Christmas Eve traditions create nostalgic moments that stay with us forever. Learning to create your own Christmas Eve traditions is as easy as preparing a meal that your family loves. Look at what your family loves to do, and then build a tradition around that one activity.

For instance, if your family enjoys singing, start a caroling tradition. Imagine the fun of going door-to-door throughout your neighborhood. Or, if your family is a little more private, your tradition can be as simple as singing around the piano in the living room. Here are some other ideas for Christmas traditions that you can pass from generation to generation:

Attend Mass Together
Most families who celebrate Christmas understand the significance of the birth of Jesus during the holiday and already attend Mass on this special night. A simple way to start a traditional Christmas Eve is to attend Midnight Mass together—at the same time—as a family. The entire family will be in one place, filling an entire church pew with everyone from Grandma and Grandpa to aunts and uncles, and brothers and sisters. In essence, your family tree will have suddenly sprouted before your very eyes. You may find it’s quite a treat to behold the entire family together in worship, and singing softly together in a church lit only by candlelight is a great way for families to bond.

Exchange White Elephant Gifts
When you exchange white elephant gifts, you are basically giving each other old gifts or gag gifts. As you search for just the right item to re-gift next Christmas, you’ll find your thoughts returning to the holiday time and time again. Because it might be hard to find a gift for each member of the family, it’s best when each person picks one name out of an elf hat and therefore is responsible for finding only one white elephant or gag gift to exchange.

Hold A Homemade Gift Exchange
Another great idea for a Christmas Eve tradition is to exchange homemade gifts during Christmas dinner. To give each member of the family enough time to create just the right gift, it’s a good idea to incorporate the drawing of next year’s Christmas exchange names into this year’s Christmas dinner. Each person should be instructed to keep the name of their exchange gift a secret until the following Christmas.

Establish Regular Family Gatherings
Because the holidays are full of opportunities to get together, take turns hosting Christmas events. For instance, hold the wreath-making party at your house and the cooking-baking extravaganza at your sister’s house. Always hold Christmas Dinner and the exchange of homemade gifts at the home of your grandparents, followed by Midnight Mass. Afterward, each family can return to its own home and wake up on Christmas morning to open presents.

To keep the magic of Christmas morning going strong, everyone can remain in their PJ’s but travel to yet another family home for a loud, boisterous brunch and a white elephant gift exchange. The key to this type of tradition is to make sure everyone gets a chance to show off their own personal holiday decorations as well as share their favorite recipes.