The Most Magical Christmas Traditions Parents Go All Out For

Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and decorative light displays are some of the most common highlights of the festive season each year. For some particularly enthusiastic parents, however, those sorts of traditions are… well, let’s just say quaint, pedestrian and basic.

Instead of settling for run-of-the-mill, there are parents going all out: they spend hours, days and, in some cases, weeks pulling together elaborate or uniquely thoughtful holiday traditions.

Sometimes it involves digging deep and reimagining what the holidays can really be about for your own family – which is less about the lists and things acquired and more about the experiences you have together.

Unsurprisingly, creating this magic still involves sleepless nights, early mornings and messes galore, something many parents, and especially mothers will recognise.

HuffPost spoke with parents about their favourite magical holiday traditions and the extra miles they often go to to create that magic each year – and they shared which ones were totally worth the exhaustion.

For the past six years, Baruch Labunski’s family in Toronto, Ontario, has engaged in a holiday scavenger hunt they’ve dubbed “The Great Gift Heist”.

Preparation for the annual event, which Labunski told HuffPost has “spiralled into a full-blown production,” begins days in advance and replaces simply putting gifts under a holiday tree in the Labunski household.

Instead, gifts are hidden throughout the house and even outside, which, as you can imagine, requires quite a bit of time and effort to arrange. And did we mention that the Labunskis take this event very seriously?

That includes preparing elaborate fake riddles, decoy gift boxes, and clues that lead to hidden gifts, all while the rest of us are merely focused on getting those darn gifts wrapped in time for the big day.

“For the first few nights, my spouse and I hide the gifts for the kids, but by the third or fourth night, the kids take turns hiding smaller gifts for us,” Labunski said. “The gifts are adorable little surprises, handwritten notes or silly trinkets, and their hiding of gifts brings so much laughter.”

The Labunski children were 5 and 8 years old when the family’s Great Gift Heist tradition began. Now, at ages 13 and 16, the event has not lost any of its magic.

“It’s certainly their most anticipated holiday activity,” Labunski said.

California residents Derek Brown and Vanessa Whitley have created what may be the most ambitious holiday tradition on this list. Each year, the couple, who happen to own a biodegradable ski equipment company, spend weeks leading up to the holidays planning a backcountry skiing adventure for their five boys.

Lest you get ahead of yourself, this isn’t a casual ski weekend at a plush lodge we’re talking about. The couple jointly engage in weeks of “coordinating gear for seven people, route planning and weather monitoring” to come up with elaborate expeditions, Brown told HuffPost, adding that the tradition started small but has evolved into larger expeditions as his sons have grown.

Last year, for instance, Brown and Whitley planned a hut-to-hut backcountry ski trip through the state of Idaho that involved five to six hours a day of skiing.

“When you’re completely off the grid for days at a time, the planning is both time consuming and strategic,” Brown explained. “Meal planning is probably the most difficult part. Trying to plan and pack enough food for seven people, including five very hungry teenage boys, while keeping everything lightweight and nutritious, is a puzzle.”

Beyond food, the couple must plan the family’s clothing for the trip to ensure everyone has the proper attire to stay warm and dry in unpredictable mountain weather. They also think through what safety gear to pack for the journey and do all their own route planning. “We map out the terrain, assess conditions, and build in contingencies. The details really matter,” explained Brown.

The payoff, however, is priceless: having time together as a family while exploring stunning natural landscapes and simultaneously engaging in an activity that’s good for both mental and physical health. And that’s not all.

“Out there, all you can do is ski, play, and be present with each other. No distractions, no screens, just the mountains and our family,” said Brown.

Perhaps even more importantly than that, Brown added: “During a time of year when people are often giving ‘things,’ the gift of a family experience and memories makes it truly meaningful.”

As executive director of two Montessori schools in the greater Houston area, Shara Arora oversees educational facilities that emphasise the values of kindness and respect. That effort includes teaching students to make thoughtful choices each day.

Four years ago, Arora decided to bring that focus home for the holidays for her two children. So she developed what she called “a Montessori-inspired twist on Elf on the Shelf that focuses on kindness instead of behaviour.”

In other words, instead of following the longtime Elf on the Shelf tradition, which focuses on elves flying to the North Pole each night in December to report children’s naughty behaviour to Santa, Arora has reimagined the use of the elves entirely.

Each morning, Arora’s children search for the elves who have delivered a small ornament with a random act of kindness written on it. “Once my kids complete the kind deed written on the ornament, they hang the ornament on our tree,” explained Arora. “By Christmas, the tree is filled with reminders of their thoughtfulness and generosity.”

In the early years, when her children were very young, those acts of kindness ranged from “Give someone a big hug” to “Draw a picture for your teacher/friend” and “Share your toy with a friend”.

Now that Arora’s children are slightly older (6 and 8), the acts encourage more empathy and independence. “Some recent examples have included ‘Comfort someone who is feeling sad’ and ‘Let someone take a turn first,’” Arora said.

To make this tradition happen, Arora purchases a package of unfinished wood ornaments each year and writes acts of kindness on each of them with markers.

“My husband and I take turns hiding the elves [with the ornaments],” Arora continued. “I’m especially proud of the random acts of kindness element, because it reminds my children that giving to others and spreading cheer is what the holiday season is all about.”

There are plenty of holiday meals taking place at year’s end. And then there’s Jamie Krenn’s annual over-the-top effort for her 13-year-old foodie daughter, Emma.

“Every December, I transform into a one-woman Michelin-star restaurant – except my clientele is a foodie identifying 13-year-old, a not-so-haute-cuisine ex-husband, and a cat who judges silently from his perch by the fireplace,” Krenn, a single mother, told HuffPost.

Krenn’s holiday tradition began simply enough: she wanted to make a gourmet meal on Christmas Eve to mark the start of Christmas.

“Fast forward a few years, and I now run what can only be described as holiday hilarity in the kitchen with proper sauces and plating, where sheet pans, timers, mandolins, cast iron skillets and emotional resilience are tested in equal measure,” said Krenn.

By the time it’s over, Krenn said she has typically prepped enough butter-infused potatoes, roasted garlic chicken, lemon scallops (among many other mouthwatering items) to rival the best TikTok influencers.

Over the years, the effort has resulted in burns, slips, falls, grease stains aplenty on her clothing, and sheer exhaustion.

As a single mum, Krenn said she is proud of her annual effort, but added that she “crashes swiftly after the last dish has hit the sink”.

“Honestly, I’m a hot mess in the kitchen – but somehow it all comes together,” said Krenn. “By the end of the night, I might look like I’ve been hit by a truck, but the meal always turns out fantastic.”