The holiday season has arrived! Every year this season brings happiness, sadness and a gamut of emotions in between. Whether a loved one passed or a family gained a new member, the one thing that stays the same are the holiday traditions. Sometimes families and individuals find themselves creating new traditions, but it is those traditions that make the holiday season so wonderful. Whether the tradition is something as simple as a holiday family brunch or as exciting as opening a gift a day early, it is important for every family to create these memories for their kids, and even their kid’s kids!

After having asked people what their favorite family traditions are, we have come up with a list of classic, unique ideas for families to grow their traditions from:

– Have a Bake Fest – Gather the entire family in the kitchen and make some delicious treats while learning family stories and secret recipes!

– Have a Pajama Party – Give your kids matching holiday pajamas every year! Great for photo opportunities and memories are sure to follow.

– Have a Sing-a-Long – Have someone host a “pot-luck” and sing carols, have a white elephant gift exchange and make crafts!

– Prepare for Santa – On Christmas Eve, find reindeer food (dead backyard foliage and grass) to sprinkle on the lawn. Have the kids bake chocolate chip cookies for Santa, so they can be left out on Christmas Eve

– Host a Holiday Movie Night – Invite the family over, pop in the traditional holiday movies, grab a hot cup of cocoa and enjoy!

Aside from traditions to look forward to, we all know that getting gifts is one of the best parts of the holidays for kids. This is not true for all, some may truly enjoy the gathering of the family and celebrating their beliefs, but a lot of them enjoy seeing the shiny paper and bows around their newest toy!

If you are having a difficult time finding the perfect toy for your child, we have done the searching for you and have come up a gift for every kind of kid:

2011 Holiday Barbie: Holiday Barbie Doll celebrates all the joy and magic of the season! Add beauty and glamour to your holidays with this spectacular doll!

Road Trip: The fast family game of wacky words! Complete each word challenge and MOTOR ACROSS THE USA!  “Rest Stop” cards add to the fun along the way, with lucky breaks and the occasional pothole

Kiwi Crate: Hands-on fun, delivered right to your door! Enjoy monthly projects that spark creativity and curiosity for kids ages 3-6. All materials and inspiration included.

The Farmer’s Cook Book: The Farmer’s Market Cookbook presents an original approach to modern cuisine that hearkens back to a simple time when the land around us provided our meals, while also helping to fulfill our eclectic current cravings.

TIME’s The Big Book of Science Experiments: TIME For Kids’ successful Super Science Book just got bigger and better with the all-new Big Book of Science Experiments. This full-color and expanded hardcover book presents 100 fresh and fascinating experiments for kids 8 to 12 to wrap their heads (and hands) around.

Morphology: Morphology, the hilarious guessing game where creativity wins. If you like Pictionary or Cranium? Morphology is for you!

Wii’s Sing It Pop Hits: Sing along to 30 of the latest songs and music videos from today’s top artists

Toys Come Home: In six linked adventures, readers will also learn how the one-eared Sheep became one-eared; watch a cranky toy meet an unfortunate end; and best of all, learn why it’s okay for someone you truly love to puke on you. Here is perhaps the most charming of three inimitably charming books destined to become classics.

Dino Mazes: They’re ginormous! A marriage of two things kids love—dinosaurs and mazes—DinoMazes is a one-of-a-kind collection of 31 super-sized, colossal fossil mazes.

Wii’s Get up and Dance: Get Up and Dance – it’s Party Time! Get Up and Dance allows players to dance as lead or backing dancers in your own dance group! Dance to hit tracks from top artists including Katy Perry, Timbaland, Taio Cruz, Jessie J, Nicole Scherzinger, Girls Aloud, Gwen Stefani, Example and many more!

Be a Broadway Star: This isn’t your typical board game. This is a Broadway board game! And that means you’ll have lots of chances to show off your stuff along the way, with interactive “make or break” cards that just might have you singing and dancing on your turn!

Whether it is the time off to spend with your family, traditions or gift giving that you enjoy most about the holidays, remember not to lose sight of what is important and stay within your limits, financially and mentally! We wish you the happiest of holidays this year, and be safe.