How do you make yours magical?

[manchita]

Lots of moaning on here about how commercial and plastic Christmas is. I agree that there this an element of this but I also think it is possible to make it a magical, peaceful time.
How do you celebrate?

Our dc listen out for jingle bells on Christmas eve, go to the blessing of the crib and we leave snowy footprints around the house on Christmas morning.

When ds1 was 2 or 3 we woke him up late at night to watch through the window as my dad dressed up as Santa walked up the drive, then turned round and waved to him. He was very excited at the time but had completely forgotten it by the next morning - d'oh!

Oh that's lovely!!!

My children love searching for the pile of reindeer poo in the garden [dates or prunes]

We mix glitter and porrige together and make a twinkly trail ( landing strip if you will!)up to the door where there will be carrots for them and mince pie and whiskey for FC ( that's what he orders in this house!)

Send the dc to your parents on boxing day .Then you and your partner go back to bed with a bottle of bucks fizz

I read The Night before Christmas to them just before they go to bed - actually DD read it last year, which was even more special!

Mainly by avoiding getting too caught up in the build up, doing shopping online/without children in tow and being very selective about what we take the children along to during December.

Went to the local Christingle service this year, which was definitely magical - 50 or so children, from about 2 to 18, holding lit Christingles and singing Away in a Manger. Even the teenagers made it magical, by singing away with a really sheepish look on their faces!!!

The girls are also making it magical all on their own, by putting on their own nativity plays at the drop of a hat. DD1 has trained DD2 (age 2) to stand with her hands in a prayerful pose, gazing into a shoe-box "manger".

(sigh - I know it will be a lot harder when they are a few years older!)