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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Christmas traditions to start with my 2yr old dd...

6 replies

lchats · 15/11/2013 15:55

I want to start a fun family Xmas tradition that's just 'our' family's. I had really lovely chrimbos when I was young but not many replicable 'traditions' ... Love to start one this year if possible. Any suggestions?

OP posts:
attheendoftheday · 15/11/2013 18:10

Dd1 is 2.7 this christmas, our christmas traditions so fat are:

Goose for christmas dinner.
Stockings and joint bigger present from father christmas.
Advent calendar with little presents in.
Early fake christmas with dmil, dbil, dsil and dcousins.
Weekend at dm's (other end of the country) in early dec.
Extra christmas present appears under the tree during dinner, this is an activity for us to do together (this year a jigsaw).
Going to the village carol service with the other toddlers and parents.
Going to the toddler group christmas party to meet father christmas, and the village christmas party to see father christmas (luckily the same person is father christmas at both).
The dog gives everyone a dog-themed present.
Going shopping for dd1 to choose a present for the dog (this year will get something for dd2 too).
Making christmas cards.

This year we're going to add:

Christmas eve hamper to arrive by magic after our christmas eve walk.
Making paperchains and other decorations.
Making foody presents for grandparents.
Simple treasure hunt on christmas morning (leading to trampoline in garden).
Our own version of elf on the shelf, we have a little tomten doll (a sort of Scandinavian house spirit) who hides around the house and dd1 finds in the morning (in the future he'll probably bring choc, but not until the dds are a bit older). None of the 'santa is watching you' stuff, and we're not pretending he's magic, it's just a game to play.

There's probably more, but that's all I can think of right now.

lchats · 15/11/2013 18:13

Exactly the kind of things I was looking for... All sounds wonderful....

OP posts:
BatPenguin · 15/11/2013 18:30

Lots of people do it, but have you seen the reindeer food for LO's to scatter on xmas eve? We are going to do this when ours is old enough to understand. So do the usual leaving out mince pies and carrots etc then scatter reindeer food up the garden path. Smile
We are also planning to do puzzles on christmas eve with christmassy films on.
Can't wait!

LondonJax · 15/11/2013 18:55

We make the reindeer food each year - A bit of bran so the reindeer can sniff their way if it is foggy and a sprinkle of glitter so they can find their way in the moonlight. DH has the job of sprinkling it just before DS goes to bed on Christmas Eve. The first time we used this it was truly magical. It began to snow as DH was sprinkling the stuff and all the glitter shone in the patio lights. Next day DS looked out and, in the snow were some fox tracks which DS was convinced were reindeer footprints and, of course, right by their side were the boot prints from DH the night before which DS was sure were from Father Christmas boots!

We also have a magic, glittered cardboard key which we put outside on Christmas eve. We have a fire place but it's a log burner and DS was worried the big man would get stuck so we used a key DS made at nursery. Great it you have kids worried about people getting in the house as the key can't open any doors, only Father Christmas can make it work.

We started, last year, to have an advent calendar with little books for each day. The books tell the Christmas story. So we decorate the tree with the books, DS finds the right one each day and we read about Mary and Joseph, King Herod or whatever and then he puts the book in the calendar. I am hoping that'll be something he can keep going each year. We used to do the ordinary advents but they just tore so easily when DS was smaller - he is six now.

And our final tradition is that I have squirreled away one of DS's old bell musical rattles. As soon as we hear him stir on Christmas morning I dash out of bed and shake the blessed thing outside his room! Then I dash back to bed. Every year he comes rushing in to us shouting that he's heard the bells, Father Christmas has been! Magical!

Oh, and of course, we leave the mince pie and carrots out for the reindeer and either DH or I will cut off the top of the carrot and bite it so there are reindeer teeth marks in it!

Just be careful that you don't do as my sister used to. She got into the habit of doing a present for Father Christmas which they left with the mince pie etc. Which was fine until my niece started noticing that Father Christmas's slippers or whatever were remarkably like her dad or grandad's so my sister started to buy from a charity shop, hide it and give it back after Christmas - waaayyy to complicated!

attheendoftheday · 15/11/2013 23:38

If you're doing reindeer food, it's better to put edible glitter in, normal glitter will poison the wildlife attracted to the oats/bran, which isn't really in the spirit of christmas.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 16/11/2013 00:00

Edible glitter from Lakeland or IIRC Hobbycraft.
We put coloured sugar in ours as well.

Ichats for a 2yo, maybe take them out to let them buy a decoration.

A line of tealights in jars on the lawn? They'll burn for a couple of hours and make a runway for the sleigh

And of course, a Christmas Eve Hamper Grin

Make some special cakes on Christmas Eve (fairy cakes, icing and sprinkles. Leave one out for Father Christmas)

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