First Christmas as a single mum - new traditions to make it special

[notjustamother]

It's my first Xmas as a single mum. Kids are 6 months - 11 years old. Just wanted some ideas to make it extra special this year as it's the first one I'm doing alone, I haven't got loads of money to go wild (nor would I want to) so just trying to think of fun things to do and make it's a bit more fun and more memorable and take all of our minds off the fact dads not there.

How about simple things like staging the same photo for years to come (maybe holding a sign saying Christmas 2019 and so on).
Watching the same film or reading the same book each year.
We buy 2 new Christmas tree decorations each year, one with the year on and one with her name on. These get added to each year and it’s lovely for her to look back at them.

Treasure hunts. I’ve done one every year since DS was tiny, now he’s 23 he helps me set them up for his 6 year old sister. A letter in the stocking from Santa leading to clues hidden all over the house/garden leading to a special present (not usually the main present or an expensive one) Both my children love them and it’s what they most look forward to on Christmas morning

Movie night on Christmas Eve. PJs, popcorn, hot chocolate, lights off so you can pretend you’re at the cinema. DD loves the Nativity! Movies and Home Alone

Hi @notjustamother ty a k you for starting this thread, I was about to post the same myself!

It’s my second Christmas as a single mum but last year had friends round. This year it’s just me and my two boys (7 and 5). I worry about it all feeling a bit flat.

A movie, popcorn and hot chocolate on Christmas Eve?

So many nice ideas on the photo but I had 10 years of single parent Christmases and I think the things I remember most are just nice little trips to Christmas events, even the school Christmas Fayre. But just watching Christmas films and making Christmas cookies or saltdough tree decorations are lovely things to do.

Christmas Eve is my fave because of the snuggling up and watching The Snowman!

Cosy Christmas Eve watching the snowman and snowman and snowdog drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Make a gingerbread house kit and take photos so you can compare this years effort to next year's.
All get involved preparing Xmas dinner. Older ones peeling potatoes to a Christmas song CD.

Xmas evening playing board games with dodgy Xmas music rather than watching tv. My kids all older teens now enjoy this and the food more than presents. They like the focussed family time.

When smaller we always kid pre Xmas crafts together

Could you change the food you have, do they want the traditional meal? Might be a cheaper one too if they only want pigs in blankets and chips!

My exh’s parents used to do a ‘tree present’ on Boxing Day, something inexpensive for each of them and also the tree chocolates were divvied up between the kids. Just stretched out the presents a bit more. Or you could do table presents at the Christmas Day meal, my cousin had a knitted snowman that covered a container into which she placed a little gift for each of them. Quite a good thing to do instead of crackers.

This was a great thread to start! It will be my first too. We already have lots of traditions so I will keep those up. One I have decided to add though will be a stocking for me that I will fill with lovely indulgent gifts on Christmas eve to open on Christmas Day. It will be nice to feel spoilt for one!

Love the treasure hunt idea, definitely copying that! What a brilliant way to make the present opening last longer and feel more of an "event".

Our stuff: drive round after dark to look out for the best lights, taking cards and home-made something round to close neighbours (many elderly and alone), decorating the tree together, decorating DC bedroom, stocking (REMEMBER to do a stocking for yourself with tiny treats, I forgot once and scrambled round house at midnight wrapping bits I thought DD wouldn't recognise so would think Santa had still remembered me!) We sometimes do a cheap travel lodge night away together somewhere just so we can have a sleepover all in a big bed. A scavenger hunt can be a good way to string out a Boxing Day walk (lots of ideas on Pinterest). Do the food you all want and like, not the food you feel you should

Get some Christmas books from the library and read one a night to them
Bake Christmas biscuits. Give some to relatives.
Buy something for the foodbank
Watch Christmas films
Go out for a walk to see the lights on Christmas Eve and to a park with hot chocolate in a flask on Boxing Day.

Kids decorate the tree. Xmas day, youngest(helped) to oldest hand out a present to each other. Each child gets to lay a certain part of the table. Make a xmas cocktail, orange juice and lemonade for the older. Get the older kids to take photos, some with you actually in them! You don't get a mince pie/cake/ice-cream if you are not wearing your paper crown!
Could you get them all matching pj's, from Primark maybe? Or if that is a stretch, one gets a pj top, one the legs, one gets slipper sox, baby gets new bib. Turn it into a silly game. Maybe you end up wearing the bib for a hat, using a sock as a puppet reading a story, all under a duvet on the settee.
Keep those xmas cards to turn into gift labels later in the hols.

Make the house like a grotto! Battery candle lights... Fairy lights... Maybe hold some back for Xmas morning... Wilko etc do really cheap ones.

Perhaps foil garland over the door... To the room with the tree....

Music!! Music music and more music... Again keep some back they will really love.

Lots of fun treat food... Silly games... Relaxed fun...

When I was little (mum was single) I loved that we had hot chocolate with skooshy cream at Christmas and I still do that with my children (and mini marshmallows).

I think I was allowed to eat chocolate from my stocking in the morning (malteasers still remind me of Christmas). And I used to get to open one present on Christmas eve which was always a video to watch whilst we finished wrapping presents.

Good thing for the older children is to give them a few quid and take them to a big supermarket to buy you a gift. Then there is a surprise for you on the day and they feel great when you are really pleased with what they have chosen.

This will be my third Christmas as a single parent since my dc dad died. We don’t really have any other family so my ds really feels it just being the two of us. Does anyone have any tips how to special that up a bit.
Great thread op

We always go shopping for a new decoration for each the children to put on the tree. They always enjoy getting the old ones out each year and makes the tree more personal.

Thanks everyone some really great ideas!! I think even on a limited budget I could make a lot of these work! DC will see dad but not until the evening or Boxing Day! His parents make such a big thing and go totally OTT I'm just a bit worried they will hate a quiet Xmas with me and would be wishing they would rather be there, I don't want to let them down especially having such a crappy end to the year!

I think my friend is going to come and help put up the tree to make it a bit more special! And we always go to our local town to see the light switch on and have dinner so I'm still going to do that alone! (Saved my clubcard points for pizza express) I love the idea of a scavenger hunt the kids would love that!! Thanks everyone I am going to copy these down and try and work these into our new routine!!

If it's your sort of thing, a lot of Anglican churches (maybe other denominations too?) have a Christingle service on Christmas Eve, I took DGD to one a couple of years ago and we both enjoyed it.