Start a Christmas Morning Family Tradition This Year

Every family has a tradition or two for Christmas morning. In my family, we always listen to Ed Gerhard's guitar Christmas music and we open stockings last. My brother gets a balloon ornament and I get a carousel horse ornament for the tree. And my grandfather always makes me a soft-boiled egg over toast.

The Christmas holiday is over in a flash, and children grow so quickly. It's important to take a few moments to slow the day down and savor it with a new holiday tradition.

Revive an old family tradition that has fallen by the wayside, or try one of these:

Family jammies - Matching PJs for all and for all a good night! Wrap holiday-print pajamas, and let kids (and kids at heart) open them on Christmas Eve. The pajamas help good kids go to sleep on Christmas Eve, and they let Santa know which ones have behaved all year! Snap a few photos of the family, even if the pajamas aren't matching.

Read a Christmas story - Have the kids choose a holiday book and load everybody into the bed to snuggle for story time with an important message, before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.

The Christmas Pickle - This famous gherkin adorns your tree and brings good luck. It's also a fun Christmas game: "The Christmas Pickle plays hide and seek. When you awake on Christmas Morn, before all the wrapping is ripped and torn: Seek that pickle and you shall be the first to open a gift from under the tree."

For Christmas Morning breakfast - This make-ahead French toast casserole tastes better the longer it sits and soaks up all the goodness, so make it on Christmas Eve morning, or even sooner, and pop it in the fridge. On Christmas Morning, just take it out and bake it. And break  out the Christmas dishes, napkins, silverware, serving platters and cups for breakfast on Christmas morning. If you can't use them on Christmas, when can you use them?

The Christmas Can - On Christmas morning, each family member writes a sweet love note to another family member. Then the notes are read aloud, and saved in the Christmas Can from year to year. The notes have an immediate impact, and also become a treasured family keepsake.

What are your family's Christmas traditions? Tell us in the comments below.