How do you make Christmas magical?

[jimjamjoo]

I'm stuck in hospital and thinking about Christmas.

How do you make it magical? I have 3 under 6!

Bicarb Santa footprints

Apart from that, keeping it simple

Start your own traditions which you then do each year, e.g. new PJs xmas eve, going to see the local xmas lights, at least one carol service, panto, chocolate orange in stocking, something they know to expect & enjoy as they get older.

Aw I hope you feel better/get home soon 💓 I find that kids really love the simple things at Christmas. Mine absolutely love their elf, every Christmas day they are more concerned with their elf going away than they are about their presents. Going to see Santa a few days/weeks before and leaving the milk they promised him etc out on Christmas Eve. They are always so excited about this and always check how much he took etc. Selection boxes are always a hit too. Going for a walk on Christmas day to try out their new bike/pram/scooter/truck. You really don't need to spend much when they are young. It's all about the Magic 🥰

Letter to santa / reply from North Pole.
Hot chocolate and different toppings to try served on a tray.
Festive film in the afternoons and blankets
Games
Xmas story books
Ice skating
Xmas lights in the town
Putting tree up with biscuits and milk.
Paper chains
Mince pies

Will you be out for Christmas?

Christmas lights walk. Lots of local statelies and castles have them now.

Panto

This!

It doesn’t have to be Xmas Eve boxes and loads of commercialised trips and events you’ll feel a pressure to maintain. Watch Christmas films, look at the pretty lights in town, go to a christingle service at church (all are welcome).

Talk about it being magical and exciting, and it will be!

Can I make a suggestion? The more organized you are ahead of time, the more time you will have to create the magic in the few days before Christmas. Meal plan like a demon, get your shopping done and gifts wrapped by the first week of December, work out what you want to do and make it happen. I am the sad voice of experience with grown up (or nearly grown up) kids who spent too long running around doing last minute shopping and cooking and cleaning and not making the most of the time I had with them when they were small. I've learned how to do it now but I wish I'd figured it out sooner.

I book a day off work and wrap up all my presents. This works well as I was ruining my own Christmas eve wrapping into the early hours. Not to mention the kids waking up at 5.30 to open everything. P.s. in other news Father Christmas needs booze and a mince pie.

Also when you pack away the decorations get them to write a letter to themselves to open next year, it's amazing how much they change year to year.

My 27 year old said recently that her favourite memory was us driving round looking at the best Christmas lights on local houses. I was so chuffed as I had so little money and worried I could never make it special enough!

Mine look forward to a Christmas light safari every year. We all get in our pjs, get some chips from the chips shop and drive round looking at all the lights with kids snuggled under blankets with Christmas music on. So simple, cheap but magic

Carol service, nativity play, church Christmas morning.

Forest walk with hot chocolate in a thermos, we collect pine cones and holly/ivy etc and then we do crafts with them when we get home. Lots of mess and glitter involved

making gingerbread men, paper chains etc

Christmas film nights, with snacks and picky buffet type food.

drive/walk to see the Christmas lights with the kids in their pjs (we often get a McDonald’s drive through on the way home)

Christmas bath- bath bomb (usually from home bargains!) Christmas music, bath toys, glow sticks in the bath (or we also now have a disco light that goes in the bath- from b&m)

dance party on the evening of the last day of school before Christmas. Christmas music, disco lights and buffet food and we all dance around like idiots.

My three young adults remember their amazing stockings. Full of weird and funny little things and always something ‘big’ and unexpected in them. (Like a £10 toy). Stockings are magic. always include something to play with immediately.

Then the general fuck it and do what you want nature of the day. No policing getting dressing or eating sweets. We had a rule that the first thing you ate on Christmas Day must be chocolate. make as much mess as you want. Leave the wrapping paper strewn about. Relax.

Smells are so important. Christmas should smell of spice and oranges and warmth.

Its only september.
But i make it magical by not doing it.

Ohhh I wish I’d done that !

Agreed.

My top tips from Mumsnet were - as much as possible done/made before and hidden or frozen.

Kids give each other and all other adults gift certificates. Making them chewed up quite a few rainy days. (read a book to younger child, make someones bed for a few days and so on). That always turned out to be the best present btw.
I gave them too - a late night cert, a desert cert, choose the film etc)

Get them to write down all Xmas activities (pre approved by you obvs) and put in a jar. They take turns picking and the family will do that activity that day/ evening (watch a film, bake, go for a walk, sing carols etc). Also another favourite.

Xmas eve we used to spead "magic" fairy dust for Rudolf so he could find the house (glitter). That was HUGE. Next morning there would be prints (mark of a tennis ball) in said dust - PROOF - that he was here. Often with a bit of carrot that clearly fell from his mouth...

We still sing. When putting up the tree, making pies, before each course and so on. We forget how great singing is.

o and Father Christmas always puts ‘naughty’ things in their stockings that mum and dad obviously would never buy 😉 for instance one or two gross joke shop items (fake poo, bugs, whoopie cushion etc) lots of unusual sweets and chocolate, slime, sometimes a fizzy drink etc
we also put in one or two silly things I remember getting as a kid in my stocking (fortune telling fish, kaleidoscope) and then usually a magazine and one or two ‘proper’ small toys that aren’t tat lol

We have a DIY advent calendar (numbered fabric bags on a string). I put a chocolate per family member, a holiday themed joke or fact and an activity in each day. Everything from going on a light trail to putting on festive songs and having a kitchen disco. Some things we've arranged/paid for as activities but mostly stuff we can easily do at home. Mostly we use the same ones every year but switch the dates around depending on our plans. Honestly advent is my fave part of the whole shebang. Really adds to the magic 🤗

Oh yeah 100% this! I spent about a year saying I was never buying them a Pez because I disagree with plastic on top of sugar 😂 but that pesky Claus decided good kids get what they write on their list! Especially when the entire list is 'chocolate and sweets please Santa and something for my little sister who is still too young to write'

Yes, def. a tot of something warming - not cold milk! Who on earth wants that on a brass-monkey December night? That custom belongs firmly across the pond, along with Santa’s cookies. When I visiting the U.K. I have it on good authority that he expects mince pies.

Christmas films, hot chocolate, winter walks looking at the lights!

What do you remember the most about your childhood Christmases OP?

I remember my dad doing this and we loved it , i did the same for my 3 kids , the youngest is 16 and we still do it when we are out driving in the dark.

I love making the house extra cozy and sparkly with candles and fairy lights and lovely scented candles ,

We have a few xmas books that only come out a few weeks before xmas. We read them at bedtimes and the kids love it because they know it’s not long to go.
Decorate the trees together listening to xmas songs.
Xmas eve boxes with new PJs. Hot chocolate and popcorn in for xmas movie night.
Stockings
The thing I loved the most and I remember the most was just spending time with family. Playing silly games. My kids love seeing their cousins and spending time as a family.

Yeah the Christmas drive around was an absolute highlight. Love doing it with my crew!!