If one will conduct a survey asking people on their favorite day of the year, most will probably say, Christmas. And when asked why, some might give you answers like they enjoy getting lots of presents, while others might say they look forward to parties, listening to Christmas carols, fixing wonderful decorations on every home and establishments, or others simply love the holiday.

The wonderful memories that this season invokes become a primary reason for the yearly traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. This case is definitely true for my family. At the first sign of autumn, we started to get excited for the most anticipated holiday of the year. With the coming of this festive season, here are five traditions which you and your family can start to practice.

Watching Christmas Movies

This tradition started way back then on a Thanksgiving Day by watching the 1947 black & white version of the movie entitled Miracle of 34th street. Since then, we were able to get more than 30 movie collections with Christmas themes in DVD's and videos. And so, it has become a yearly tradition for the whole month of December. We would gather in the living room together, sipping hot cocoa and eating Christmas cookies.

Baking during the Holidays

At home, every family member looks forward to the first week of Christmas vacation. For the first week, all of us would go into baking, spending 3 to 4 days baking our favorite Christmas recipes. Sometimes, we would get together at someone else's house and every person gets to bake their favorite holiday treats. While baking, we would reminisce good old times and enjoy a hearty laugh. When all is done we split up all the goodies we've made and enjoy them or give them as gifts.

Putting up our Christmas tree

This tradition varies from generation to generation. They differ in so many ways, that it would sometimes lead to arguments as there are people have a strong opinion on topic. Many families put up their Christmas tree a week after Thanksgiving is over, some a bit earlier, while others wait until Christmas Eve. Some prefers buying an artificial tree, while others prefer the fragrant, freshly-cut tree. However, the most important part of putting up our Christmas tree is for the whole family to be involved while decorating it. Agreeing on a theme will give everyone a good idea on how to go about the decorations.

Putting up Christmas Stockings

Hanging Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve has been a long tradition practiced by many. These stockings come in many sizes, styles and colors. They range from the most sophisticated store bought ones to the simple homemade handcrafted ones. You may opt to use different designs every year or you may use the same one every year for economical reasons, whatever your choice may be, be sure to fill them up with lots of goodies and wonderful little things.

Writing letters to Santa Claus

Writing letters to Santa Claus is a popular children's tradition. It lets them tell Santa how good they have been for the year and how deserving they can be for toys as a reward for the all the good deeds they have done. However, you might want to consider a new twist on this old tradition is having Santa write them back and encourage their good deeds.