Last updated on November 25th, 2022 at 11:18 am
This post contains affiliate links where you can purchase products and I may earn a commission with no extra charge to you.
If you are searching for fun Christmas traditions for adults that will ignite a little extra magic in your Christmas this year, then fear not! You have come to the right place.
We are going to visit the fun, the quirky, the magical, the wonderful and the unique and hopefully at least one of these will inspire you to introduce some new traditions into your life or to even revisit some that you may have forgotten from your youth.
Some of these traditions don’t necessarily need to take place on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, you may feel they are more suited to the build-up period (from mid-November to December) or even post-Christmas Day – we’re looking at you Turkey Curry!
So, crack open the Baileys, put on your paper crown and snuggle into that Christmas jumper that lights up as we visit a few fun Christmas traditions for adults.
What are Christmas traditions?
A Christmas tradition is something that you and your nearest and dearest do each year during the festive period without fail. It’s something that may have started as a novelty idea and then soon became something that you do every year and it would seem rather bizarre (or even upsetting) if you left it out one year.
When I was younger, when hanging shiny decorations and draped tinsel from the ceiling was the epitome of class, my family had many traditions that have become firm favourites within our household. They have certainly evolved over the years with some being unique Christmas traditions that only my family would enjoy to more commercial ones, such as wearing matching pyjamas.
Christmas traditions are fun and certainly offer that lovely, warm feeling of nostalgia whenever they are revisited.
How do I make Christmas more special?
I believe the best way to make Christmas special to you is to create magical Christmas traditions with family and friends that will leave your heart full and your mind happy. All it takes is for one person to either announce openly that this new Christmas feature is going to be an annual occurrence, or just make sure that you do the same thing again the following year and the year after that… and the year after that.
Traditions are the crux of special Christmas memories!
Christmas is a special time anyway, whether you celebrate for religious reasons or if you just revel in the commercial side of the holidays; it’s a wonderful time to bring everyone together and enjoy being with the ones that you love.
This post is here to help to inject some extra Christmas magic into your life with some fabulously festive fun Christmas traditions for adults.
What are some fun Christmas traditions?
Some traditions during the festive period are universal and not necessarily unique to individuals or families or even cultures.
Here are some magical Christmas traditions that are fun and festive:
Christmas Tree Farm
This is a superb magical Christmas tradition to introduce into your life. Visiting Christmas tree farms is just so wonderfully festive! It’s the start of the Christmas holidays when you select your tree. It’s a time to wrap up warm and spend ages searching for that perfect tree that is not too tall, not too wide, not too bare and not too short.
It’s even better if you’ve got someone whipping out a tape measure at every suggested tree!
Photo by Tyler Delgado on Unsplash
If you’ve got an artificial tree at home already, the equivalent to visiting a Christmas tree farm is digging out the tree from the loft and shouting obscenities when you can’t find one of the parts for it, even though you’re adamant you packed it away perfectly twelve months before.
Whether your tree is real or artificial, you’re already in the running for having some sort of tradition!
Salt Dough Decorations
These are sooooo easy to make!! I made some decorations recently for Lee and both sets of Grandparents from Arthur (see below). All you do is make the salt dough (flour + table salt + warm water = that’s it!) and then design it however you see fit for your decoration. Whack it in the oven for an hour on about 150 degrees and then paint it!
Ta-daaa!
Now, I used a cookie cutter to create the correct shape for these decorations but when I was 18, I made Joseph for a nativity scene at college. This decoration lasted years and years – I believe it was only a couple of years ago when poor Joseph bit the dust and had to be thrown away! My Mom loved it though and Joseph would be present every Christmas.
I love that he became one of our unusual Christmas traditions as that’s what made him so special.
Visit a Christmas Market
Most towns and villages have Christmas markets so do type into Google: Christmas markets near me and it will bring up local events with dates.
These markets usually have some quirky gifts that you can buy or you can just have a browse, taking in the lights, the music and the atmosphere as you sip on a lovely hot chocolate.
Christmas Eve Box
If you’ve got kids, they will love this! Christmas Eve boxes have become so popular in recent years but they really don’t need to be expensive. It’s a fun way to sprinkle some extra Christmas magic just before the big man arrives.
Check out this list of Disney Christmas Box Ideas.
