions that quietly become cherished family memories. As a homemaker, you set the tone of your home and your Christmas season - dedicate it to the Lord and start traditions that will last a lifetime.
Happy stewarding, and Merry Christmas!
