Some of our most beloved holiday traditions just don’t make sense. For one thing, bringing a live tree into your home for just a few weeks every year is a little peculiar, don’t you think? And wouldn’t it be better to leave Santa coffee and a power bar instead of cookies so he won’t get sluggish making his rounds? Just asking the tough questions here.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t change my family’s most extra holiday traditions for the world. No matter how absurd, holiday traditions create bonding experiences that can be passed on from one generation to the next. The best part is that every generation brings an opportunity to build on a holiday habit, adding a unique spin to something you've been doing literally forever.
This year, the best way to enhance your favorite holiday traditions is TikTok. The short-form video app is THE destination for an endless stream of short videos that are personalized just for you, from just-for-fun content to parodies and endless challenges. To give your favorite holiday traditions a modern twist you’ll be talking about for years to come, we partnered with TikTok to find five ways to level up your holiday season.
1. Deck the Halls
One of TikTok’s most popular challenges is #ChristmasExplosion. Viewers are presented with a depressingly ordinary and tinsel-free room before the videographer pops off a Christmas ornament, grenade-style, and retreats for cover. After the Christmas ‘bomb’ goes off, the shot pans over a totally rockin’ and decked-out room complete with a holiday tree, shiny decorations, and themed music. Get the whole family together and stage your own #ChristmasExplosion. You’ll get decorating done and have a memento to show off for generations to come!
2. Parody Family Game Night
Having an old-fashioned game night is one of the best ways to get everyone, from Grandma to your angsty cousin Becky, involved in the holiday fun. Our favorite TV host and media personality Taylor Strecker loves this tradition, and she shows us why above. Up the ante on the competition by recording all the different "types of gameboard players," from the Question Master (you know, the person who needs a reminder of the rules. Every. Single. Turn) to the Space Out King who needs to be nudged to look up from his phone time his turn comes around. Use TikTok to document the quirky dynamics of the game and vote for the best player portrayal. Once distractions are out of the way, you can really let the competition heat up!
3. Make Holiday Baking Sweeter
The holidays just wouldn’t be as sweet without our favorite cookies, candies and treats. But they’re usually so delicious, they’re gone in a flash! Savor your favorite treats for longer by showing off your baking and cookie-decorating skills with TikTok. Use the app to chronicle your favorite holiday recipes from start to finish and set it to music, creating your very own home cooking channel. Not only will your creations be more fun to bake, but they’ll be easily replicated in the future through the duet feature!
4. Make Light of Harsh Holiday Travel
If you travel regularly for the holidays, you know the logistical struggle is real. But even the "busiest airport day of the year" woes become creative opportunities with TikTok. (Not to mention, great ways to kill time). Long security lines, flight delays, the random baby crying all through that red-eye flight you needed to take to get home in time for Christmas Eve — each one of these things can become great fodder for a fun post. Keep your family — no doubt anxiously awaiting your arrival, — up to date on the comedy of errors that is your day of travel. Or entertain yourself on one of the many fun, and ultra-relatable accounts of other people traveling. We suggest checking out our favorite TikTok flight attendant @lifeofasassystew for when you're sitting on the tarmac in take-off traffic.
5. Unwrapping Gifts
Sure, the holidays aren't all about gifts... but gifts are fun, and we love to give them, get them, and immortalize people's reactions on social media to hopefully go viral one day. Especially for that last goal, TikTok can bring your "gift documenting" game to a whole new level. Add music, funny filters, or hilarious effects to the already euphoric reaction of someone getting the gift that they were pining for. Afterwards, the whole charade of cleaning up is also great fodder for a TikTok.
This post is sponsored by TikTok.
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