Christmas Movie Checklist
This has got to be done! There are so many wonderful Christmas movies to watch and not just the popular ones either. Check out channels like Christmas 24 on Sky and you will be able to watch Christmas movies from around the middle of October, if not earlier. Yes, the storylines may be questionable or very similar to the movie you watched the day before but that’s all part of the fun.
Check out Pinterest for fun Christmas Movie Checklists! There are so many to choose from.
Christmas Coffee
That’s right! You know I mean that Gingerbread Latte that is just so sickly sweet but essential in making you feel Christmassy.
For me, I have two coffee dates during December! The first is with my Mom as we go shopping and she treats me to breakfast. This usually occurs at the start of December as she is rather organised and helps me to be organised with my Christmas shopping.
The second is with my Dad and takes place on the 21st or 22nd December and he treats me to a coffee as we go on the hunt for his Christmas present for my Mom.
These traditions are some of the more magical Christmas traditions even though they are very simple.
Ugly Christmas Jumpers
I’ll be honest… I love them! Not so much the really ugly ones but I do love a Christmas jumper and think this is such a magical Christmas tradition that really makes people feel festive.
This year, my Mom has stipulated that we all wear our Christmas jumpers to dinner on Christmas Day and I cannot wait! It used to be a thing that we would wear our best clothing but Christmas jumpers are so popular now and they do so many nice ones. We’ve even got one sized 3-6 months for Arthur to wear!
There is even a National Christmas Jumper Day nowadays which takes place in schools and offices. Christmas jumpers really have taken off now!
Matching Pyjamas
Another magical Christmas tradition that has sky-rocketed in recent years! Years ago, these would have been cringe-worthy but now, thanks to the magic of social media and everyone vying for Instagrammable family photos, matching Christmas pyjamas are more popular than ever.
Check out these matching pyjamas that are available on Amazon but you really can find these in local stores such as Primark now.
I love that they even do matching pyjamas for dogs too!
How do I make Christmas fun for adults?
There is such a common misconception that Christmas traditions are for children. WRONG! I’d say they are more for the adults; yes, many of them may begin when you are a child but it’s that nostalgia that creates the magic of fun Christmas traditions when you are older.
Here are some fun Christmas traditions for adults, but be warned… and most of these will indeed be booze-fuelled:
Get Drunk at the Christmas Market
I mentioned a visit to the local Christmas market above but who wants a hot chocolate when you’re not driving and you’re over the age of 18? No, it’s essential that you enjoy a delicious mulled wine, a spicy mulled cider or a Baileys hot chocolate whilst you’re there. These are certainly fun Christmas traditions for adults to enjoy!
As I live in Birmingham, we have the Frankfurt Christmas Market each year in our city. Lee and I visited last week and I was able to enjoy my first mulled wine in two years. I was pregnant last year and, trust me when I say, alcohol-free mulled wine does NOT taste the same!
I’ve also said ‘Get drunk’ but, to be honest, the prices have gone up tremendously so it’s highly unlikely that you’ll experience anything more than a strong buzz. Still, magical Christmas traditions like this certainly make Christmas shopping a little more fun.
Go to the Pub on Christmas Day
Ahhh, this is certainly one that needs to be done. It’s rammed, it takes ages to get a drink, you’ll probably be a little drunk by the time you get back for your Christmas dinner but, trust me, you will feel so warm and fuzzy inside, it’s worth becoming one of your fun Christmas traditions for adults.
Santa Baby!
Now this one is definitely one of the fun Christmas traditions for adults.
Seeing as you’re feeling all warm and fuzzy from all the festive fun, it’s a great opportunity to reignite a spark within your relationship by being a little playful.
Check out some of these outfits that will certainly make Mr Claus blush!
Naughty and Nice Advent Calendar
I heard about this idea a couple of years ago from a friend.
She created her own advent calendar for her partner. Every day either had something naughty or nice, ranging from tickets to a concert to some festive chocolate to a whip!
Here are some ideas to get you started…
Nice: chocolate, photos, socks, days out coupons, keyring
Naughty: kinky dice, dare cards, handcuffs
I’ll leave you to use your imagination for the rest! *cheeky wink*
What are some interesting Christmas traditions that you and your family have?
Right, so I’ve mentioned previously that throughout the years, my family and I have introduced a variety of unique Christmas traditions that have stuck and that have evolved over the years.
Here are some of my favourite unusual Christmas traditions:
Collecting the Christmas Turkey
Every Christmas Eve, at around 9:30am, my Dad and I head to the local farm to collect the turkey that Mom ordered back in October, along with the pigs in blankets and some vegetables from the farm shop. I absolutely love this tradition. The butchers now recognise us and greet us warmly, and we usually see neighbours in the queue too.
