Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Fitr, Bodhi Day or the winter solstice, holiday traditions are a fun way for families to bond and for multiple generations to create fond memories. Here are a few fun traditions to consider.

1) STORYTELLING

Choose a theme, such as “My Most Memorable Holiday Season” or “The Best Thing That Happened This Year,” and ask each person to share a memory. Record the storytelling on video or audio, then play it at future holiday gatherings.

2) POETRY

Hold a holiday poetry reading! Invite everyone to bring copies of their favorite seasonal or holiday poems to share and read aloud. For inspiration, check out some festive reader-submitted poems at BeaconSeniorNews.com/cs-holiday-poems

3) WHITE ELEPHANT

Rather than exchanging gifts the traditional way, host a white elephant gift exchange. This game is more about fun than presents and is sure to delight all ages. Each guest brings a wrapped gift. Players draw numbers to determine the order, then take turns either selecting a wrapped gift or “stealing” an unwrapped gift from another participant. If someone loses their gift, they can choose a new wrapped one or take from another player. For rules and variations, visit WhiteElephantRules.com

4) COZY ESCAPE

Sometimes a change of scenery creates the Christmas spirit! Escape the hustle and bustle and relish a retreat with your beau or the whole brood. Try a cozy cabin in a scenic spot near Woodland Park or Divide. Then hang out together near a blazing fire flipping through family photo albums, enjoying holiday music and doing crafts and other relaxing activities.

5) HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN

Help your grandkids count down to the big day. Take a 3-foot-long strip of 3-inch ribbon and cut 24 paired slits from top to bottom. Thread each pair with a narrow ribbon and tie a lollipop in each. Beginning December 1, your grandchild can remove a treat each day through Christmas Eve or the eve of the holiday you celebrate. 

6) HELP FAMILIES IN NEED

Deliver a hot meal to a homebound senior or supply a family with gloves and hats. Encourage your grandchildren (after parent approval) to make room for new gifts by donating gently used toys. Wrap the toys and leave them on the doorsteps of families in need.

7) A ROMANTIC EVENING

Couples often forget to take time out for each other during the busy holiday season. Plan a dinner for two and reserve a table near a fireplace or another romantic setting. Afterward, light some candles and your tree, listen to holiday or soft music and exchange a special gift with each other. Finish the evening by reminiscing and sharing your dreams for the future.

8) CUT YOUR OWN TREE

Take the whole family to a tree farm and spend the day searching for the perfect tree to bring home.

9) INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS

Research holiday customs from around the world and choose a different culture or nationality as your theme. Decorate accordingly and explore its unique traditions. For inspiration, check out the article “Meals Around the World”

10) SHOPPING DATE

Make a date with your partner and assist each other in selecting your holiday attire for upcoming events. Decide in advance on the formality so you choose complementary outfits.

11) A SPECIAL ORNAMENT

Buy a new tree ornament each year that signifies something important, such as your grandbaby’s first Christmas or your first season in a new home. 

12) HOMEMADE WRAPPING PAPER

Cut holiday shapes out of sponges, dip them in red and green paint and stamp the shapes onto a roll of brown Kraft paper. Use glitter and glue to add to the festive look.

13) STOCKINGS FOR ADULTS

Fill stockings for your partner, parents or grown kids to discover. Stuff them with treats, beauty products, postage stamps, lottery tickets and other inexpensive or usable items.

14) SKATE IN THE PARK

Glide over the ice at Acacia Park’s pop-up rink at 115 E. Platte Ave. Tickets are $13 (includes skates) at the rink. Call 719-385-6521 for details. Warm up afterward with a seasonal specialty drink at nearby Story Coffee Company, 120 E. Bijou St.

15) PAMPER YOURSELF

Decorate the bathroom in holiday candles, fragrance and holly. Then, after returning from gift shopping, play holiday or other relaxing music and relax in a bubble bath. Give yourself a full salon treatment with a manicure, pedicure, deep hair conditioning, facial mask and body buff.

16) LOCAL EVENTS

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without partaking in some local celebrations. Here are some of our favorites to kick off the holidays:

Light Displays    

• Magic of Lights (drive-thru) at Pikes Peak International Raceway, 16650 Midway Ranch Road, Fountain, at 5:30-9 p.m. Tickets are $18-$35 per car. 
  
  
• Electric Safari at the Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road - December 6-31 (closed Christmas Eve) at 5-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $18-$25. 
  
  
• Festival of Lights Parade (free) at East Saint Vrain Street & North Tejon Street - December 7 at 5:50 p.m.
  
  
• Christmas Light Festival at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 7400 Tudor Road - December 6-7, 13-14 & 20-21 at 6-8 p.m. Admission is $5 per family and a canned good or new toy.

Music & Theatre

• “Miracle on Mistletoe Mountain” - December 1-29, Thursdays-Sundays at 1 or 7 p.m. This play at the Butte Theater, 139 E. Bennett Ave., echoes “It’s a Wonderful Life,” set in the Cripple Creek gold rush era. Tickets are $21.
  
  
• Madrigal Banquet - December 4-22 at 5 p.m. This 16th-century, four-course dinner with musical fanfare is at Glen Eyrie Castle, 3820 N. 30th St. Tickets are $160.
  
  
• Mannheim Steamroller - December 5 at 7:30 p.m. Hear their Christmas sound at the Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets are $55-$85.
  
  
• Funky Little Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” - December 5-7, 12-14 & 19-21 at 1 or 7 p.m. Dickens’ beloved story hits the stages at Westside Community Center, 1628 W. Bijou St., and Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Tickets are $16-$25. 
  
  
• Christmas at the Ranch - December 5-8, 12-15 & 18-23 at various times. Enjoy a smoked meat dinner and music by the Flying W Wranglers at 3330 Chuckwagon Road. Tickets are $70 ($35 for ages 4-12) 
  
  
• A Celtic Christmas - December 6 at 7 p.m. & December 8 at 3 p.m. This free performance blends traditional lessons & carols with Celtic arrangements and instruments at First United Methodist Church, 420 N. Nevada Ave.
  
  
• “A Colorado Nutcracker” - December 17-18 at 2 or 7 p.m. Local dancers perform Colorado Springs’ history at the Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets are $40-$70.
  
  
• Colorado Springs Philharmonic’s Christmas Symphony - December 21 at 7:30 p.m. & December 22 at 2:30 p.m. The Philharmonic’s Christmas concert will warm your heart at the Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets are $36-$82.

Other

• North Pole Colorado Santa’s Workshop - 5050 Pikes Peak Highway, Cascade. Admission is $32 on peak days 
  
  
• Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge - December 1-January 6. An immersive winter wonderland with holiday activities awaits you and your grandkids at Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Drive. Make reservations at GreatWolf.com
  
  
• Christmas Creche Display - December 5-7, 5-8 p.m. Thursday, 1-8 p.m. Friday & Saturday. This free exhibit features Nativity sets from all over the world at the LDS church, 8710 Lexington Drive.
  
  
• Chasing Santa 5K/Cycling Santa Toy Drive - December 7 at 9 a.m. for cyclists and 10 a.m. for runners. This red-suited race starts at 5725 Mark Dabling Blvd. Entry fee is $38.10 (includes Santa suit) at RunSignUp.com
  
  
• Live Nativity - December 20-22, 6-8 p.m. This free drive-thru Nativity scene with live animals is at Charis Bible College, 800 Gospel Truth Way, Woodland Park.