It’s the holiday season, and during this time people are talking about the tradition that their families do every year, and it got me thinking. My family doesn’t have a strong set of traditions that we follow every year. We set up the house, give presents, and travel. When I am older and have kids of my own, I want to go all out. Here’s a list of 10 things I want to make a tradition in my future household, that my family currently doesn’t do today.

1. Make Cookies for Santa.

• We did this when I was little, but have stopped and I want to be doing this forever when I have my future kids. My future husband and I will eat them.

2. Make Gingerbread Houses.

• • We did this when I was little, but stopped when I was 12, and I never want to stop. When my kids are old enough and in their teens, I want them to have competitions and whoever wins get a prize

3. Make Ornaments.

• • I have always been interested in making ornaments. My sister-in-law made some for my family, and it was really cool. Every year, I want my future family to all to contribute to making either one or two ornaments for the tree.

4. Take Cheesy Family Christmas Photos

• • My family and I used to do this, but since my brother and I left for college we haven’t had the time to take these Holiday Card Photos. I want to be that family that coordinates their outfits every year, and sends them out every year. Whether or not we take it in the winter or in the summer, I want it to happen.

5. Sit by the Fireplace and Read Christmas Stories.

• • I love the smell of a campfire or a wood burning fire place, I don’t know why, I just do. My family never did this, and I feel like it’s the best way to end Christmas Eve or Christmas Day because we’re all bonding as a family by the fire, and I would like to read these stories.

6. Watch Christmas Movies on Christmas Eve.

• • I don’t know what exactly my future family’s plans are for how to spend this part of the year, but I do know that watching Christmas Movies is the most heartwarming thing in the world. I cry at a good portion because of how amazing they are. Falling asleep to these movies, and then waking up on Christmas morning to presents seems like the best thing ever. Will I be up late at night acting as Santa doing this? Yes, but my kids’ happiness will be the most important thing to me.

7. Finding Elf on the Shelf

• • I’ve heard this idea, and it seems so much fun for when my future kids are little. I never did this growing up, and I want to see how my kids will react to it.

8. Do Gift Trading Games

• • This would be for when my kids are older, but I want us to do the game called the White Elephant. It’s this game where you pick a number, and you get the present that shares that number, and I forget the exact rules, but the Kardashians did it one Christmas, and I’ve wanted to do it ever since.

9. Make Gifts

• • I’ve never been a crafty person, but I want my future kids to learn that the best gifts come from the heart. With this, every year I want to do something where my family has a secret Santa, and for that Secret Santa we make them a gift, instead of buying them one.

10. Help the Less Fortunate.

• • I’ve been blessed to not be in a family that has to worry about providing, and I want my kids to learn how blessed they are. I want them to be grateful by giving back, and whether it’s the weekend before Christmas, on Christmas day, or sometime after I want to give back and have my family donate my time to them.