It’s just such a lovely tradition that I have with my Dad.
Christmas Pyjamas
My Mom has always bought us Christmas pyjamas that we have on Christmas Eve. It’s a tradition that I will also carry on with my children too.
Hidden Christmas Ornaments
When my brothers and I were younger, we had some family friends whose son was like a third brother to me, and we grew up when WWE (WWF back then) Wrestling was popular. When we would visit each others’ houses, we would play a game called ‘Hide the Wrestlers’ and we would dot wrestlers around the living room which the visitor(s) would need to find.
Well, this game seems to have made its way into my parents’ set of unique Christmas traditions as they hide a figurine of Brett ‘The Hitman’ Hart in their Christmas tree every single year!
I love that this has gone from a childhood game to one of our fun Christmas traditions for adults.
Forget the Star on top of the Tree!
Again, this is another one at my parents’ house… they don’t have a star or an angel that sits atop their tree. Oh no, they have a small cuddle toy in the form of Beaker from the Muppets (which I think we got from McDonald’s in a Happy Meal one year) and he takes pride of place at the top of the Christmas tree!
Photo by Megan Nixon on Unsplash
Enjoy a Hot Toddy Todd
I’m pretty sure the name of this comes from the Christmas episode of Father Ted when Ted offers Father Todd Umptious a ‘hot Toddy’ but because his name is Todd, it comes out as ‘hot Toddy Todd’.
Bring on the Sherry!
It’s a little Dot Cotton-esque but, my word, if you haven’t tried Sherry, please make sure you do! It’s delightful. I even got Lee into it too and now we purchase it every year. We have a few glasses when we are decorating the tree (or a nice Baileys with ice).
Put Your Mulled Wine in the Slow Cooker
I discovered this technique about five years ago. A previous boss brought in their slow cooker and served up mulled wine in it.
Now, the way of brewing this has evolved and I’ll add several cloves to a halved orange and throw in some cinnamon sticks to really bring out the spices of the mulled wine. I now feel it’s the best way to serve mulled wine and this will completely change your life if you are hosting a party!
All I do is put it to high for about half an hour and then to warm. It doesn’t burn it like it does on the hob!
The Muppets Christmas Carol
I’ll never forget the first time I watched this movie. We were all at my Nan and Grandad’s one Boxing Day (I think I must have been about ten) and they had bought The Muppets Christmas Carol for us all to watch as a family.
Well, since then, we will watch this movie on Christmas Eve. We all live separately now that we are older but we all watch it on Christmas Eve and put it in the family WhatsApp group chat that we have viewed it. It’s one of our unusual family traditions but it’s one that makes me feel strange if I haven’t watched it. I remember one year watching it at about 10pm just so I knew that I had watched it.
Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas
This another of our unique Christmas traditions but is more for me and my younger brother, rather than the whole family.
It’s imperative that we watch Father Christmas on Christmas Eve because, again I must have been about ten years old, which was long before recording programmes on the TV was a thing, we got up at about 5am just to watch this short cartoon.
Everyone raves about watching The Snowman as one of their magical Christmas traditions, but for me, it’s all about Father Christmas. Mel Smith is absolutely hilarious as the miserable Father Christmas who very Britishly refers to everything as ‘blooming’. It’s a unique Christmas tradition that I treasure!
Find the Sprout
This has got to be my ultimate favourite of the unique Christmas traditions!
Every single Christmas Eve (and I don’t even know how many years this has been happening now), my Dad always plants a sprout somewhere for me to find throughout the day. Every year, he manages to act like a ninja and plant the sprout somewhere without me noticing and then sits and waits for me to find it.
And every year it’s some place new!
Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash
A few of these examples have been… wedged onto the rim of my mug when he brought me a cup of tea, two hanging from my rear view mirror like a pair of furry dice, sitting in my Christmas tree like a bauble, acting as a gift tag on a present.
Honestly, I have no idea how my Dad thinks of these things but it cracks me up every year and it’s the best Christmas tradition I have because it’s so unique and special to me and my Dad.
Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
I would love to know if you have any fun Christmas traditions for adults, whether these are during the festive period or post-Christmas Day. Share these in the comments section!
Merry Christmas everyone,
Loulabella xoxo
Fun ideas!
Thank you so much Brandi xoxo