Holiday Family Conversation Starters for Goals, Fun, and Reflection

Have you or anyone else in your family found yourselves giddy with excitement for the holiday season? Almost as if you’ve already established a picture in your mind of each holiday celebration: fixing Christmas dinner, telling the story of Jesus, opening presents around the fire. 

You can practically see it. 

And then you fix the Christmas dinner all by yourself while everyone watches the football game. Or maybe when dinner is over, instead of cleaning up together, you peek around the corner to see everyone sitting on the couch with their phones in hand. 

Let us bridge the gap for those moments this year. If you find yourselves in a holiday lull, or see the direction that everyone is headed where you can unplug, start with these simple family conversation starters. 

Grab one of your teenagers, pull in a young adult child, or sit with your grandparent as they finish up the meal at the table and let the conversation start itself: 

Family Conversation Starters: Around Legacy

These questions encourage family members to reminisce and continue sharing the important family stories.

• What is your favorite holiday memory from childhood?
• Which family tradition helps your family connect across generations?
• Can you remember a funny or unexpected holiday mishap?
• If you look at all of the generations represented in the room, what is one word you would use to describe them all? 

Family Conversation Starters: Around Growth & Goals

These will allow a natural pause of reflection, both personally and together. 

• What’s one personal goal you have for the upcoming year?
• What’s one thing the Lord taught us this year? 
• Is there a skill you want to learn or a hobby you want to start?
• What’s one thing you hope our family will do together next year?

Family Conversation Starters: Around Fun

Remember to have some fun! Get the kids (young and old) involved and these, spark the conversation and see where it takes you all!

• If you could invite any fictional character to our holiday dinner, who would it be?
• What’s your funniest gift-giving or receiving story?
• Which holiday movie best describes your life this year?
• What’s the weirdest holiday tradition you’ve ever heard of?

Family Conversation Starters: Reflection & Gratitude

• What’s one thing you’re most grateful for this year?
• How has someone in the family inspired you recently?
• What’s a lesson you learned this year that you want to carry forward?
• How can we make next year even more special as a family?

If you're looking to grab a few more in-depth reflection questions, read up on these 22 reflections and implement them in your next conversation or family meeting! 

Let’s Do Family Conversation By Design, Let’s Do Family Culture On Purpose

All of these family conversation starters and categories have one thing in common: culture. And the first step to creating intentional, attractive culture for your family is to have conversations that are culture-forming about legacy, reflection, goals and much more!

If you feel as though your family is ready or even in need of something more tangible for family culture- something that clearly defines it for your family, sets you apart from the stereotypical buzzwords of "culture" according to today’s society and holds your family accountable to living on purpose, the Winning Family Culture Study is the next step.