How Holiday Traditions Inspire the Way We Design and Celebrate
Holiday traditions hold a special place in every home because they have a way of shaping everything from the way we gather to the way we decorate. For many of us, holiday traditions are woven into the heart of our home, influencing the colors we choose, the textures we bring in, and even the types of spaces we design for connection. These traditions often start with family and grow into stories that fill our homes with meaning. As interior designers, we are deeply inspired by the quiet, heartwarming magic that settles into a home during the holidays. The familiar notes of your favorite Christmas desserts, the ritual of choosing ornaments, the joy of Christmas tree decorating, and even the annual rush of Christmas baking ideas all play a part in how we design spaces that feel authentic, warm, and wonderfully lived in.
At Spaces in Bloom Designs, we believe that the most meaningful design details come from the moments that matter. A beautifully styled home is wonderful, but a home filled with warmth, memory, and love is unforgettable. Christmas is the perfect reminder of how your home supports the way you live and celebrate.
For each of us, Xela and Laura, our Christmas stories look different. One reflects grown children returning home to long-loved family traditions; the other captures the joy of little ones just beginning theirs. Yet both remind us of a universal truth: a home is a living story. And the holidays are often its most beautiful chapters.
Xela’s Story: Designing With Memory, Meaning, and Christmas Magic
For me, Christmas has always been a full sensory experience! Before I ever became an interior designer, I fell in love with the way a home can feel at Christmas. The smell of roasted pork and fresh tortillas drifting through the house, the echo of laughter from the kitchen, and the soft glow of the Christmas tree always signaled that something special was happening. My mom is from Honduras, so our holiday traditions are rooted in her culture. Christmas Eve was everything! Our home was always open, filled with friends, neighbors, and anyone who needed a place to belong.
Christmas Eve: A Tradition Wrapped in Flavor and Love
Our meal is the heart of it all with carnitas, black beans, rice, tortillas, guacamole, and salsa! When I married Jeff and started my own family, this dinner came with me. Every year, when my kids walk in and breathe in the familiar aroma, they say, "It smells like Christmas." That sentence alone carries decades of memory and emotion. It is funny how food becomes such an essential part of family traditions, and for us, this meal anchors the entire season.
After dinner, the competition begins. Our White Elephant gift exchange is one of our funniest traditions. The gifts are simple and inexpensive, but the laughter that fills our living room is priceless! Then come the Christmas Eve pajamas, something we started when the kids were little and continue even now that they are grown. It’s one of the ways I keep the joy alive.
Christmas Morning: Slow, Cozy, and All About Presence
One of my favorite traditions is our slow Christmas morning. No one is allowed out before 8 a.m., a rule I happily inherited from my mom! As my kids got older, that time even stretched a bit later, which made the morning feel even more peaceful. We open gifts one at a time, take breaks for breakfast, and fully embrace a day at home. Our breakfast staples are Egg Sonora casserole, bubble bread, and leftover ham. After the wrapping paper settles, we stay in pajamas, play games, watch movies, and simply enjoy being together.
As a designer, I’m often telling clients that a home should feel as beautiful as it looks and Christmas always brings me back to that truth. Beauty lives in the details and the feelings that a space creates.
Keeping the Magic Alive Through Décor
Now that my kids are adults, I find myself keeping traditions alive through decorating. Every ornament on our tree tells a story. Each year, I gave the kids an ornament that represented something special about them. Even now, they search for their ornaments the moment the boxes come down from storage! And of course, I keep the baking traditions going too. Candy Cane Cookies and Honduran Galletas de Yema are staples in our kitchen! These recipes connect us to my childhood and keep our cultural roots alive.
What My Kids Love Most About Our Traditions
Jordan, 25:
"I love our tradition of doing nothing but being together on Christmas day. Some families do a re-creation of Thanksgiving dinner or leave the house, but my favorite thing is laying around the living room in our Christmas pajamas simply being together while chatting, enjoying the gifts that we gave each other, watching sports, watching a family favorite Christmas movie, and eating leftovers from Christmas Eve. It makes the day feel longer and more special, because being together is really what makes Christmas feel like Christmas. It’s the best way to spend the holiday: cozy, peaceful, and happy together."
