Can I start a Christmas tradition with a 1yo

[FarOverTheRainbow]

Me and my OH have just split up so by the time Christmas comes I should hopefully be in a new house with DD who will be 14m. I'd like to start a Christmas tradition but don't really know what and she's not going to know but i think it would be nice for us. Any ideas of what I can do or if I should a few years?

Traditions would be more for you at this stage but why not?

How about new jammies on Xmas eve along with a new tree decoration? She could hang one on the tree each year and when she's grown up she will have her own special collection.

You could also include particular things in an Xmas stocking that you do every year - with ours we always include undies (might be a tad early for this year :o), socks, magic flannel, toothbrush.

I think that's a lovely idea. It doesn't matter if she won't remember it. You will, and that's just as important.

Do you have happy Christmas memories? Use those.

For example, as children, we always had stockings, for little gifts, and my DC do now. We didn't have to wait for older people to wake up, we could open them as soon as we liked. My DC do the same.

(I'm sure this is not madly unique to us, but it's special to me now, because I remember it when I was a child.)

Will you have family over for Christmas?

My dad used to take my DC out to feed ducks or to the park on Christmas Eve.

YY to the PJs and a nice bath soak.
Choosing a special decoration

Night Before Christmas is lovely but your DD will be more aware of the pictures than the text, so you could get a book with lovely illustrations.

We used to take DS out in his backpack (DH carried him, I'd already carried for 9 months) to see the lights in the shopping centres.

Then the Christmas I was pg with DD, we took DS to London. (he was 2yo). As we came out of Covent Garden, it started to snow. .
DS was high up and safe.
He's convinced he can remember it but he's just remembering all the times we've told him.

You can start the Traditions and the memories. Take photos.
Then she'll have that to look back on.

Primark Christmas Jumper is essential.

Thanks for all the help

My mum will be with me and we will see other family over Christmas.

When I was younger we always watched a particular film so I might try an find that and maybe a picture Christmas book. I like the idea about new pjs and a tree decoration, maybe one with the year on and I can keep them with a picture of us putting it on the tree each year and she can see then as she gets older we can add in a hot chocolate and cookies for Santa.

Thank you, it's made me feel a little excited that me and my girl can have our little family traditions

Each night through advent we read a Christmas story by candlelight. DS1 is now 11, and we still sometimes read the 'baby' stories alongside the newer 'age appropriate' ones. Now they are older they all enjoy a hot chocolate with cream and sprinkles with it too.

When I was growing up we always had a soft toy on the top of the stocking. It wasn't until I was about 18 and we had Christmas with my new step-relatives that I realised that wasn't something everybody did!

My boys also love the PJs and an annual on Christmas Eve (something I found out about on here). They get extra excited as some years they have had a new dressing gown, or duvet cover etc too. It is one of the things that gets talked about right through the year when that duvet cover, or sleeping bag etc., comes out for use.

Thanks littlemiss, you lost me at the annuals though?

Sorry, very tired, should be in bed already and definitely not coherent!
Every year I get the boys an annual (www.amazon.co.uk/Octonauts-Annual-2013-Annuals/dp/1405263393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381614155&sr=8-1&keywords=octonauts+annual something like this]] along with pyjamas. They magically appear on Christmas Eve just before they go to bed. Some years, I have added in a duvet cover, or a dressing gown etc. The boys talk about their Christmas Eve presents all through the year so I know it is something they really look forward too. I do have an ulterior motive for these presents, the first is so that they are in a respectable pair of PJs for photos on Christmas morning, the second, I know they won't get straight to sleep so can sit and look at their annuals first.

something like this

Thanks for the link little miss

You could do Elf on the Shelf. I started this last year for me my DS who was 14 months then. Our elf didnt do lots of the things they can do yet as he's too little but did move around to different hiding spots and i'd take DS to find him.

I've also decided to make sure he always gets a toothbrush & chocolate coins in his stocking.

For my DS first christmas i donated £5 to nspcc and Santa sends a special letter to your child, you could do something similar (and not necessarily cost you money if finances are tight).

I grew up in a hot country and for me Christmas eve was the best when we used to get up a the crack of dawn to go & pick fresh strawberries & raspberries to eat on Christmas day. As kids we used to eat more than we picked but we loved it. I now have to hunt down strawberries in the supermarket as for me its not christmas without them.

I'm intrigued OP what film was it you used to watch?

I like the idea of having an elf and hiding him then me and DD going on a hunt to find him Craving

Rudolf that's the film I remember

Craving do you just use an elf Teddy?

Our DS will be just 2 by Christmas and we haven't started any traditions yet - he passed out on the sofa just as lunch was served last year!

