Christmas is such a fun and exciting time of year. It is a time when many take time to spend with family and friends. Each of us has our own family traditions and activities that we participate in every year. The following are several ideas for activities to do as a family at this wonderful Christmas time.

For some families, finding a Christmas tree might involve traveling to the woods to select a natural, live tree. Many like to be able to cut their own tree down and haul it home. There tree becomes personal to them and is one more memory created as a family.

Others who might not live close to the great outdoors may decide to buy a live tree from a tree lot. This can also be a fun family tradition, as the family wanders the lot, finding just the right tree. What a memorable tradition this could be- picking out the Christmas tree as a family and then heading up to trim, decorate, and drink hot cocoa.

Some families are musically talented and like to share those talents with their neighbors and friends. Caroling door to door is a great way for families to spend time together all while bringing a little Christmas cheer to their neighbors. Caroling is an old holiday tradition that always seems to make people have a better, happier day when people come and sing for them at their home. One just never knows who needs a knock at the door during the Christmas season. We learn this from the movie "Mr. Kruger's Christmas" starring Jimmie Stewart.

Some may not know about this memorable holiday activity. The twelve days of Christmas basically involves choosing a family that the giving-family knows of that might need a little extra help during Christmas time. Your family chooses twelve gifts and gives those gifts, one by one, starting on December 12th and going until December 24th, Christmas Eve. The gifts can be simple; a yummy treat, small gifts, holiday music, just to name a few. The gifts are given anonymously. It is so fun for the family receiving the gifts to anticipate them every night for twelve nights. The children especially benefit from this act of charity. On the other hand, the family giving the gifts also benefits greatly and can really sense the true meaning of Christmas.

One tradition that can be especially fun for families with little children is putting on a play that depicts the Nativity scene. Children love to dress up and be apart of the fun. It is also a good way for them to learn about the birth of Christ. Hopefully, some or all of these ideas can be apart of your families special holiday traditions.