This post features 25 simple and cozy Winter traditions you’re family will look forward to every year!
When thinking about traditions, our minds and efforts often gravitate to Birthdays and holiday traditions like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
But there are so many other opportunities to incorporate traditions into your family all year long!
Traditions anchors your family, and the rhythm and ritual of traditions gives your family a sense of identity.
They’re also really fun!
Having a few Winter Traditions your family does is a great way to foster connection, create meaningful experiences, and bring warmth and light to long winter months.
Your kids’ childhood memories and experiences are in your hands! By integrating a few on these winter traditions into your family, they will become what your children (and you!) are nostalgic about and will be what they share when they finish the sentence, “growing up, every Winter we…”
I hope this list of Winter Traditions inspires you and brings joy to your family!
Tips for incorporating Winter traditions into your family
- Start off by trying 2-3 Winter traditions or try one from each section.
- Show your family this list, and have each person pick one new family tradition they would like to try.
- Sit down as a family and decide on three to four Winter traditions you want to try.
- With your family chose one Winter tradition from each section to do this year.
- Whatever ones you land on, definitely do #15!
What’s in this post? Click to jump to any of the Winter traditions sections below!
- Memorable family activities
- Simple family meal ideas
- Meaningful family rituals
- Outdoor Winter activity ideas
- Making your home cozy for Winter
Winter Traditions You’re Family Will Look Forward To Every Year
Memorable (and fun!) family activities
1. Winter kick-off scavenger hunt
Growing up, my family would create scavenger hunts that would ultimately land us to our annual Christmas pajamas. My cousins and I would work through clues and had so much fun along the way!
Doing a traditional Winter Solstice scavenger hunt is a super fun way to kick off the Winter season. Your scavenger hunt could lead everyone to a pair of cozy socks or slippers.
2. Family book club
Each night (or a few nights a week), after dinner plop down as a family on the couch with a cozy blanket and spend some time reading before your start bedtime routines (leave phones in another room!).
Everyone can read their own book or your can read a book together.
Not sure what to read? This is my favorite resource, and you can select “Winter reads” in the Filter & Sort section.
And for extra coziness, light a fire or turn on Netflix fireplace and make everyone a cup of tea or hot cocoa (and give making homemade marshmallows a try!).
3. Decorate Winter cookies
Who says decorating cookies is only meant for Christmas?!
Spend the day as a family or invite people over to decorate Winter cookies.
Here are some Winter-themed cookie cutters:
- Sweater, snowflake, mitten, and hat cookie cutters
- Mug, latte, and sweater cookie cutters
- Snowflake cookie cutters
- Heart cookie cutters for Valentine’s Day
- And the most adorable woodland cookie cutters
4. Work on a puzzle as a family
Puzzles are a great way to spend time together as a family! Pop some popcorn, make your favorite warm beverage, and chip away at a puzzle in the evenings. Or sit down for a puzzle marathon and complete it in a day!
- Here are some perfect puzzles for winter
- These puzzles have different size pieces so it’s perfect for a variety of ages and skill levels!
5. Winter crafts
Selecting a craft to do during the Winter gives everyone something to look forward to each year. This also provides a wonderful opportunity to slow down as a Family.
There are a few ways you can go about this…
- As a family, you can spend the day working on one craft together and do this one time each Winter (like making candles)
- Each person can pick their own to do.
- Everyone picks a craft to learn and work on throughout Winter.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter how you approach it, but rather that it becomes tradition in your family to do a craft of some kin each year.
Here are some ideas for crafts you can do for Winter family traditions!
- Cut out snowflakes to hang or tape on a window or sliding glass door
- Cut out hearts to paint or color
- Make candles, elderberry syrup, chapstick, or lotion from scratch
- Make garland to hang out of dried, orange slices, wooden beads, salt dough, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and cranberries.
- Paint rocks to put in the garden
- Learn to sew, crochet, knit, or cross stitch
- LEGO
6. Host a Winter gathering
At some point in the Winter season, make it tradition to invite people over for a cozy meal (this could also be a potluck!).
