• A family's first christmas is a special time.christmas stockings image by jedphoto from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether you are a brand new family celebrating Christmas together for the first time, a newly blended family looking for a way to coalesce during the holidays or if it simply your first time to be the host for a family Christmas get together, a family Christmas can be a simultaneously sweet and sour event. Instead of completely relying on old traditions that may not serve your busy, modern family, introduce some new ideas to help your family bond and have fun while they're doing it.
  
  

Create a New Tradition

• Introducing a new tradition is great way to help family members interact with one another. Turn on the Christmas music and let the adults in the family show the kids how to string popcorn and cranberries or make a green and red paper chain to hang on the tree as a final touch. Have a family photo-swap by inviting all the guests to bring copies of their favorite photos from the past year.
  
  Or bring the spirit of the holidays into the celebration by volunteering as a family at a shelter or food bank. Even very young children can help pack groceries for a needy family. Working together this way will help your family appreciate one another and be grateful for all of the basic comforts they have.
  
  

Honor Your Heritage

• Honoring your heritage is an especially good idea for blended families or couples who are far away from their larger family units, because it can create a sense of home and belonging in otherwise unfamiliar surroundings. Encourage children to research a Christmas tradition from their ethnic background and share it with the whole family. For example, someone whose ancestors are from Sweden might make a batch of traditional Swedish cookies, while others whose roots are from Japan can play a recording of "Daiku," the Japanese name for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, because it is a Japanese Christmas tradition. Pull out all the stops with your heritage-honoring Christmas and plan the food and decor around the main cultural backgrounds represented in your family.
  
  

De-Stress

• Hosting a Christmas get together can be stressful even if you are experienced at it. Decrease your load by involving your family and friends in the process, and you will also increase opportunities for family bonding. Involve the whole family in planning the holiday meal. For dinner on Christmas Eve, have a potluck or a banquet featuring your family's favorite ethnic foods. For even less stress, skip the big evening get-together and host a cinnamon roll baking contest Christmas morning. You can provide the milk and orange juice, while others do the baking.
  
  Instead of worrying about having your home perfectly decorated for Christmas before your guests arrive, create the tradition of having the whole family decorate a tree together with simple ornaments like candy canes and bows. Keeping it simple will encourage everyone to participate and eliminate any worry about precious ornaments being broken.