Elena, 23:
"My favorite family tradition is Christmas Eve. It’s such a special night for us because we make the most amazing food from my grandma’s recipes. She’s from Honduras, so our Christmas meal is a little different than most. We have things like carnitas, shrimp, ham, black beans, and several yummy dishes. Growing up, we always had a full house of people over to celebrate. It’s fun to share with people because it’s unique and so delicious. I love how excited my family gets for this meal and how we all sit around the table for hours just talking and laughing. That’s what Christmas is really about to me, being together with ALL my family. As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate these traditions even more, especially now that I get to share them with my husband."
Zach, 18:
"My favorite family Christmas tradition is Christmas Eve night, where we all sit around in the living room either watching a Christmas movie or playing a fun game. We have laughs all night and really get into the spirit of Christmas with my mom’s amazing baking skills, whether it’s candy cane cookies or these Latin cookies called Galletas de Yema. Then to top off the night my mom always buys us matching PJs. It’s the best way to mix in the Christmas spirit right before Christmas morning arrives."
These are the moments that remind me why I design spaces the way I do. Homes should support connection, comfort, and joy, not just aesthetics!
Laura’s Story: Building New Traditions for a Young Family
As a mom of two little girls, I am still figuring out which holiday traditions will become the ones my daughters remember forever. Some traditions come from my childhood, and others are brand new, created with intention and excitement. My mom and my Nana made Christmas magical, and I want my children to grow up with that same sense of wonder!
The Season Begins at the Craft Fair
For us, Christmas officially begins at the local high school craft fair! My Nana started this tradition when I was little. She gave each of us a few dollars to buy gifts for our parents, and we would walk around like the most important shoppers in the world. Today, my sister and I still go, and one day, I hope my girls will join us! The anticipation and tradition of that outing are just as special as the event itself.
Christmas Eve Moments: Simple, Cozy, and Full of Heart
Growing up, my mom always hosted Christmas Eve. We went to church, enjoyed dinner, opened one present, and got our matching pajamas! The menu was never predictable. Some years it was Italian, other years fajitas. But the warmth and laughter were always the same. That same balance of structure and spontaneity now shapes the Christmas Eve traditions in my own home.
Cookies, Gingerbread, and Home Alone Night
Food plays a huge role in our holiday celebrations! My parents host a Christmas cookie decorating night for all the grandkids. We order pizza, make frosting messes, decorate cookies for Santa, and laugh until our cheeks hurt. At my house, I host a gingerbread house decorating night that started as a couples competition but has now been fully taken over by the kids. Their joy makes the chaos absolutely worth it!
Last year, we started Home Alone Night. We ordered pizza, made sundaes, poured Pepsi because it felt festive and nostalgic, and watched the movie in our matching Christmas pajamas! It was such a success that it is now officially added to our family traditions list.
Faith at the Center
Along with the fun, we keep faith at the heart of our holiday season. On Christmas Eve, we read the Christmas story with a small nativity set. Our oldest points out the figurines and helps tell the story, and I love watching her learn the meaning behind each one. We also attend a candlelight church service that helps us slow down and reflect.
How Traditions Shape My Design Style
As a designer, I love creating homes where these types of memories can unfold naturally. For young families, this often means creating flexible spaces for gatherings, cozy corners for holiday reading, and kitchens that support traditions like cookie decorating or experimenting with new Christmas baking ideas. I want my home, and the homes I design for clients, to feel alive with meaning.
Design Rooted in the Moments That Matter
For both of us, the holidays are a reminder of why we design homes in the first place. Good design is never just about the perfect sofa or the right color palette, it’s about creating spaces that support the memories, rituals, and small moments that matter most.
Your holiday traditions lead the way. Your family traditions shape the atmosphere.
Your favorite Christmas desserts, your go-to Christmas baking ideas, and even the ritual of Christmas tree decorating become part of your home’s unique story.
The holidays root us, ground us, and remind us of what feels like home: warmth, presence, and connection.
Let Your Home Reflect the Traditions You Love
Your home should feel like a place where your holiday traditions and family traditions come alive year after year, and should reflect your life, your memories, and the people you love. If you’re ready to take the next step in creating a home that feels warm, functional, and beautifully personal, Spaces in Bloom would love to help.
Reach out today and let us help you create a home that feels meaningful, inviting, and perfectly suited to the way you love to celebrate, not just during the holidays but all year long!
Family Recipes to Try at Home
No holiday season is complete without the recipes that make it feel like Christmas!
Bring the heart of our homes into yours with a few of our favorites:
Honduran Christmas Dinner: Carnitas, Black Beans, and Rice
Egg Sonora Breakfast Casserole
Bubble Bread
Candy Cane Cookies
Galletas de Yema (Egg Yolk Cookies)
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