Kids are back in school. Traffic is getting worse; the malls are getting busier and the calendar is filling up. That can only mean one thing: The holidays are right around the corner.
Families can sit back and let the season wash over them, bringing the same mixture of excitement, joy and stress as always. Or they can take a slightly different and more active approach to enjoying and experiencing it with their children.
The best part? Making the holidays memorable doesn't necessarily require spending a lot of money. Here are eight ways families can get more out of the 2026 holiday season.
1. Get spooky, for free
Halloween is a natural excuse to go all-in on costumes and family fun without spending a fortune. One free option is The Children's Trust-sponsored Spooky Symphony, returning Friday, Oct. 23, to the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center.
Festivities begin at 6 p.m., followed by performances at 7 and 8:30 p.m. The Alhambra Orchestra and Greater Miami Youth Symphony will perform eerie classical selections accompanied by giant-screen visuals. Costumes are encouraged, and admission is free, although it is first come, first served.
2. Tone down the taffy
Halloween candy doesn't have to become a month-long sugar binge. Consider a candy buyback program, where children can exchange excess candy for toys, money or toothbrushes, often held at dentist offices or other community spaces.
Or introduce the “Switch Witch” – you can say she’s the aunt of the Tooth Fairy - who visits overnight and trades some of the candy for a small gift. Children can also donate part of their stash, turning Halloween into an opportunity to talk about generosity.
3. Trade stuffing for service
Thanksgiving should be about more than stuffing, literally and figuratively. Make sure the holiday includes an activity that shows children that giving thanks means more than saying the words.
Volunteer as a family, donate to a food drive or have children write thank-you notes to teachers, relatives and other important people. Another simple idea: Have them write down three things they're grateful for each day during their Thanksgiving break.
4. Celebrate adoption
National Adoption Day falls on Saturday, Nov. 21, this year, part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about children waiting for permanent families.
Families can look for local events celebrating adoption or find ways to support children in foster care and adoptive families through volunteering or donations. It can also be a chance to teach children that families come in many different forms.
5. Make giving part of the gift
Whether your family celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, make children part of the giving, not just the receiving. Let them select a toy to donate, contribute to a food or toy drive, bake something for a neighbor or save spare change in a family “giving jar.”
You can even reduce the number of gifts and let children help decide where some of the savings should go. The goal isn't to eliminate presents, it's to help children discover that giving can be just as exciting as getting.
6. Explore someone else's traditions
Use the holidays to introduce children to how other cultures and families celebrate. Talk with someone who observes a different holiday tradition, read a book about another culture or make a craft connected to a celebration your family doesn't normally observe.
The lesson is simple: There isn't just one way to celebrate the holidays, and learning about others can make children more curious and empathetic.
7. Make New Year's resolutions kid-sized
Instead of imposing resolutions on children, let them choose goals that genuinely interest them. Ask what hobby they would like to improve, what subject they want to learn more about or what activity they would like to try.
Keep the goals realistic and positive and consider creating a family resolution board where everyone can track progress. That makes the New Year something the whole family participates in rather than something adults lecture children about.
8. Turn a resolution into a new interest
Finally, give children a way to follow through. If a child decides they want to learn an instrument, play a sport, draw, code, or explore science, look for an affordable after-school or summer program that matches the interest.
For younger children, reading can be the solution. The Children's Trust Book Club provides Miami-Dade children from birth through age 5 with a free book every month, mailed to their homes, along with activities and guides for parents.
The holidays don't have to be measured by how much ends up under the tree. Sometimes the best memories come from what families do together, and what children learn to give, appreciate, and carry with them into the new year.