How about:
Making Christmas biscuits (can be a simple recipe to begin with) with festive cookie cutters.
Making paper chains.
Stringing together popcorn (looks much nicer than it sounds!), then eat leftover popcorn with a film: Charlie Brown's Christmas, Elf, Muppets Christmas Carol, Polar Express... etc.
Put bubble wrap on the floor and DC walk across it in socks trying not to pop any!
Track Santa on NORAD www.noradsanta.org/
Go for a walk, collects leaves, stick to paper in the shape of a Christmas tree (or something!)
Go see a church nativity somewhere - you don't have to be religious to enjoy one, and churches are so quiet compared to shopping and seeing Christmas lights!
Walk around your neighbourhood looking at neighbours' lights (you might have some 'enthusiastic' decorators.
Are you crafty? You could make cards or wrapping paper (potato printing, handprinting etc).

If you're low on budget www.frugalfamily.co.uk is a great place for inspiration.

When I was small we had a pillowcase full of presents (just one from the airing cupboard) but no stocking. My DSis and I got left one little present on our bed for opening when we woke up as we weren't allowed out of the bedroom/downstairs until mum/dad got us. Didn't bother me then and doesn't bother me now.

I'd like DS to have a small gift on his bed, stocking with us all piled in our bed together (stocking gifts don't have to be wrapped!) and then main presents after lunch. We may bend on the 'after lunch' rule when the time comes, though!

I'd definitely second pp about: walk in the evening in the cold, look at the stars and see if you can guess which one is the brakelight of a sleigh then home, dinner, bath, pjs, film/book, hot choc (depending on age). DS has a fabric Osborne Christmas book www.usborne.com/catalogue/book/1~b~BCB~1303/christmas-cloth-book.aspx it has shiny bits, crinkly bits, soft bits, furry tails and a rattle on the Santa Claus page - he loves it!

Wow, long post enjoy your Christmas

We always go out on Christmas Eve to see the christmas lights in our nearest big city. The christmas elves always visit our house while we're out (i.e. when me/my DH "forget" our keys and have to quickly dash back in..) and leave new PJ's on our DD's beds along with their stockings ready to be hung up. Our DD's are always truly amazed by that... We also always read the night before Xmas.....gets everyone in the mood (as if it were needed!)

Wow some of these ideas are great!!

Theres lots of info about Elf on the Shelf on here (or google it). There is an 'official' Elf doll thing but i found it a bit creepy looking so i just brought a elf online.

The idea is that the elf arrives on the 1st of December, often bringing advet calendars, pj's etc depedning on what suits your family. The Elf then stays until Christmas eve and keeps an eye on your DC to make sure they are being good and then he goes back to the north pole. The elf can get up to lots of mischief during the night and the fun is when the kids go to find the elf in the morning. Things like eating sweets & leaving the wrappers lying around, hiding in the christmas tree with a new decoration, photos of them driving the parents car left beside the car keys, snowball (mashmallows) fights with other toys. Theres loads of ideas on here about what your elf can get up to. I have started it very simple with just hiding around in different places.

Our traditions:
St Nicholas puts sweets and a book/little game in the shoes on the 6th of December.
We get one new decoration each year, it goes in her special christmas decoration box, for when she is all grown up.
We have a mammoth christmas biscuits making session, a whole day just for that. Then we wrap them nicely, take them along with a christmas card and do 'the rounds': neighbours, friends, colleagues, library, veg shop, swimming pool etc. takes us a couple of days to do it. The game we play is 'gratitude' on our way to deliver them. We think of nice things about that person, with close friends/relatives we have a little chat about their year, wishes for the next year, generally we just give it a few moment's thought.

Christmas Eve is always church Nativity play, followed by a buffet type party with friends/family/neighbours. New pyjamas and a Christmas story, then bed.

Christmas Day: breakfast is croisants, the starter is always a baked Camembert, dinner is soup. The rest is a blur of wrapping paper, oven door opening, door bell ringing, telly blaring, mountains of washing up etc.

We play game boards, skype friends and relatives.

I always have a new dress for Christmas day and my DD gets a new dress under the tree too.

Hope this helps :)

Any more ideas

when my boys were younger we bought a new christmas book every year and put their name and the year in the front - I've stopped now that they are both in High School - but it was nice on christmas Eve to go through their books and read a few.

I have done this with my dc since they were born. Sometime in December take them shopping let them choose a tree ornament. Obv when they're so little you help them pick ;).

This means each year they have a new tree decoration and when they move out as adults they have a little box of Xmas memories to take with them for their tree.