The holidays have me thinking about family and traditions. I fondly remember growing up and having several family traditions and then raising my own kids with a few of our own. As an adult, I've learned to appreciate those traditions even more.

For Christmas Eve, my mom would do an appetizer spread for dinner. As a kid, this was the most amazing thing ever! She'd make mozzarella sticks, dips, meatballs - the works! Nowadays, you see tables adorned with fancy charcuterie boards of elegant crackers, meats, and cheeses. Don't get me wrong, I do love a good charcuterie board, but who can pass up on some good mozzarella sticks and marinara!? Not me, or my kids!

My kids now look forward to having an appetizer spread for Christmas Eve before heading to a candlelight service at church. We follow this up by having Christmas Day in our pajamas and brunch! The weekend or two before Christmas, we will all throw on some comfy clothes, get in the car with coffees and hot chocolate, and drive around looking at Christmas lights. These are traditions that we do every year, making lasting memories for the kids to share with their own family one day. And every so often, we'll add a new tradition.

For the last 6 years or so we have what we call a "Christmas in Chicago." It's a day, or weekend, in November or December where we go and take in all the Christmas festivities of the big city. Sometimes we take the kids and/or friends, and sometimes we just do a couple’s trip. It's something I look forward to every year!

Does your family have any holiday traditions?

Maybe you're looking to add more tradition to your holidays or want to spice up the ones you have. I've created a simple list of ideas that are great for families (with kids of all ages!) who want to create new ones, or maybe add to their existing traditions!

Do a Christmas light tour

Go for a drive to view Christmas lights around town. There are several businesses that have displays that you can drive through, some with admission and some that take donations. Or, you can even create your own! Make a list of neighborhoods and places that will be having lights on display, map it out and gather up the family! You can pack snacks and hot drinks for the drive. It's extra cozy when everybody throws on some pajamas {don't forget a few blankets too}. BONUS: Here's a list of theCityMoms' favorite local holiday light displays.

Host a cookie decorating party

I know a lot of people bake around the holidays, but having a specific decorating party at home with your family is a fun tradition! Sometimes if I'm doing my own baking, I'll make extra sugar cookies to have a cookie decorating party with the kids. I put different colored frosting in some piping bags so the kids can decorate the cookies on their own, and fill small bowls with different kinds of sprinkles. You can also buy store-bought cookies, or have the kids help you bake. There really are no limitations to this!

Hit a holiday performance

There are so many to select from this time of year, and I don't mean just the school performances by your CityKid's choir. It feels like the ones we hear of every year are the Indiana Repertory Theatre production of A Christmas Carol and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's IPL Yuletide Celebration. theCityMoms visited the IRT recently to learn more about their annual Carol performance earlier this month:

Make an annual family ornament

You can buy {or make} your own family ornament every year. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or spectacular, but an ornament that the entire family picks out together. Or maybe you want to get an annual ornament for each person. Everyone can pick out their own ornament and put it on the tree. It's special to see the kids pull out the tree ornaments every year and reminisce on the yearly tradition.

MORE HOLIDAY FUN RIGHT HERE: The Garfield Park Conservatory Crossing is one of our faves.

Volunteer together

The holidays are a great time to volunteer! If your kids are old enough, you can volunteer as a family. Places such as soup kitchens, food pantries, donation centers, are always looking for extra help during the holidays. For younger kids, volunteering can be as simple as donating toys to the local toy drive or food to the food pantry. And it's a great way to teach your kids about serving others in need. Here's a list of theCityMoms' favorite spots to volunteer as a family.

Go to a local Christmas event together

When you live in a big city, the options for this are endless! Whether it's going to see a show at the local theater, visiting a Christmas exhibit at the Museum, or going to a holiday festival, it's time spent together as a family and creating traditions. For example, every year my family likes to go see A Christmas Carol at the theater. We never get tired of this!

Create your own family holiday playlist

The holidays aren't the same without some Christmas music! You can make your own family playlist of holiday music with whichever music program you prefer. When you play it around the house, everyone will have had a part in adding their favorite holiday songs.

Do a holiday movie marathon

With the many movie and television options out there, most families have access to all of the cheesy holiday movies. And many of them are family-friendly! Maybe set a day aside to have a holiday movie marathon, or decide to watch a Christmas movie every week in December. This is a flexible tradition!

Have a hot cocoa night

There are so many ways to make hot cocoa, a hot cocoa bar is an awesome idea for kids and girlfriends alike! You can set up different types of hot cocoas, marshmallows, candy canes, syrups, and whipped toppings to create your own hot cocoas night.

Snap a family photo

Whether you get this done professionally or just take a photo of yourself, getting a family holiday photo is a tradition in itself. This year, you'll probably find my family piled up on one couch, in pajamas, and trying to master the self-timer on the phone camera. It'll be that kind of family photo, but one nevertheless! Have fun with it!

I love spending time with my family over the holidays, I look forward to it every year. And this year, I hope you too get to make the most out of family time and timeless traditions!

Jamie Ward is the founder of the blog Cornfields and High Heels, and a social media manager. As a mom + stepmom, she writes frequently about her blended family. Jamie’s husband is a pastor so she also has a heart for ministry, family and volunteering. For fun Jamie is constantly in search of the best local coffee, ideas for date nights, and her next photography spot. Discover Jamie on Instagram.

What are your holiday traditions? Here’s our list.