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Christmas comes only once a year and parents strive to make the most of it for their kids.

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But let’s not lose the chance to sprinkle some teachable moments alongside all the snow, sugar, lights, and presents. That means setting time aside to do some things as a family, simple things that could become family traditions that last years and years, perhaps generations.

Make Ornaments
Sitting down together and doing crafts is always a good thing. But when dealing with the reds, greens, and glitters of Christmas, it’s even more fun. Hint: Don’t save them all, but keep a few each year and date them as a reminder of Christmases past.

Help the Needy
Not optional! Christmas is about hope, so seize the opportunity to impress on the next generation the responsibility we have to give some to each other. Deliver food, buy toys for disadvantaged children, or just drop a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle. All of it matters, during the holidays and beyond.

Take Great Pix
Don’t let the holidays pass without some photographic remembrance of each one. You don’t have to be meticulous about it, or even get dressed up. But holidays become more precious with time. Keep some photos to remember every year.

Decorate the House
No need to “Clark Griswold” the place, but lighting up the house is fun. If you’re not into outside lights, make a Nativity scene or some special holiday candles. If all else fails, make a simple wreath for the door.

Related: How to Make a Cool Wreath

Pick Out the Tree
Even if it’s fake, picking out the tree is not a singular affair. Make it a big deal! This is your tree, and it’s going to be there (likely) until the needles turn brown. Go shopping together, have some hot chocolate, listen to carols and let a different family member make the final choice every year.

See the Lights
Just as with swimming pools and boats, you don’t want to be the house with a million lights. You want to know someone whose house has a million lights. Find this house, and go see it. Preferably on the same night you pick up the tree. Make it the real introduction to the Christmas season.

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Cook Something Special and Sweet
Don’t be that parent. Christmas means Christmas cookies, and making a mess, and lots of sugar — brown, white, and powdered. It should also involve ginger, flour, green and red sprinkles, M&M’s and those little red-hot candies for the holly berries.

Related: Presence, Not Presents

Celebrate Advent Every Sunday
Best done with just the immediate family or a small group. Every Advent Sunday gather together, read a quick verse, sit down and celebrate the onset of the season. Nothing fancy: chili, stew, or even pizza will do. But take time to celebrate the holiday and the people who matter to you.

Watch the Family Christmas Specials
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “A Christmas Story” are on the “must watch” list. The rest of holiday television is icing on the cake. Don’t skimp on the viewing schedule. After all, there is a reason you know the lyrics to Heat Miser’s famous paean to a warm Christmas.

Carol or Listen to Christmas Music
On the weekends especially, during baking times, during the tree trimming, anytime you are all together, let there be the soundtrack to the holidays. Music is incredibly powerful, and if you’re lucky, some of these songs will become inexplicably and joyfully linked to happy times.

(Don’t have your own holiday music? Here you are, completely with scenery).

See a Special Christmas Show
“The Nutcracker” is a lot to ask of a kid, but maybe “Oliver!” is playing, or your church is producing a Christmas pageant. Either way, take the time to support and be part of your performing arts community. You never know, you may be looking at the next Jennifer Lawrence, or Daniel Radcliffe up there struggling to dance and sing at the same time.

Christmas Shopping
Do some of this as a family. Pick out things for faraway family members, or have each child pick out a present they want to give to someone who can’t buy one himself. Also, set strict monetary limits and have your kids live within them. Ingrain fiscal responsibility and the spirit of giving — all at the same time.