Christmas traditions are the best, aren’t they?  I came across an idea for a new Christmas tradition earlier this year that I tucked away until this month, and I wanted to share it with you.

And the surprise reveal – this idea comes from Dr. Phil!  LOL!  I may not be Dr. Phil’s #1 fan (I don’t know much about him), but I’m easily suckered into parenting books.  I found a parenting book he’d written at a local bookstore on sale for $1.  I couldn’t pass it up.  Family First by Dr. Phil McGraw.

In chapter 3, he has a section on “Establishing Meaningful Rituals and Traditions” as one of the factors for creating a phenomenal family.  In that section, he writes, “Ever since our sons were old enough to have even a small vocabulary, Robin (his wife) and I have had the tradition of making a Christmas Eve videotape about the impending visit of Santa Claus, highlights of the previous year, and what each boy hopes and expects to get for Christmas.  We always had a little rocking chair that we’d put the boys in, we’d place a Christmas hat on their heads, and we’d interview them on camera.  Often, they’d dance or hop around, sing or dodge the camera.  That was their personality at the time.  As they got older, they’d roll their eyes and give smart-aleck answers on camera, but they still loved this family tradition.  Our family rituals and traditions are one of the ways we’ve created a warm, loving and nurturing environment for our family.”

Some of you may already have this tradition, and if so, way to go!  But for me, it was a light bulb moment!  What an amazing way to capture my children each year as they grow up, and what a fun thing to look back on during future Christmas seasons.

I plan to make a few tweaks for our tradition:

• I’ll make the recordings before Christmas Eve, since Christmas Eve can often be busy and tiring for the kids.
• I’ll focus the kids’ recordings on Christmas with questions like…
  • What do you want for Christmas?
  • Did you see Santa this year?
  • Did you sit in his lap?
  • Whose birthday is Christmas? (Jesus!)
  • And I may see if I can get them to sing a little Christmas song…
• Then I’ll make a video of my husband and me talking briefly about their highlights and accomplishments that year.  This may be something that transitions to the kids when they’re older, but they may also appreciate having videos of us when they’re grown.

I did a test run with my four year old son today, and it was cute!  I can’t wait to capture my daughter.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this!  Does anyone already have this tradition?