You can simply spend time together or you can also organize a craft project or cookie swap.
Simple family meal ideas
7. Start a soup night 1-2 times per week
Soup is the perfect simple and cozy meal to enjoy throughout chill Winter months! It’s also typically a low-prep and healthy meal.
This can be something each member of the family takes turns deciding on which soup to make for the week, or you can have the same set of soups in rotation.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with this one!
And if you want, you can always add some grilled cheese sandwiches or a slice of homemade sourdough bread, slathered in butter and salt (yes, and salt-highly recommend this!)
Here are some of TFS’s go-to soup recipes:
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla
- Crockpot Chili with Sweet Potato and Kale
- Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Parmesan
8. Friday night pizza and game night
Every Friday have pizza or sheet pan nachos for dinner and play a board game or watch a movie as a family.
These easy dinners will be something everyone look forward to for the end of the week, plus they are simple to make when everybody is usually tired.
Never made homemade pizza before? It is easier than you think! Not to mention, one great thing about making pizza at home is you can make individual pizzas for each family member or you can take turns picking the toppings for the week or sheet pan nachos!
Top it off with playing a game together! Here’s a list of games for all ages:
- My first orchard (perfect first game for toddlers!)
- Uno or Monopoly Deal (great games for bringing with you to restaurants too)
- Jenga
- Yahtzee
- Apples to Apples Jr.
- Exploding Kittens
- What Do You Meme Family Edition
- Blank Slate
- Poetry For Neanderthals
- Trivial Pursuit Family Edition
- Ticket to Ride
- Catan
9. Sunday dinners
Sitting down as a family at the end of every week is always a good family tradition to have. But sometimes, there are particularly busy seasons where this is more difficult. Making this a Winter family tradition may be the reset your family needs!
As you sit down for your Sunday dinner each week, each person can share what their rose (high point) and thorn (low point) was for the week.
You could also work through this set of 30 Thoughtful Questions!
Need some recipe ideas? We’ve got you covered!
10. Family breakfast
At least one morning a week, sit down as a family to a nice breakfast with all the bells and whistles! Here are some ideas as to what you can cook:
- Waffles or pancakes, bacon or sausage, and fruit
- Cinnamon rolls
- Dutch babies
- Quiche
- Breakfast casserole
- Hash with bacon or sausage and fried eggs on top
- Chile relleno
- Breakfast sandwiches or burritos
- Bagel bar (or as I like to call it breakfast charcuterie board) –
- Things like: cream cheese, lox, capers, red onion, lemon, bacon, fried eggs, avocado, Nutella, and whatever else your heart desires!
11. Bake something together once a week-ish
This could be tackling sourdough or picking a new baked good recipe each week to try.
Baking instantly makes everything cozier and it’s a wonderful way to spend quality time together – plus you get to enjoy eating whatever you make! It will be fun for your kids (and you!) to pick out new recipe to try!
And, this could be a good opportunity to enjoy watching The Great British Bake Show together too!
How fun would this be to bake in throughout the month of February?!
Meaningful family rituals
12. Work through 30 Thoughtful Questions
Make family meals or time together more meaningful by working through a set of discussion questions like:
- What was your favorite thing you did or happened to you this week?
- What makes you happy right now?
- What has made you feel loved?
- What is one quality you like about yourself right now?
- Who is your closest friend right now?
If you would like more ideas for questions like these, fill out the form below and we’ll send you the rest of TFS30 Thoughtful Questions straight – for free!
13. Start a gratitude jar
Throughout the week, have each family member write down on a piece of paper two or three things they are thankful for each day and put them in a jar (this is a wonderful activity to do during dinner time or at the end of the day).
Pick one day a week to read them aloud. Everyone can read their own or each other’s. This too is a wonderful activity to do during Sunday dinner or after dinner and before bed.
14. Dinner (and breakfast!) candles
Candles create an instant cozy ambiance to any meal!
As far as traditions go, lighting a candle at the start of a meal is a ritual that helps mark the beginning or end of a day. Link to ceramic candle holder here.
