A few of our friends are sharing their favorite holiday traditions with us and we're kicking off with something from Brooke Walker.

Brooke's tradition

Growing up as a family, we would love (like many families) to pile in the car in our jammies, stop by 7-11 for hot chocolate, and drive around looking at the Christmas light displays on home all around our small community. We had our favorites and would beg my dad to drive past “The Felt’s House” or “That house by our school!” With noses pressed against the window, we would soak in the bright lights of the season. One year my mom had an idea to turn it into a little game/contest. We purchase king-sized candy bars and wrote a little note describing why a particular house was “our favorite.” We took a family vote and identified our 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners and then we did a knock-and-run, leaving the candy bars behind as our thank you treat.

My babies are still very young, but it’s a tradition I hope to carry on with my own family someday.

If you don't already follow Jamie Cook of Wander and Scout, I think you'd enjoy her ideas, especially if you have children.

Jamie's tradition

It feels like the holiday season has become all about big gifts, big traditions, and big expenses. The grand stuff can be fun for sure, but I'm convinced that the real magic of the Christmas season lies in the small, simple, and meaningful traditions. For real though!

A few years ago my husband and I started a new Christmas Eve tradition with our four little kids. We call it our Bethlehem Dinner or Shepherd's Supper. We eat a Middle Eastern-inspired dinner on a blanket under our Christmas tree and read from the Bible about Jesus' birth.

I marinate and grill some kebabs and the rest of the meal is finger foods -- grapes, cucumbers and hummus, pita, almonds, olives, dried fruits, cheeses and crackers. I serve it up in wooden bowls and platters and then we set up our picnic with candles and the glow of the Christmas tree.

It is the easiest meal to prepare and my kids LOVE that we get to eat with our hands. I love that there are no dishes! There is something so special about the simplicity of this tradition amidst the business and commercialism of the season.

Our friend Lindsay Ross has some fun traditions that she shares with her family.

Lindsay's traditions

A few years ago leading up to Christmas, I got tired of all the stuff. Tired of the toys. Tired of the clutter. My kids didn't need more toys. They certainly didn't need more stuff. And I didn't want to keep spending money on things they cared about for one day and then never looked at again.

So my husband and I decided to try something different for Christmas. Instead of a bunch of presents they didn't need, we planned a trip instead. We made sure it was a fun one so the transition to this idea would be well accepted. I'm a big fan of Christmas and I actually love Christmas morning with a big pile of presents, but the aftermath just didn't seem worth it. And I couldn't remember what we even gave the kids from year to year. Definitely not memorable stuff.

Now each year, the kids get one present from Santa, a few presents from us (that usually include things they need or could use on the trip), and a trip for the family. We live in Utah where the winters are cold and really, really, reeeeeeally long. So we plan the trip for the beginning of February so we have something to look forward to during the worst month of the year (January) and an escape to a warm place in February. It's by far my favorite tradition.

Another tradition that we began several years ago (1995 to be exact), my mom had the idea to write down family memories. Each person was assigned another person in the family and we had to write a memory (or memories) about that person. As you can imagine there was some significant grumbling about this each year, but the tradition lived on for 7 years. I come from a family of extremely talented writers, so there was some "stressing" about writing well-written essays. It was entertaining to watch different people finishing their final drafts just before we started reading them.

On Christmas Day, we would go around to each person and they would read their memories out loud to every one else. It was one of my favorite parts of Christmas. As we added in-laws, they got roped into it too. And when grandkids started getting old enough, we included them as well.

One year for Christmas my sister and I collected all the written memories my mom had saved and we put them into a book for each family to have.

My family is funny. Really funny. So there were definitely tears of laughter as we read the memories. But my family is also not super emotional. We don't say "I love you" to each other and we aren't great at expressing feelings. So this was a great opportunity for us to tell each other things we admired or loved about another person. And to see what type of things were impressed on our minds about one another.

When we assembled the books, we included a few pages of pictures from each year as well. These books are one of my most treasured things. I occasionally get the book out and read through the memories. It's a great family history and a great legacy of memories to pass on to my kids.

Our friend Jennifer Johnson shares a few of her favorite traditions with her kids!

Jennifer's traditions

My kids & I have decorated a gingerbread house together every year during the holidays and it is always one of their favorite activities. We keep it super simple and purchase a kit from the store (the cute Trader Joe's kit is our favorite) and I purchase an assortment of candies and set out so they can really bling out the house. Mini candy canes, M&M's, gumdrops, Necco wafers, sprinkles, and GLITTER are some of our favorites, but the choices are endless!

Another tradition I've started for my children each year is buying them a special hardbound book as one of their gifts. There are several options for beautifully designed classics that I envision them keeping forever and then sharing with their own children one day. I write a short note and the date on the inside cover. They've gotten old enough that we are reading some of these together already. I remember my mother reading to my brother, sister, and I when we were younger, and I hope that my children will have fond memories of our story times together, as well.

Jessica Turner and her family have been doing the Elf on the Shelf for a few years now. She has so many fun ideas for making this tradition especially fun!

Jessica's tradition

Each year it feels harder and harder to come up with ideas that have not been used every single year. I mean, how many marshmallow baths can an elf take? But I try to get creative because I know that this is a tradition that my kids will fondly remember into adulthood.

I’ve actually been thinking about putting all of our Elf photos into a dedicated Project Life® album. Wouldn’t that be fun to look at year after year?

Elf on the Shelf Memory Game

Shutterfly recently offered a free memory game that I thought would be a perfect Elf activity. Shutterfly offers excellent coupons and freebies that make this an affordable Elf treat.

I often take Elf photos on my iPhone, so I uploaded a bunch to Shutterfly and made an Elf on the Shelf memory game. It took just a few minutes and turned out so cute! When it arrived, I was incredibly pleased by the quality of the game. Not only will it be special for this Christmas, but I think it will be special to play with every year.

Other Free Elf on the Shelf Ideas

If you do Elf on the Shelf, gather up photos of your Elf antics and have them ready for the next time Shutterfly offers this fun freebie. Other common freebies that you could turn into Elf goodies:

Puzzles (how cute would this be)

Luggage tags (perfect if you travel for the holidays)

Magnets (ideal for decorating a fridge or car)

Pads of paper (notes for the kids)

Journals (special Christmas keepsake)

If you don't have photos of your Elf, start taking some now. And if you have never done Elf on the Shelf, buy an elf now and get ready for making magic with your family throughout the Christmas season. It is SO fun. I hope this inspires you to create something new and special for your family and your Elf this Christmas season.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram as I will be sharing daily Elf photos in December. (Also, check out my new Instagram account for lots of great literary inspiration.)

What are your favorite antics you have done with your elf?

Feel free to share some of your favorite holiday traditions in the comments below!