How to make Christmas special for a two year old

[orangejuicer]

My DS turns 2 in November. I'm not sure he will be able to take it all in but I'd love some ideas for what to do in the run up to Christmas and the day itself and what traditions to start etc? Please?

Think very carefully about starting traditions. Youll be stuck with it the next 20 years or so! Tbh at 2 he wont remember or understand muc bat all.
Make paperchains
Make a decorations for the tree
Church?

Id have a good look around your local area to see what there is available. No point diciding you want to do x if y and z are available.

We have always had an advent calendar with pockets and put an activity in each day. These are not expensive (almost all are v cheap/free) or difficult, but they are still enjoyed by our older children so it has evolved as they've grown but we never stopped it. We are not sure what we will do when they have all left home as we would miss it ourselves!

So 'watch The Snowman' 'go to see Christmas lights', 'make mince pies' 'do some Christmas colouring' 'make paperchains' that sort of thing.

We make a big thing of planning what we will eat on the day, everyone is involved in that.

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

Think very carefully about starting traditions. Youll be stuck with it the next 20 years or so! Tbh at 2 he wont remember or understand muc bat all. Make paperchains Make a decorations for the tree Church?

Id have a good look around your local area to see what there is available. No point diciding you want to do x if y and z are available.

That's really helpful thank you. We don't normally do much ourselves for various reasons but I don't want DS to miss out.

@PracticingPerson

We have always had an advent calendar with pockets and put an activity in each day. These are not expensive (almost all are v cheap/free) or difficult, but they are still enjoyed by our older children so it has evolved as they've grown but we never stopped it. We are not sure what we will do when they have all left home as we would miss it ourselves!

So 'watch The Snowman' 'go to see Christmas lights', 'make mince pies' 'do some Christmas colouring' 'make paperchains' that sort of thing.

We make a big thing of planning what we will eat on the day, everyone is involved in that.

Thank you, fab suggestions. I think the snowman works but the sequel was traumatising!

I think the traditions are so nice though, the trick is to not have anything too onerous, expensive or rigid. You just turn normal Christmas prep/things into traditions. For example one tradition we have is a session listening to Christmas CDs. That's so easy but the older kids still love it.

Go and choose a Christmas tree to buy
Decorate the Christmas tree
Read the nativity story
Send a letter to Father Christmas
Sleep next to the Christmas tree
Make reindeer food
For the last couple years, a few days before Christmas we’ve gone driving to look at Christmas lights late at night. It’s awesome! Take popcorn and hot chocolate in travel mugs, and have Christmas music playing in the car. It’s basically free entertainment for the kids, and it’s nice quiet family time where everyone is strapped down. We call it a Christmas light safari.
Watch ‘The Snowman’
Go to the library for Christmas books
Drink hot chocolate with marshmallows together
Deliver presents to family
Bake cookies for Father Christmas
Decorate a paper plate on which to leave a mince pie/cookie/whatever you leave out for Father Christmas.
Take a bag of old toys to the charity shop or some food to the local food bank.
Collect pine cones

Personally I think it's lovely to start traditions with your own child. Yeah, maybe don't do the most elaborate elf on the shelf stuff when he's two but there's plenty of nice things to do.

DS loved one of the illumination trails when he was 2. Are there any Santa visits? London Zoo emailed me to say they have a Santa this year.

At 2 he can do the putting out a mince pie and carrot for Rudolph, and he could decorate Christmas cards for people?

There's a thread you might like, I'll find it.

toddler Christmas activities

lots of nice but cheap ideas here too

On my soapbox here but elf on the shelf is fucked up IMO, a truly nasty invention. Traditions should be cosy and happy. Sorry, as you were...

Each year we go to a garden centre and they choose a tree decoration with the plan being that when they leave home they can take them with them. Each year they rediscover old favourites and cringe at some of their choices. They each have their own box and on 12th night they all go away and process upstairs like the three kings with their boxes. To be fair the last bit has waned a little now they are teenagers but they are all really hopeful that they can still pick a Christmas decoration this year despite covid.

At 2 though try not to overwhelm them with presents on the day. Spread them out or leave some for other days.

We go to a tree farm to choose our tree, then get them each a hot chocolate and a candy cane in the cafe.
Decorate the tree together.
Make paper chains and paper snowflakes to hang round the house.
Visit Santa (not this year)
Get Santa messages from PNP.
Go for a Christmas Eve walk to look at lights

Brilliant ideas, thanks everyone! No risk of elf on a shelf