When it comes to Christmas, you don’t mess with tradition. Whether it’s decorating the tree as a family on Black Friday, going caroling with friends on Christmas Eve or taking the kids ice skating at the pond where you learned to skate, traditions are the stuff Christmas memories are made of.
In my family, it’s an annual cookie decorating party. It just isn’t Christmas until the counters are covered in gingerbread shapes and our hands are cramping from squeezing tubes of green and red frosting. There’s something so comforting about recreating a familiar experience year after year. Maybe it’s that it brings us back to the warmth of childhood when Christmas really was filled with magic. Or maybe it’s the joy of watching a new generation create their own memories from the traditions we remember so fondly ourselves.
Sometimes the best traditions are the ones we start ourselves. If you’re looking to create a new Christmas tradition this year, now is the perfect time to start. And as a time-honored destination for heirloom-quality Christmas decorations, The Bradford Exchange is the perfect place to find inspiration. For starters, here are 8 unique Christmas collections that make wonderful family traditions:
1. Thomas Kinkade’s Village Christmas Collection.
Start with a charming Victorian Bed and Breakfast and gift-bearing figurines, and look forward to a new addition to your village about every month or two. By next Christmas, you’ll have a whole town of Victorian houses, churches and shops glowing with light and populated by cheery townspeople, carriages and more. Think of the fun you’ll have each year setting up your display and creating a miniature turn-of-the-century village in your home!
2. The PEANUTS Christmas Express Train Collection
Is there anything more nostalgic than an old-fashioned Christmas train? How about one driven by Snoopy and featuring the whole PEANUTS gang! This delightfully themed electric train set starts with a steam locomotive manned (or would it be dogged?) by Snoopy. Every month or two, you’ll get a new train car featuring your favorite characters in scenes glittering with “snow.” Your second shipment also comes with everything you need to get your train rolling, including a 14-piece track, power pack and speed controller.
3. Magic of Disney Christmas Tree Collection
Bring some Disney magic to your holiday traditions with this one-of-a-kind Christmas tree collection. It begins with a miniature sculptural Disney castle that lights up. Next comes a 3-foot snowy-white tree trimmed with 50 glowing lights, followed by a tree skirt and 3 dancing Disney couple figurines. Then you’ll receive a new set of Disney character ornaments or figurines shipped to your door every month or two. With each new shipment, your tree display will grow more and more enchanting, and you’ll have a blast hanging the ornaments and arranging the figurines each Christmas!
4. Thomas Kinkade Star of Hope Nativity Collection
Nativities are such a wonderful way to keep the true meaning of Christmas in your thoughts. Make the story of the First Christmas a part of your family’s holiday traditions with this masterful collection. Crafted in hand-painted bisque porcelain and accented with 22K gold, each reverent Nativity figure is beautiful work of art by itself. The créche even lights up for an added sense of wonder. You’ll receive the Holy Family figurines first. Future shipments will include more sets of figurines and the illuminated créche.
If you’re anything like me, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer® is an essential part of the holidays — and has been for years. This electric train collection brings the joy of this beloved holiday special to your Christmas decorations in a delightfully original way. Much like the PEANUTS train set above, this nostalgic collection brings you individual train cars, plus a 16-piece track and power pack, delivered to your door automatically in monthly or bi-monthly shipments. Soon enough you’ll have an impressive, heirloom-quality train set that brings Rudolph, Sam the Snowman, the Abominable Snow Monster and more into your home, brightening your family’s spirits for years to come.
6. Thomas Kinkade Nativity Garland Collection
Here’s another truly one-of-a-kind way to start a Christmas Nativity tradition with your family. Perfect for a mantle or shelf, it combines a timeless (and easy-to-maintain) 4-foot garland with handcrafted, hand-painted Nativity figures inspired by Thomas Kinkade. Over 60 lights, an illuminated créche and 4 Thomas Kinkade lanterns help capture the wonder of the First Christmas. From the Holy Family and Three Kings to shepherds, angels and humble donkeys and sheep, your collection is filled with reverent details that your family will marvel at as you recreate this wondrous display in your home each year.
7.Happy Holidays from Graceland Christmas Tree Collection
If your family loves to rock, this is the collection for you! Loaded with rock-star charisma, this dazzling Elvis® Christmas tree collection starts with a festive Graceland™ sculpture that lights up and plays a music box rendition of “Blue Christmas.” Next comes a 3-foot Christmas tree with shimmery blue “evergreen” boughs, glowing lights and a blue star topper. Future shipments will help you fill out your display with shiny “45s” ornaments, a tree skirt and gate, and rockin’ figurines including Elvis himself. The result is more than a unique Christmas decoration, it’s a legacy of electrifying good cheer you’ll sway your hips to year after year.
8. COCA-COLA® Through the Years Express Train Collection
Last but not least, this Coke® Christmas train collection is the ultimate nostalgic holiday decoration. Celebrating the beloved American soft drink company that shaped the way we envision Santa, this classic electric train collection takes you and your family on a merry trip down memory lane with vintage Coca-Cola® advertising art and slogans. Like the train sets above, the complete collection includes a 16-piece track and power pack to get you up and running.
What are some holiday traditions that you and your family look forward to each year? I’d love to hear all about them, so share with me in the comments below! In the meantime, I hope these collections inspired you to start a new tradition this year. Share the list with family and friends, and feel free to check out all the wonderful heirloom-quality Christmas decorations available on our site!
Start a Holiday Tradition with Unique Christmas Decorations by Ann Kelley
