How old was your child when they first "got" Christmas?

[Terramirabilis]

DS will be sixteen months at Christmas, and compared to last year when he was four months and had no clue, I am assuming that he will be joining in more by opening and playing with presents, interacting more with family members who come to see us, he'll be able to eat the food etc. But I'm not anticipating he'll really understand that Christmas is a special time or be able to look forward to it.

So I'm curious when will be the first year that he will "get" Christmas. Not to the point of understanding the whole Christmas story necessarily, but in terms of being able to look forward to the event, understand that Santa will be coming and be excited by that etc. Will next year at 2.4 be too soon for that? When did your DCs first "get Christmas"?

[MrsNuckyThompson]

I'm hoping DS will get Christmas this year when he's 2.9 months, but in reality I think it might even be another year after this one!

His first Christmas he was 9 months and really didn't get it. Then last year he was 1.9 and although he enjoyed the new toys and looking at the tree etc, he had no anticipation for Christmas. That's the real beauty I think - them getting ready for Father Christmas and looking forward to seeing what presents they'll get etc etc. And definitely at 1.9 he was too young for that.

I'll watch with interest what others say!

[MrsNuckyThompson]

Obviously I meant 2.9 YEARS!!!

[milkmilklemonade12]

Well to be honest it was only last year that DS cared about 'presents from FC' and he was a very young 4 at Christmas. He liked the presents and lights etc long before that (obviously!) I've always had young versions of ages though; so if you've got a spring/summer baby you might well have more luck!

[BeansInBoots]

Dd will be 2.11 at christmas thus year and i dont predict her understanding or looking forward to it! Probably at nearly 4..

[glenthebattleostrich]

DD really got it last year, she was 4.

This year she's already asking about it!

[BertieBotts]

About four I think. That makes sense because I 0/1/2 they aren't really aware that it's not just a normal day, three is the first year it's really exciting and different, and by four they can actually remember that far back. Before four they don't really get anticipation of the future unless it's something they can remember being excited about before. So a three year old might get excited for sweets or Grandma's house but they won't get excited about something that they haven't experienced before because they can't create a mental picture of what something is going to be like yet.

[maplepecanpie]

The first time DS really understood Christmas was last year. He was 3.10. It was the first year he was jumping about on Christmas Eve and really excited. The year before that, so at 2.10, he was a bit too overwhelmed by all the present opening and everything going on. And he didn't quite get on Christmas Eve what was going to happen the following day.

[LokiBear]

dd was 3 last year and she got it! It 2 as wonderful. However, before that it was just as lovely as she enjoyed the day itself, just didn't have any concept of the run up. I have fond memories of her at 18 months 'oooohing' every time we put the tree lights on.

[museumum]

Ds is 23mo so will be 2+4mo this Xmas. I really doubt he'll understand the abstract "looking forward to" bit of Xmas.

[Bellebella]

Last year my son was 16 months and did enjoy opening presents and of course playing with the toys but that was about it. This year I think he will do more but still won't fully get it or appreciate it. He is still not talking though so that is more of a challenge for us.

I think next year when he is 3 he will start to get Santa and the whole excitement of christmas.

Doesn't stop me taking him along to christmas events and doing activities though

[Lucked]

A few weeks off three and he got it all. The nativity story, Santa, advent calendar, trees, decorations - he loved it all. He has retained it all as well and will talk about Christmas if there is a TV show with snow or something.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Mine are now 15.6 and 13 so this is a long time ago for me

DS was 3yo when DD was 6 months. He knew it was a soecial time. GPs were staying, the decorations, the Traditions.
We took an afternoon off Nursery to go to see Father Christmas and buy a present for DD.
Went to the shed on Christmas Eve to see The Sleeping Elf with a candlelamp.

He came downstairs in his PJs (DD was rolling about in her baby gro-bag)
and saw the piles of presents under the tree.

"What a mess " he squawked . "What a mess".

(Probably what the Nursery said when the toys were left lying )

We show him the video to him now.

