Christmas with Teens Hits… Differently
There’s this strange, bittersweet shift that happens when your kids hit the teen years during Christmas. The holiday season used to be full-blown magic. The kind of magic that practically radiated through the house. Little kids believing in Santa, holiday traditions that felt effortless, and gifts that sparked pure joy. Back then, Christmas made itself.
Now? We’re in the “Christmas with teens” era.
A season where they want the magic, but the belief doesn’t come as naturally. They like the holidays… just not in the big, sparkly, wide-eyed way they used to.
And then there’s the annual gift struggle.
Teen boys: “I don’t really need anything.”
Teen girls: “Here’s my list, please prepare your wallet emotionally.”
Recently, I saw a TikTok where parents asked their kids to name three gifts they got last Christmas. Most couldn’t name even one. But when asked about their last family vacation? Instant memories. Details. Joy. The kind of energy you want your teens to remember.
I tried it with my own teens, and yep, same result.
They didn’t remember the presents.
But they remembered the moments.
Which brings me to the question so many parents of older kids are facing:
When you’re raising teens, do you keep doing a traditional Christmas with gifts under the tree… or shift to experience-based holidays they’ll remember forever?
Do we continue the Christmas magic — the decorations, the baking, the Christmas movies, the cozy holiday traditions — but skip the expensive “stuff” and take a family trip instead?
An experience that will actually stick with them?
Or…
Do we keep doing Christmas the usual way, trusting that as they mature, the presence, effort, and tradition will resonate more than the presents themselves?
There isn’t one right answer.
Raising teens during the holidays looks different for every family. Teens love their rooms, their quiet, their independence. You can’t (and shouldn’t) force magic, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone.
The magic is quieter now.
More subtle.
Less about the gifts and more about the feeling you create at home.
And that’s the part they’ll carry with them long after they forget what was in those wrapped boxes.
