Make Your First Holiday in a New Place Truly Unforgettable
New home life is a thrilling page–a blank slate full of new opportunities and the thrill of building from the ground up. But next on the horizon are the holidays, and the excitement is bittersweet. You’re discovering rhythms in the new ‘burbs, figuring hot spots in the town, and getting into rhythms in the new home. That’s why the holidays are the ideal time for us to establish traditions that will invigorate the house life and provide the first year as a springboard for memories for years to come.If you recently changed addresses within the state or the city, the ideas listed underneath are some memorable and fun holiday traditions which could start in the new home.
1. Have a Holiday COOKIE EXCHANGE
Nothing is cozier than the aroma of homemade cookies. A cookie exchange is the ideal way to bring the neighbors in the neighborhood over, gather the girls back again, and make the kitchen the gathering spot at the party.Ask guests to bring forth a dozen of their go-to holiday cookies (and a dozen more for swapping), set up a coffee, cocoa, or tea bar in coordination with the goodies, and spend the afternoon swapping recipes and tales. A great icebreaker if you’re new in town too — there’s little faster at breaking the ice than sugar and sprinkles.Pro tip: Don’t bother getting out the simple holiday boxes or tins for people to take the cookies home in style.
2. Cut Down Your Own Christmas Tree
If you bought one of the pre-cut trees from the lot in years past, the tree farm can be a wonderful new tradition. More tree farms provide hot cocoa, hayrides, even Santa visits — making tree buying a whole weekend/holiday event.For children, it can be a great time: dashing through the lines of spruces, assisting in the choosing of the perfect one, and seeing it secured on the roof of the car on the way home. And by getting the tree yourself, it will be the freshest possible tree back home with the wonderful old-time Christmas lights installation in West Palm Beach, FL tree pine smell for weeks.If fake is more your style, there is still the option of making the decoration thereof a special night. Set aside one special evening as the night for “Tree Night” complete with music, hot cocoa, and a film after the stringing of the lights.
3. Deck the Halls — Inside and Out
First home vacation in the new home is the perfect time for busting out the full-blast decor — inside and out. From basic wreaths on the front door to spectacular light displays on the roof and lawn, home decor outdoors brings cheer and warmth into the neighborhood and a sense of homeownership into the new home.If putting up the lights is too much (or just a bit too hazardous), it needn’t even feature on the list at all. A christmas light installation pro will make the whole process stress-free. From design to installation (and even removing the lights at the tail-end of the year), they will do the whole shebang so the homeowner can revel in the glow with nary a worry about ladders or knotted cords. And it is a wonderful way to make twinkling up the house a yearly tradition and not inflict more tasks at once.
4. Begin a Keepsake Ornament Collection
Ornaments carry a story within them — and the first Christmas in the new house is the ideal time in which to begin one. Select an ornament symbolizing the move (a house-shape one or one symbolizing the city) and announce it the beginning of a growing collection.Every year incorporate one or two ornaments representing a memorable incident in the year: a holiday, the learning of a new pastime, the reaching of some milestone in the household.gradually the tree will transform from simple decoration for the occasion into the chronicle of the passing passage in the household.This is also a wonderful tradition in which children can participate. Let them pick out one ornament once a year, and as children get older in life, they will have a whole set full of memories.
5. Have a Holiday Movie Marathon
The first year the holidays are in the new house is the ideal year to make cozy movie nights a tradition. Choose a weekend night for a holiday movie marathon with popcorn and blankets and all the classics.Make it even more memorable by turning it into a theme night. You can have a PJs movie night, a “hot cocoa bar” with treats on top, or a vote on the rotation where everybody has a say. You can even bring the neighbors or new acquaintances into the group by hosting a “drive-in” night in the backyard with a projector and blankets.
6. Giving Back Together
Volunteering as a family at the holidays is one of the most affluent traditions. There are opportunities in almost every local area from food drives to coat drives or spending the day at a local shelter. Communities have “adopt-a-family” drives where families can buy gifts for families in need.Charity as a tradition assists everyone in remembering the real reason for the holidays and unites you in real life towards the society where you will shortly belong.
7. Host a Holiday Open House
If this is a new neighborhood for you, a holiday open house can help acquaint people with you. Don’t go crazy: hot cocoa, cookies, and a few little bite-sized treats are all you need to provide for a warm welcoming home.You don’t have to have it as a great formal occasion. You can have drop-in parties where people can drop in and out at will, and people can drop in for a little bit but won’t necessarily take up the entire night. It’s a great way to bring the neighbors together and bring the new house into the neighborhood.
8. Compose a Holiday Letter or Year-in-Review
The first year in the new home is a milestone. Why not celebrate it in a year-end letter? Send it out in the mail to the people and extended family or save it in the scrapbook with a brief “year in review” as a way of remembering the way.Include the highlights like the move, thrilling adventures, and new traditions that you’re creating. You’ll look back in the coming years on these letters and see how your life as well as your family has grown.
Making Your First Holidays Truly Special
First break in the new house means more than removing the decorations – it’s the start of something permanent. With the creation of new practices, a house will feel home and the break will indeed be all the more memorable. Whether it is hosting a cookie exchange, cutting the tree yourself or lighting up the block through the help of a pro Christmas light installer, the bottom line is making memories which truly are the essence of who you are and who is most important in your life. Allow time in appreciation for the little things, in accepting the new, in rejoicing in more than the holidays — in the start of life in the new home.