12 Irish Christmas Traditions to Celebrate with Your Family in 2024

Bringing the family together to celebrate Christmas is an important time in Ireland, complete with cheerful festivities to celebrate and practice cherished traditions. Families around the world can celebrate their shared Celtic heritage by adding an Irish Christmas tradition to this festive period. Christmas in Ireland is a magical time, and you can celebrate the same warmth from anywhere with Irish Christmas cake and other traditions during this festive season. 

1. Deck the Halls

Holly has bright red berries the ancients believed would ward off evil spirits and green tones to match the emeralds of Ireland, making for the perfect Christmas decorations. Anyone can enjoy Celtic culture-themed decorations and traditions. They make great gifts, too.

The Triskele design—or Triple Spiral—for example, boasts looping spirals that never end, signifying your eternal love for that special person. This can be given as a ring or pendant on a necklace. Explore our wide selection of beautiful Irish jewelry to find the perfect gift for your beloved, and add these special symbols to your Christmas decorations, too. 

2. Light a Window Candle 

Sometimes, a simple tradition can hold the most meaning. An old tradition holds that keeping a single lit candle in a window represents welcoming the holy family of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus into the home when the town’s innkeepers turned them away. A candle in the window is one of the Christmas decorations that are both beautiful and meaningful. 

In Ireland, tradition is for the youngest in the home to light the candle, so this can be as simple and safe as flipping the switch—yet their little eyes will shine with pride as they partake in this important tradition!

3. Christmas Movie and Jammies

Ireland follows some of the more common Christmas traditions as well. After the youngest has lit the candle on Christmas Eve, the oldest gets to choose which Christmas film the family will watch together in matching jammies. This tradition doesn’t reach as far back into antiquity as some others, but it’s a fun and festive addition to Christmas Eve for modern families!

4. Irish Catholic Midnight Mass

In Ireland, Midnight Mass is an important tradition held the night before Christmas, commemorating immaculate conception and the birth of Christ. After the little ones are snug in their beds dreaming of Santa Claus and sugarplums, adults partake in a traditional Catholic Midnight Mass. 

Attending a somber church packed with the warmth of community is the best way to experience this, but many churches offer a televised or online viewing experience so no one gets left out. In Ireland, the mass typically begins at 11:00 pm. This is because it’s midnight at the Vatican in Rome at this time.

5. Open One Special Gift on Christmas Eve

Some families enjoy a tradition of giving gifts on Christmas Eve. The perfect gift for your loved one is a gorgeous piece of traditional Irish jewelry. They will be thrilled to wear a special pendant or bracelet while enjoying a beautiful Midnight Mass or lighting a candle in the window.

6. Christmas Day Swims

Speaking of a huge social gathering, in Ireland, charitable giving and Christmas Day come together in the form of a Christmas swim. The winter weather in south Dublin can be surprisingly mild, which allows swimmers at Forty Foot Rock to dive into the Irish Sea. Take part in this thrilling Christmas tradition at a nearby pool if there’s no sea available for your Christmas Day swim. Some even claim this chilly dip is a proven hangover cure!

7. Go Caroling Together

Christmas caroling is an oral tradition of storytelling and sharing music that dates back centuries—perhaps even further. Some historians believe that singing Christmas Carols is rooted in the practice of going door to door with good news about Christ at a time when they were not permitted to gather and sing in church. Music brings people together, and celebrating Irish Christmas traditions through song is a heartwarming experience. 

One well-recognized caroling song was written in 1950, “Christmas in Killarney.” This tune will get you in the Christmas spirit and conjure thoughts of visiting Ireland during the holiday season! “The Wexford Carol,” tells the story of Christ’s birth and is believed to have been written as early as the 12th century. This beautiful song is one of the most famous traditional Irish Christmas songs.

8. See a Live Performance of Irish Dancing

Dance is a lively part of Irish culture that can be enjoyed either as a spectator or a participant. Musical celebrations, such as ancient Celtic dancing, are believed to have originated with tribal Celts dancing in circles around stones in reverence to the Sun God. One of the most famous live Irish dance performances you can enjoy today is Riverdance shows. These lively events are sure to delight the whole family and remind you of your roots this Christmas season.

9. Traditional Irish Christmas Morning Breakfast

Nothing gets the body ready for a Christmas Day swim like sharing breakfast with your loved ones. Stay in your matching jammies for added comfort while you enjoy a traditional Irish Christmas breakfast. Eggs served either scrambled or fried are enjoyed with a choice of sausages or bacon. It sounds simple, but it’s the perfect start to a Christmas morning. 

Honor Irish Christmas traditions by serving soda bread or potato bread as toast, a nod to Celtic roots. Spices and oats make up an Irish festive food called Black and White Pudding, traditionally served for special occasions. Balance all the richness out with fried or grilled tomatoes. It adds a fresh flavor to the meal! A piping hot tea for some caffeine makes for the perfect Christmas morning wake-up.

10. Exchange Thoughtful Gifts

Irish Christmas traditions are only complete with the unwrapping of traditional Irish gifts. The best way to gift-give while sharing a magical Christmas morning with your loved ones is to exchange thoughtful, high-quality Irish Christmas gifts. When you choose intricately designed jewelry crafted with traditional Celtic heritage in mind, it shows the recipient just how much you care. 

Nothing says, “I love you,” like a meaningful gift with sentimental value on Christmas Day. Giving to both loved ones and those in need is a vital part of Celtic tradition. Caring for others has long been a core value of Celtic heritage. Simplify your Christmas shopping this year by browsing our wide selection of beautiful Irish Christmas gifts. Skip the hectic Christmas markets by shopping from the comfort of your home. 

11. Traditional Irish Christmas Dinner

In Irish homes, Christmas Day feasting is an all-day event. As the day goes on, adults can warm up the Christmas Day cocktail hour with a hot whiskey for a traditional Irish treat before everyone enjoys a delicious Christmas dinner together at the table. 

Cozy up with a warm cup of vegetable or potato leek soup while the roast turkey and traditional spiced beef are being prepared. The spices to cure this meat can be applied three weeks ahead and include salt, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and a little sugar. 

On Christmas Day in Ireland, spiced meat is boiled for five to seven hours, depending on how tender your chosen cut is. Spiced beef is best served thinly sliced on a piece of brown soda bread and topped with either horseradish or fruit chutney, depending on whether you like savory or sweet. No holiday meal in Ireland is complete without traditional mince pies and Irish Christmas cake topped with marzipan icing and served with bourbon creams!

12. Women’s Christmas

Perhaps one of the most unique Irish Christmas traditions your family can observe is Women’s Christmas. January 6th is known in the Christian tradition as Epiphany or Three Kings Day, commemorating the Biblical story of the wise men visiting the infant Christ and bearing gifts. In Irish houses, this day marks the end of the Christmas holiday season, and families take down their Christmas trees and other decorations. 

Lovingly referred to as Women’s Little Christmas, tradition in Ireland makes this a day of women’s rest as a special treat for all their hard work to create Christmas magic! After a festive season of huge social gatherings, relaxing while everyone else cleans up is just what the woman in your life needs. On this day, the men take over household chores, returning the home to its normal state and organizing the decorations in wait for next December.

Bring Home the Traditions of an Irish Christmas

This holiday season, celebrate Celtic heritage as if you’re in Ireland with these heartwarming Irish Christmas traditions. The delight your family members will experience when they open traditional Irish Christmas gifts will create sentimental memories while honoring your Irish heritage, making it feel just as special as having Christmas in Ireland.