Tell Cadbury about the ways your children remind you of the joy in the festive season - £300 voucher to win NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

It's easy to be a bit of a grinch in the run-up to Christmas when you've spent what feels like months shopping, cleaning and preparing for it. The good thing is that kids have a way of reminding us what it's really all about, and Cadbury would like to know about the little ways your children have made you recognise the joy that comes with the Christmas season.

From excited visits to meet Father Christmas, to interesting homemade tree decorations and their boundless energy on the big day itself, Cadbury would like to hear how your kids have made you full of joy at Christmas time.

All those who share the ways their children remind them of the joy in the festive season in a post below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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The excitement in every ritual: the school Christmas fair, singing carols with the choir, making mince pies, choosing a Christmas tree, writing cards, wrapping and delivering presents etc. All too easy to see these as chores but far better from a child's viewpoint doing fun things with the people you love.

We always go to the local pantomime preview and find that combined with the Salvation Army carol concert all end of November/early December gets us in the mood. Then advent calendar, then xmas baking.

How much the little things matter to them. DD2 (2.5) looked at the Christmas trees with such awe, and DD1 (8) was so thrilled to be able to help me wrap up some presents and plan out the Christmas Day menu for this year.

The delighted grin on his face when he sees the Christmas tree all lit up is something I loved seeing last year. He's looked with a lot of curiosity at the few we've seen this year too so I'm really looking forward to decorating our tree with him.

The delighted grin on his face when he sees the Christmas tree all lit up is something I loved seeing last year. He's looked with a lot of curiosity at the few we've seen this year too so I'm really looking forward to decorating our tree with him.

When DD absentmindedly 'sings' Christmas carols while brushing her teeth.

My eldest is 9 and has for the first time started questioning the whole Father Christmas idea, so it seems he isn't a believer anymore. Yet we've just got the advent calendar and Christmas books out, and he is so excited! So nice to see the excitement is still there!

Asking for Christmas stories and songs at bedtime - our current favourites are both the Mog Christmas stories.

Asking me questions about Father Christmas - how will he find us and Gran's house, where does he live etc etc...

The excitement about everything Christmas related!

The joy is in all the details, and the openness to the magic of Christmas. DD loves all the lights, the decorations, the sparkle. She is also very excited about it being her wee sister's first Christmas!

Seeing the presents on Christmas morning and so honestly saying "I haven't been that good!!!"

Seeing the presents on Christmas morning and so honestly saying "I haven't been that good! "

This will be our first Christmas in our new home after daddy left in the summer.
I've not been looking forward to it as it's usually a big extended family affair, but mainly stbxh's family.
They're all having Christmas at my inlaws; without me or my DC who are 5&7.
Today we were in the car after school and ds starts spontaneously singing 12 days of Christmas. Dd and I joined in. We then talked about what Christmas Day is going to be like. Obviously not like previous years but they were so excited by selection boxes for breakfast and playing with presents. Lovely food and cuddles on the couch watching telly.
I had the biggest grin on my face and my DC showed how much the change in our circumstances are largely irrelevant; because we have each other and that's what matters most.
Feeling very blessed tonight

I always get DD to design a hand made Christmas card, and get it printed into our yearly design to send out to friends and family :) it's a lovely and exciting tradition.

It's so nice having time off work/school as a family. The children's excitement on Christmas Eve is great- we track Santa on Norad and they know they need to get to bed before he reaches North Africa. They make a runway on the drive with tealights in jars(we don't have a chimney), leave a magic key on the doorstep and then leave a drop of single malt and a mince pie for Santa and a carrot for his reindeer. It is so magical and exciting.

DD 4 covering her first Xmas cards that she is writing herself, for her friends, with kisses, counting up to 28 kisses and then adding some more.

I love it when the children want to buy presents for other people. The school Christmas fair provides lots of cheap, ir random, gifts for family members.

My two year old is just starting to understand Christmas. She has started out pointing out Father Christmas and knows that he brings presents. I asked her what she would like Father Christmas to bring her and she told me 'mummy cuddles'.

Ds is just so happy with it all tbh. Right now I'm thousands of miles away on a business trip in Japan, and he's gutted that I'm missing out on two days of advent calendars , but when I get home 'we'll get the tree and it'll all be lovely'

He's also worked out that the dog crate needs to move for the tree and is campaigning for it to move to his bedroom for the duration....

My 9yrdo ds said to me yesterday "Christmas presents are lovely.. but the best part of Christmas is all the food! Oh and spending time with family".

It's the magic of all the firsts. This is the first year he understands about santa and Christmas. An she just saw frost for the first time and is amazed by it. He can't what to see snow. Making his own decorations. Seeing him amazed watching the Christmas films I loved as a child. And hearing him sing Christmas songs and carols. It makes you see and appreciate all the effort your parents made and how it really is a magic time to make memories for your children. And that doesn't mean spending a fortune.

I don't care about the £300.

I'd rather cadburys stopped giving away money and stopped costcutting with their chocolate.

A big tin of cadburys was always part of our christmas and easter rituals. Not anymore.

Sod off with your cheap palm oil substitution.

One year he gave me a painted piggy bank for Christmas that he had decorated himself - he had spent such long time over it and I loved it - it made me cry with joy!

We put the tree up on Sunday, and ds (4) has asked every day since if he can decorate something else! The house is starting to look like a grotto already... also dd (9) says she is a human, raised by elves (from elf- apparently I am an actual elf!) and she and I always adorn the House with more and more paper snowflakes as the month goes on. She also loves present shopping and wrapping.

Just the general excitement in their eyes and voice, it seems permanent in the run up to Christmas.

Seeing the joy on their faces and how proud they are when they hand over a handmade Christmas card

I took my mum and DC shopping at the weekend. DC kept running over to ask me if I liked certain things, or which one I preferred. "just asking Mummy, I'm not buying it or anything, just stay away from me and Nana, don't look in her basket", This happened with a makeup bag, a scarf and a necklace . It is those little moments that are priceless and make Christmas.