6 new holiday traditions to make with your loved ones this year

Dec 23 2019, 4:55 pm

The holidays are all about comfort, connecting with loved ones, and keeping long-standing traditions going. And while old traditions are good, especially the ones that bring you closer to your family, it’s also important to establish new ones.

Whether it’s having a cookie bake-off with your friends or making a batch of homemade eggnog with your aunt, creating your own special memories is part of what makes the holidays so great.

We paired up with Dairy Farmers of Canada to inspire you to try something new this year, with activities that evoke the holiday spirit and encourage your inner child to come out. After all, the holidays only come around once a year!

And what better organization to pair up with than one who, by keeping up with cutting-edge practices and ensuring their animals have top quality treatment, is committed to making the highest quality milk in the world.

Whether it’s a glass of eggnog, cookies and milk left out for Santa, or the best cheese you can get your hands on, enjoying high-quality products with 100% Canadian dairy is one sure way to get in the Christmas spirit. Here are six more.

Cookie bake-off

Milk and cookies/Shutterstock

Invite some friends over, tie on some aprons, and get baking! Not much else screams “it’s the holidays” like piles and piles of homemade cookies, and what better way to indulge than to host a cookie bake-off with your loved ones. Encourage each person to bake a different kind so everyone can swap. Once you’re covered in flour and have eaten more dough than you should, grab a plate, share the cookies around, and don’t forget the glass of milk to wash it all down!

Eggnog and cheesy Christmas movies

Eggnog from a carton is great, but even better? The homemade stuff. Made with both cream and milk (look for the carton with the blue cow for the good Canadian–raised stuff!), as well as whipped egg whites, spices, and rum, there’s nothing like eggnog you’ve made yourself. Invite friends or family over, impress them with your ‘nog, then put on the cheesiest Christmas movie you can find.

Fancy cocktail party

White Russian/Shutterstock

Give you and your friends a reason to dress up this year and throw a fancy cocktail party. It’s a good excuse to get people together before everyone goes home for the holidays, and it’s an even better excuse to eat all the fancy snacks you’ve been eyeing at the market but didn’t really have an occasion for.

Create a signature cocktail to serve (White (Christmas) Russian, anyone?), put on a sparkly outfit, and curate the best dang charcuterie platter your friends have ever seen, being sure to pick high-quality cheeses made with Canadian dairy.

Christmas light viewing with hot cocoa

The only thing that makes up for the depressingly early sunset this time of year (how is it so dark at 4:30?!) is the twinkling lights adorning people’s homes. Invite your loved ones to join you on a festive walk where you admire the neighbourhood’s Christmas lights, making an effort to visit the ones that are the most elaborately done up — there’s always that one house that practically glows from several blocks away.

Or, if your city has a tree lighting ceremony, get your friends to join you, making sure to bring mugs of hot cocoa and pockets full of candy canes.

New Years Day potluck brunch

Holiday brunch/Shutterstock

By New Years Day, most people are exhausted and want to remain on the couch in their pajamas. But for those eager to venture out and cure their holiday hangovers, why not get together for a potluck brunch on the first day of the new year? It’ll give you a chance to slow down, share stories about the holidays, and talk about your plans for the next big event.

Prepare simple dishes that won’t require too much work, like maple apple oatmeal muffins or deviled eggs with a Scandinavian twist. Pour mimosas and offer coffee and hot chocolate, topped with real homemade whipped cream (this is the GOOD stuff). You could even turn it into a PJ brunch and have one less battle to fight.

Host a winter cookout

Why leave the holiday traditions to December? Carry the warmth and festivities of the holidays ⁠— when gathering with loved ones is largely what makes the season so special — into January by hosting a mid-month winter cookout. It’s a good excuse to get everyone together, encourage each other to tackle those resolutions, and to help each other out of that inevitable mid-winter slump.

Make a big pot of rustic veggie chili or classic mac and cheese and make the event all about celebrating the togetherness you’re able to share.


From eggnog, to cheese, milk, and cookies, the Dairy Farmers of Canada are all about bringing holiday nostalgia to life through high-quality products made with care.

Now, they’re taking that love one step further with their new show, Both Sides of the Glass, where they invite Santa to interview expert Dairy Farmers to learn about all things dairy.

For these and more magical milk moments, watch Both Sides of the Glass on YouTube or visit Dairy Farmers of Canada.

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