How to make “at home” holiday traditions

The silver lining of a year when many of our favourite traditions are on pause—parades, crowded holiday parties, photo ops on Santa’s lap—is that it makes room for us to create new ones. The kind that celebrate the small things, lean into the cosy, and make the most of the time you get to spend with the people closest to you. That’s right: We’re about to get crafty.

There’s nothing more fun (and memory-making!) than getting creative as a family, and you don’t get any better than HP Printables—a collection of free printable materials—and the HP ENVY Printer when it comes to making those magical moments happen.

So, put on your ugliest festive sweater, pop that Elf on the Shelf, and let’s start making some new holiday traditions.

#1. Have a “holiday card bee”

What better year than 2020 to revive the old-fashioned tradition of sending out holiday cards? Not only is it a great way to spend an afternoon, it could also be an important way for your kids to feel like they’re connecting to friends and relatives they might not be able to see this year. HP Printables website is loaded with printable materials, including holiday card templates, to get you started. Together with the kids, write up a list of all the people you’d like to send season’s greetings to—grandparents, cousins, teachers, coaches, neighbours—and then spend a few hours writing cards. You could even set up an assembly line: One family member prints the card, another folds it, while someone else (the family member with the best hand-writing, of course!) writes a message. And no need to worry about running out of ink mid-way through: Instant Ink, HP’s subscription ink service, automatically orders refills when your printer is running low.

#2. Throw a “colouring and carols” party

Throw on a festive playlist, get a fire going (even if it’s just that yule log channel!), whip up some hot chocolates and get colouring together! HP Printables also has a wide range of printable colouring pages, that you can even sort by age range, with festive options coming soon. Just add snow falling gently outside, and it’s the perfect recipe for a chill, cosy few hours together.

#3. Organise a DIY Secret Santa

We all know the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart, and what could be more meaningful than something handmade? Put every family member’s name in a hat and let everyone draw the person that they’re going to create something unique for. Not sure where to start? Print out some calendar pages and then your child could “illustrate” a picture for each month, with the finished product being a unique 2021 calendar!

Keep an eye out on December 9, when HP launches Printastic, a kid-friendly video series that shows them how to make paper-based crafts using printables. Think: Finger puppets and boardgames, both ideal for Secret Santa gifts.

#4. Deck the halls with memories

Take all those photos from your phone and take a decorative trip down memory lane! Together, you and the family could select a few (or a lot) of images from the year, and print them out for display. (With the HP Smart App, you can actually print directly from your phone, so dive into that camera roll!) An extra festive twist would be to print your photos, and then use clothespins to attach them to a festive garland, which can be festooned across the fireplace mantle or elsewhere in your home. It’s a great way to reminiscence about all the fun things you did together this year and get excited for all the adventures that next year is sure to bring too.

For more on adding crafty traditions to your family's holiday season, head to HP ENVY and HP Printables