Family rituals are one of the best ways to make the holiday season meaningful for kids. Traditions help connect us with our past and bond us with each other. One important key is that these traditions be maintained every year, and not be sacrificed to the busyness and business of the holiday season. Traditions might include simple things such as cutting down and decorating a Christmas tree, buying special ornaments, cooking a particular meal, helping someone in need or having a holiday gathering at your house with family and friends.

If you donate money to organizations, do something else that helps make giving more personal and meaningful for kids. Some organizations may give you detailed information about a particular family, so that kids can help shop for a child of a particular age. Your children can then wrap gifts and write a note that helps make giving more concrete and real.

Involve children of all ages in holiday events. The purpose of these traditions is to bond with each other, so every family member should have a role. These connections are more likely to occur when distractions like television and computers are disconnected.

This can be a wonderful time of the year if you can figure out how to spend less time in Toys 'R Us and focus more on the people around you who really matter. When the toys and trinkets are lost, broken or ignored, the memories of family rituals and traditions will long remain.

What are some of your family's traditions?  Tell us about them!