5 New Holiday Traditions We’re Starting This Year

There are old Christian traditions surrounding St. Nicholas’ feast day on December 6; kids leave their shoes out overnight in front of the fireplace, on the windowsill, or outside their bedroom door so that St. Nicholas can fill them with special fruits like tangerines, candies like chocolate coins and taffy, as well as other small gifts and treats.

We especially love this tradition for kids of all ages (hence the Jackson Morgan southern cream liqueur!).  And if you have little ones at home, encourage them to leave carrots or hay in their shoes St. Nicholas’ donkey to eat too. St. Nicholas will replace it with treats to enjoy in the morning! 

Don’t forget treats for your furry friends, too! 

An advent calendar is a fun and easy way to signify the countdown to Christmas Day. While advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes these days, the original advent calendar can be traced back to the 19th century, when religious families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve. 

Fill your advent calendar with small chocolates and treats to keep the excitement of the season alive for all. 

We love the idea of adding one special ornament to the tree each year to commemorate times spent with family and friends. Plan a trip to pick out your ornaments together, or have them ordered by the time you decorate the tree. It will be such a treat to pull them out each year and remember the memories tied to them! 

Shop our memory-worthy ornaments here. 

Opening just one gift on Christmas Eve is a fun tradition to do in eager anticipation for Santa Claus to arrive the following day. Invite your family to share this memory as you settle in after the presents are opened, reading holiday stories and cozying up with holiday hot chocolate. 

To find our top gift ideas this year, visit the Holiday Headquarters. 

Three Kings Day, aka“Feast of the Epiphany,” on Jan. 6 marks the day on the Christian calendar when the three kings brought gifts to baby Jesus (and also the last day of the 12 days of Christmas).  The traditions originated in Spain and Latin American countries, though many in the US celebrate it now too.  The tradition goes: children line their shoes outside the front door, in which the three kings leave candies and small gifts. Many people leave a box of hay or grass too, for the camels of course!