Lighting and putting out candles make for great family duties too!
15. No-phone time
Having protected no-phone time might be one of the most powerful family traditions on this list!
Use this family tradition as a conversation starter and decide as a family what your rules around phone use will be.
Here are some tips and suggestions for making this tradition happen:
- Phones are off your body from the time you get home from work until after the kids are in bed.
- Unless yo are expecting a phone call, phones are turned off for two-four protected hours per day.
- No phones for the first hour or two after waking up.
- Phones are not allowed in kids’ rooms.
- Decide the times phone use is allowed during the week and on weekends.
- Or as a family, your can discuss and agree on your family’s cell phone policy.
16. Pick a monthly family word, goal, or intention
Picking a word, goal, or intention make for a great conversations as a family and as a way to unify everyone as a good reminder that you’re all on the same team and should be working towards common goals.
Outdoor Winter activity ideas
17. Sledding, snowshoeing, or skiing
Growing up, whenever my Aunt would take us up to the mountain she would have these and these for us to enjoy. Now, even if I see a package of either of them, I’m taken back to such happy memories!
For this Winter tradition, you could always go on the same day each Winter, make a pitstop at the same place, listen to the same album or playlist, or enjoy the same treat on your way up.
18. Go for a family hike/nature walk
Just because it’s Winter, and probably cold or on the chilly side, doesn’t mean you can’t get out and enjoy Mother Nature!
You can do the same hike each year or each family member can take turns picking the hike or place you go to each year. Search around for a fun place to stop for a meal or treat too!
19. (go out to) Dinner and a movie
Pick one day each year to go out to dinner and a see a movie in the theaters. For example, my friend Madeline shared, “My parents and brothers and our families have been going to see a movie and out to dinner on Christmas Eve for 35 years!”
If you’re looking to save money this can totally be done at home! To make it feel more like a tradition, opt for an older movie (like one of your childhood favorites) or a musical and make the same meal each Winter.
Making your home cozy for Winter
20. Winter home decor
Keep out Winter home decor that isn’t Christmassy or add thoughtful Winter home decor touches!
Not only will this make your home extra cozy throughout the season, using the same home decor items Winter after Winter will comfort and steady your family.
Before you know it, everyone will look forward to seeing the pieces you bring out because they’ll associate them with happy memories from Winter’s past.
And in case you’re in need for some Winter home decor…
- Winter-y tablecloth
- Star lantern
- Gold votive candle holders
- Red striped linen table runner
- Red mug
- Decorative bells
- Velvet ribbon
- Winter themed candle
- Wooden trees
- Winter wonderland sign (or this one)
21. Hang garland
Two ideas for this:
- This can actually be garland you make each year using items such as dried orange slices, wooden beads, salt dough, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, or yarn.
- Garland you buy and use year after year. Here are some options that aren’t too Christmassy so you can keep it up all Winter long:
22. Lean into longer stretches of darkness with cozy lighting
Having additional lamps or set of twinkle lights left on instantly makes a home feel so welcoming.
Thoughtfully add soft, warm-toned lighting to make your home truly cozy all Winter long. The feel of your home in the Winter can become a simple, but lovely Winter tradition for your family.
Here are some options for cozy lighting…
- This pretty star lantern
- Battery-powered lamps so you don’t have to worry about cords
- Small wooden with linen shade
- Mini ivory ceramic
- Round wicker
- And the cutest night light
23. Flannel sheets and cozy throws
Each Winter, make it a point to put out soft and chunky throw blankets to cozy up with and flannel sheets to welcome you as you crawl into bed after a long day.
Here are links to the softest flannel sheets and the coziest throw blanket.
24. (Printed) Photo refresh
Print out recent photos and put on your fridge, in the corner of a mirror or framed pictures, or by a kitchen window. You could also frame a family photo taken in the Winter and bring it out each year.
25. Winter deep clean and donate
Who says cleaning can only be left to the Springtime?!
Doing a Winter deep clean and donate will leave your home feeling cozy and fresh!
What are your family’s Winter traditions? Which ones are you hoping to start?
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