Making new holiday traditions with little kids is a great way to create lasting memories. We started making new holiday traditions with our kids when COVID started and have continued them.
Table of Contents
Holiday Traditions and Celebrations are Different Now
Since 2020 we’ve been staying home for holiday celebrations and finding ways to make new traditions such as Halloween Easter Egg Type Hunting for Trick or Treating and cooking a whole Thanksgiving dinner for just the five of us every year.
We thought that once all 3 of our kids were able to be vaccinated things would change, but with the prevalence of long COVID and me being at high risk for lasting complications, sadly I don’t think we’ll change anything anytime soon so we’re making the best of it!
New Easter Traditions
For Easter we make ham and potatoes and have an Easter egg hunt for our three young boys.
As the years have worn on they still enjoy this tradition of ham, potatoes, green beans, and Easter Egg hunts. Now that they’re a bit older we are even putting some candy in some of their eggs which they really enjoy!
Gluten Free Easter Recipes
- Dairy Free and Gluten Free Potatoes Though admittedly we don’t add the potato chips on top.
- Ham – our other main dish is of course ham which is really nothing special.
- I have more Gluten Free Easter Recipes in my blog post linked below.
More Easter Blog Posts
New Summer Holiday Traditions
For Mother’s Day and Father’s Day we were lucky enough to have my parents stop by for a social distanced visit outside and exchange gifts while also chatting and seeing the kids play.
For Memorial Day and Fourth of July 2020, we were dressed in red, white, and blue, decorated our little wagon with flags, and walked around the neighborhood like we were in a parade. The neighbors may have thought we were crazy but we had fun! Usually, we participate in a 4th of July Kiddie Parade in the city we used to live in but since it was canceled this year, we made our own with just us.
In subsequent years we haven’t done the neighborhood ‘parade’ of only the 5 of us but we have put up decorations, done crafts, and talked about why Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day are important.
New Halloween Traditions
For Halloween in 2020, the kids still dressed up in costumes but instead of trick-or-treating, we hid goodie bags with little toys and candy inside and outside the house for them to find. They really enjoyed it and it was nice not to have to walk outside in the dark and cold, plus it was great that we were able to control the things they got. Our 4-year-old has food allergies so can’t eat most of the candy anyway so this way he got little toys that he can play with and some safe candies for him. Weeks later they still pull out the little toys and play with them.
In 2021 cases were “low” enough that we did take the kids trick-or-treating but we all masked. We were one of the only families that were masked but it made me feel much safer.
For 2022 we went back to what we did in 2020 because of the rising cases of RSV, Influenza, and COVID, plus we just liked having the kids go to bed on time and it not disrupt our whole evening. The kids also really liked finding the treats around the house and the other activities we had planned.
Also check out my blog post below for fun Halloween at home activities for children!
New Thanksgiving Traditions
For Thanksgiving 2020, we made a full Thanksgiving meal for the 5 of us and had Zoom Video chats with family. Usually for Thanksgiving, we drive 90 minutes each way to my husband’s family on Thanksgiving day, and then the Saturday after we drive 50 minutes each way to my parent’s place. Unless we host, which we did in 2019 for my husband’s side of the family which was really nice.
Though we miss seeing everyone in person, it is kind of nice not to have to drive and endure the car rides home full of screaming and crying children that tends to happen. This has also meant that on the Saturday after Thanksgiving we were able to decorate the house with Christmas decorations, including putting up the Christmas tree together instead of driving around to see family.
As the years wear on though, it is more difficult to be away from family but we’re making the best of it as much as we can.
For Thanksgiving in 2021 and 2022, we stayed home and made a turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin or apple pie. All allergen friendly of course which is a bonus! We’ve enjoyed being able to take things slowly, enjoy our time together, and not be driving all over. We do miss family though of course.
Thanksgiving Activities & Gluten Free Recipes
If you’re looking for some Thanksgiving Activities and gluten free recipes, click the image below to see a blog post I wrote recently which includes free printable activities!
New Christmas Traditions
For Christmas starting in 2020, many relatives have sent us gifts via Amazon or Target which we have wrapped and put under the tree. The kids were so excited to see the explosion of presents under the tree and how most of them were for them! We’re excited to share in their excitement of the holiday and share it with family as much as we can.
The kids still sent letters to Santa, and even got letters back. We also were lucky enough to have Santa drive by our house on a fire truck at the end of November 2020 which was so fun for the kids to see! That hasn’t been the case in subsequent years but that’s ok, we still have been having a good time.
In 2020 we went to a drive-through holiday light show called Christmas in Color a couple of days after Christmas, it was a lot of fun. We’ve been doing a lot of Christmas-themed crafts, talking about Baby Jesus, Santa, and how lucky we all are to have each other and so many wonderful things in life.
We spread out gifts over a few days like we usually would for Christmas so some gifts are opened on Christmas Eve, some Christmas Day, and some another day which is yet to be determined.
In 2021 and 2022 we drove around to see holiday lights from the comfort of our minivan. This has brought so much joy to the kids and to us.
If you’re looking for more ideas, click the image below to see a full blog post about Fun and Inexpensive Christmas Activities at Home.
The Way it Really Is
When COVID first hit in early 2020 it was much easier to distance, have Zoom calls, etc. because everyone was isolating and it was as though we were all working together and working through this. We all had the thought that this was temporary and hopefully the next year things would be back to normal.
Unfornatuely, that isn’t the case. As I update this blog post, COVID-19 is more contagious and evades previous infection and vaccines more than previous strains.
Now that we’re all fully vaccinated and have some great N95 masks, we are gathering more than before but still aren’t back to normal by any means. As of March 2023 we just had our first visit with my parents inside of their home. That’s the first time we’ve had a visit with anyone inside in 3 years. We wore our N95s and kept our distance for the most part.
Otherwise, our household we are continuing to distance from others and have our own holiday celebrations at home. With how young our kids are they don’t know any different, which kind of helps yet is also sad.
Hopefully someday we can celebrate holidays with family in person in the coming years.
Happy Holidays
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.