[RamblingRosieLee]

yea about 4 really, its a short window of only 3 ish years before it crumbles

[chanie44]

Ds understood last year when he was 4, but I had to explain everything from scratch. This year, he should remember, so I won't need to.

He's going to be in year 1 at school so he will be sharing the excitement with his friends.

[GoooRooo]

DS didn't understand really last year. He'll be 3.9 this Christmas and I suspect will have more of a grasp on what's going on.

[Iloveroxette]

Mine is 2.8 years, and has been talking about Xmas since the last one

She was a bit overwhelmed last year on the day and didn't realise what was happening

Think she will get Xmas eve this year though

A few times she's seen an elderly lady in supermarket wearing red coat and white perm and shouted 'ho ho ho'!

[GoooRooo]

A few times she's seen an elderly lady in supermarket wearing red coat and white perm and shouted 'ho ho ho'! haha!

Our neighbour across the road is a man in his 70s with white hair and a beard. DS shouts "Santa" at him as a greeting. He's a good sport about it!

[SaltySeaBird]

DD is 2.10 now, so a little over two last year and enjoyed it but we didn't think she fully understood the concept.

Last week my Dsis took her shopping and she saw a toy she really wanted but was told it was too big and too expensive and she replied "it's okay, Mr HoHoHo will bring it when he visits next."

It obviously made a bigger impression than we thought ...

[SideOrderofChips]

DD1 got it at about 4

DD2 got it last year at 3.5

[TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge]

Completely different to most as ds has severe autism and learning dis.

Up until he was around 7, he enjoyed his advent calendar, would open presents but needed encouraging to play with them. Didn't really get the whole thing at all. Infact, on Christmas morning he would wake up, we'd go downstairs, he'd see the presents but completely bypass them and go straight to sit at the dining table waiting for his breakfast! :D Not an ounce of anticipation in sight, he just didn't get the big deal. His main excitement came, back then, from being surprised with seeing the tree and lights when he woke on 1st December - I used to be up all night making it lovely for him because that was his excitement, along with the Christmas Eve stuff -both of us with new Christmas themed pyjamas, put on after a bath in Christmas bubbles, watching The Polar Express, having Chinese delivered then putting Rudolph and Santas treats out and me reading The Night Before Christmas and Shhhh! Santa. That was the important bit to him!!!

When he reached 7, after lots of working on it, he finally got it and boy didn't that excitement come. It was the very first year he'd woken up and shouted 'Santa's been' and ran downstairs to check for presents, didn't want breakfast and just dug right in. He still did, and still does occasionally, open and put them to one side, but there are always presents he now looks at, plays with instantly and gets excited about. His most exciting one for him was the Christmas he got Windows 7 -not on a computer, but the operating system on disc in a box, he had tonnes of other presents as I go a little nuts at Christmas but he was routing through all the presents trying to find the one that would be Windows 7, was incredibly excited and then spent 3 hours sat at the laptop waiting for it to install :D :D :D

Now at 16, he's as big a Christmas nut as I am and starts his excitement and lists as soon as we come back from our annual holiday in August. His Christmas list still always starts with a tree, turkey (used to be 'great big chicken') and cake though :D :D

[Mrscog]

DS was 2.10 last year and didn't really get it (certainly wasn't hyperactive with excitement or anything). This year at 3.10 I think he will in a massive way.

[PosterEh]

I think dd will really get it this year (nearly 4). But it won't be until next year that she'll anticipate it coming.

[shockedballoon]

3.5 - he was excited about the run up and father Xmas coming, though was less excited by Xmas eve as he had raging chicken pox!

[Rowboat]

I think dd got it and 2.5 years but she also got a baby brother that Christmas. Last year when she was 3.5 she remembered an awful lot from the year before. Amazing memory for events and places. Last year she was in a "'tivity" play and everything so she definitely understood it on more than one level. This year will be epic. Ds will be just 2 the week before and he copies dd in everything and does a good line in excitement. Can't wait.

[Twodogsandahooch]

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