Christmas Traditions

[VeronicaFranklin]

Hi everyone

I'm a FTM and my little girl will be 6 months in December and although she will be too young to know what is going on this year, I really want to start some Christmas traditions to carry on as she gets older.

I remember Christmas as a child being absolutely magical and the thought of it now makes me feel warm and fuzzy and nostalgic, mainly because my parents who worked lots were home more at Christmas and seemed to have more time for me and my brother, my mum baked with us which she never had time for the rest of the year, we played board games instead of watching tv, home made tree decorations, all our neighbours called round with gifts, the weekly trips to the supermarket in December used to be magical with music playing, twinkly lights and festive goodies everywhere and everyone just generally seemed merrier and it was the only time of the year when we got presents/toys apart from our birthdays. My parents didn't have much money and we never got the latest brands or fashionable toys that I remember my friends getting, but me and my brother we're always so grateful and happy at whatever presents we got, we always made the best of it. I feel with some of my nieces and nephews that magic has been lost somewhere.

I remember the build up of Christmas Eve excitement was the best... and then Christmas Day shared with family and my mum would bring out the 'posh' food and just never wanting the day to end.

I feel like the world is much more materialistic now and that it's difficult to keep the magic alive especially when kids nowadays seem to get toys all year round...my nieces get a toy every time they go to Sainsbury's! Also the shops start Christmas in August so I feel like by the time we get to December the kids have just about had their festive fill!

How do you keep Christmas special for your little ones? What are your Christmas traditions?

I like:

cardboard advent calendar with pictures behind the windows. Absolutely no gifts or chocolate in those windows.

advent candle where you burn it down just to the next line/day.

home-made decorations.

home-made Christmas biscuits etc.

Christmas crafts -often can be made into presents or cards for grandma etc.

Don’t put decorations up too early. I prefer Christmas Eve, but that’s not really practical, so the week before Christmas.

A nativity set.

If finances allow, a trip to the pantomime or theatre.

I didn’t do this but wish I had: a special Christmas bauble that is theirs and which comes out every year. Or some people get a new bauble every year to add to the collection.

We do a North Pole breakfast on the 1st of December. Christmas table cloth and decorations on the table with the advent calendars. If it’s the weekend then would do something like snowman shaped pancakes. Usual breakfast if it’s a school day (might cut the toast with Christmas shapes).

Candy canes and a few mini cookies sprinkled around from the elf who has of course arrived.

I know some people will shudder at idea but the kids love it and it’s a nice start to December and all our other Christmas traditions

• reverse advent calendar for the food bank
• decorate the tree together
• local Christmas shoebox gift appeal - we do one for a child equivalent to my kids ages and they really enjoy putting them together
• making Christmas cards (usually a hand or footprint design)
• Christmas lights switch on
• visit the Coca Cola lights lorry
• visit FC
• Christmas Eve - baking, wildlife friendly reindeer food sprinkling and matching pjs

Watching - DC1 is 7 and I’m pretty aware that soon he’s going to stop believing. They only really start getting excited and knowing what’s going on around age 3. That was not long ago! It goes so fast.

I feel a bit meh about it all as we didn’t get into traditions quick enough - our house is not big enough to host so we’ve been either just us at home (I think a lot of the magic of Christmas comes from a bustling house?) or travelling down to my parents’ and not being in our own home (on edge as a guest even though it’s the house I grew up in it’s not the same).

DC3 is 6 months currently so her first Xmas so that will keep the magic gojng for older DCs perhaps :)

Our traditions:

• local houses Xmas light walk/drice
• build the Lego Home Alone house advent calendar style - a bit a day
• loads of xmas movies
• kids have their own xmas tree for their nursery and school decs which they love
• maybe a light trail but have been disappointment in recent years
• xmas portrait - every year I’ve taken a pic of the kids in front of the tree, with last year’s pic in the background :)
• antipasti/cheeseboard dinner for me and DH on xmas eve but that might have to change as the kids get older

Just really want it lovely and magical but I just can’t 😭😭 the whole vibe is nostalgia which is impossible to capture by definition really!

Ah you have just described the nostalgia and magic of christmas so well! I loved going to the supermarket too!

Remember that your perception an experience of Christmas will be nothing like what your child sees and experiences - they still see the magic that we dont.

There are some lovely ideas from PP!

One of my favourite memories was counting how many houses had christmas lights while we drove ! very simple and i loved it.

I remember my mum got some cookie cutters of hooves and dipped them int he milk we left out for father Christmas so it looked like the reindeer had walked over the table

I remember the smell of the beef my mum always cooked overnight christmas eve wafting up the stairs and making the house seem really warm

Helping mum put up the tree - Christmas music on and she cracked out a tin of quality street and hot chocolate.

Slot in nativity scene advent calendar.
Tree going up last day of term
Evening shopping / lantern parade / Carols in market place

The best traditions arise organically. You do things once, think that was nice, next year you do it again...

Other traditions:

• me getting stressed by DDs squabbling over decorating tree (resolved by me going and lying down and letting DH oversee)
• me getting stressed when DH decides to do an unessential job when we are getting ready for visitors (now resolved by agreeing list in advance)

We always have a real Christmas tree, and go to a farm to choose it with the DC.

A Father Christmas visit - need to find one for this year!

Advent calendars hanging up for when they come downstairs on 1st December - we have the fabric ones that you fill so I buy Christmassy chocs from Lidl, mini Santa’s etc.

Little things like Christmas tree shaped crumpets and seasonal pasta from Lidl throughout the month of December.

Christmas films, both my DC love the Polar Express and the Grinch. They’ll be almost 7 and 3 (and 3/4) this Christmas so will find some new ones to add and hopefully do some Christmas movie afternoons where they might actually sit still and cwtch up.

Started Elf on the Shelf last year after eye rolling at it previously (DC were almost 6 and 2 last year) and my older child absolutely loved it. So will be carrying that on. I don’t do much with it, just move it to funny positions/write the odd note. A friend had the idea of her elf leaving the DC a magazine/little activity gift on Christmas Eve which I think is genius, a little something to keep them occupied when they’re over excited.

We did an outdoor lights display last year. Ridiculously overpriced but DC enjoyed so booked that for the Monday before Christmas this year.

Need to do more things like baking really, don’t do anywhere near enough with my DC.

I also love the idea of adding a charity tradition - either shoe box or food bank advent.

DH and I always wrap/build (DH) the kids’ presents on Christmas Eve and do a Santa set up - bite of the mince pie and carrot, snowy (flour) footprints, a note from Santa who leaves chocolate Santas on the mince pie plate, and the last couple of years McDonald’s have done an app where you can “film” a reindeer in your house.