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MNHQ

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

279 replies

JustineBMumsnet · 30/11/2016 10:33

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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Tell Cadbury about the ways your children remind you of the joy in the festive season - £300 voucher to win NOW CLOSED
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13
Cambam2010 · 01/12/2016 12:40

It's the innocence of my son that reminds me of the joys of Xmas. He delights in all the little things about the festive season. He loves the ice scraped off of the windscreen because he says it looks like snow, he believes that elves are watching his behaviour, he marvels at all the twinkling lights and shop window displays. He gets excited every morning at the prospect of opening his advent calendar. His joy in all the little things actually encourages me to slow down and enjoy the magic with him.

Hygellig · 01/12/2016 13:11

Their excitement, love of presents, and decorating the tree.

CopperPan · 01/12/2016 13:41

I enjoyed the scramble for the advent calendars this morning, it's a lovely way to build up anticipation for the big day. We also love just going into town and looking at the lights and Christmas Markets, so many interesting events going on.

MakeTeaNotWar · 01/12/2016 16:48

I love their badly scrawled letters to Father Christmas asking for impossible presents like golden cockroaches are talking flowers - feels so innocent and joyful

LittleMoonbuggy · 01/12/2016 17:31

The way everything seems so exciting and magical to them, from enjoying looking at Christmas shop displays, opening their advent calendar doors, and decorating the tree. Seeing their joy makes me more enthusiastic too.

musicalprof · 01/12/2016 19:23

When they were younger, it was the letters to Father Christmas, with DD requesting gifts for other people & always starting her letter with a thank you for last year's presents. Now it is the traditions that have just grown with us as a family, like lighting the Advent candle each evening throughout December, making chutney to give as presents (DS has already asked when we will be buying the ingredients) & decorating the Christmas tree together, complete with all their homemade decorations & those from my own childhood, telling the stories of each as we take them out of the box & disagree about where to put them on the tree!

369thegoosedrankwine · 01/12/2016 19:53

I love Christmas, but ds's do make the little things special.

Today it was the advent calendar opening. They were both up at 6.30 to see what was in their advent calendars.

DS1 has insisted on wearing a Christmas hat to school for about a week. Ds2 has been practising his Innkeeper lines for about a week. He's a grumpy innkeeper and this keeps making me laugh.

They also love Sundays now as we watch a Christmas movie in the run up to Christmas just after a lovely roast.

Ds2 made me laugh tonight by dragging out my nephews Christmas presents from a hidden cupboard saying
..look what I found in the cupboard (Disney infinity). (His are in the loft).

They really do highlight the little things and make me keep perspective in this crazy month.

Juggy8519 · 01/12/2016 20:37

The magic of Christmas is all the little things building up to the big day ... the countdown of the advent calender! Decorating the tree! Every year the kids go pick one decoration each for the tree so they find this very exciting (13 yr old still participates) making a Christmas cake! Wrapping carefully thought out presents for family and friends and Xmas eve carols by candle light at church! Children make Christmas magical without them I couldn't imagine it being the same

boptanana · 01/12/2016 22:00

My daughter loves secret shopping at school and choosing gifts for everyone. She loves that we don't know what she's chosen until Christmas Day.

TheDuchessOfKidderminster · 02/12/2016 01:09

My 4 yo is still a bit little to understand what it's all about but was very excited about getting an advent calendar. He was up half an hour earlier than usual this morning, which was great as he's been really difficult to get going in the morning since the clocks went back. He's also doing a nativity play and has been singing all the songs randomly for a last few weeks, which is lovely as he sings them much more tunefully than is usual for him! My one year old loves music and singing and had me in stitches bobbing up and down when we were singing some Christmas carols earlier this week. They have both enjoyed looking at the lights in the village. Oh and I got the cards that the older one designed in school the other day, which were funny as he told me they were Christmas beetles when what the teacher had obviously intended was a scene with robins (his all had lots of legs!).

So lots of little things really but all given an extra shine for being new to my little ones.

Selenatwins · 02/12/2016 07:09

One of mine today told me very seriously over breakfast that his second-most favourite thing about Christmas was getting all the family together. When I asked his first, he said it was being allowed to sing carols through December (we say it is unlucky at other times of the year). He has also had tears over seeing other children on TV who aren't as fortunate as him and put together his own shoebox for the shoebox appeal...

kpdiscodancer · 02/12/2016 07:46

Walking around our estate at 4pm on a Sunday evening, shrieking with delight every time they see a house with decorations and lights outside. We live on a development where everyone seems to put a few more lights out each year and the majority do it in a lovely way. Last year it was simple, free fun and I can't wait to do it again this year :-)

PorridgeAgainAbney · 02/12/2016 10:36

This is the first Christmas my son has started to 'get' so seeing his excitement at opening his advent calendar doors and sneakily watching him singing and doing actions for his nativity play when he doesn't know is lovely.

ButterflyOfFreedom · 02/12/2016 11:00

Believing in Santa / Rudolph / the magic of Christmas! How excited they get, the enjoyment from making Christmas craft, the singing of Christmas songs, the decorating of the tree etc etc!!
Wonderful time of the year!

issynoko · 02/12/2016 16:58

After a very bad year financially my 2 younger children have written thank you letters to Father Christmas but asked for nothing. The 8 year old has made him a present 'for a change'. They have made their own advent calendars and are busy making presents for relatives. The two older ones know who Father Christmas really is - and this year they have admitted it! - but instead of being sad as I thought they would be, they are joyously in on the magic and suggesting all kinds of lovely, imaginative things for their little siblings. Must be all those episodes of Little House on the Prairie they watched...

SouthWestmom · 02/12/2016 19:24

Dd, 18, dutifully sitting down with her little siblings to write a letter to Santa. And me actually burning it in the garden so he gets it rather then just chucking it...

cathisherwood · 02/12/2016 21:47

I have watched pre-schoolers visiting our Christmas tree festival today and loving all the lights and sparkle and fiddling with all the little things like the for cone trimmings and then rearranging the crib animals. They sit and sing their little action songs like twinkle twinkle little star and their sense of wonder is just magical

kayleighp85 · 02/12/2016 22:27

My 4 kids remind me that it's about magic and joy by their constant questions about Santa- "How Do his reindeer fly" "What if Santa gets lost" these questions open up a magical world where I can make their faces light up in awe and their imaginations run wild of how mystical and magic Santa is with his Santanav !! I get totally lost in my answers to the kids myself and start imagining the workshop in the North Pole and Santa sitting by the fire checking his list ! Seeing their happiness and excitement makes all the stress and chaos well worthwhile Xmas Grin Star

Peapoo · 03/12/2016 00:29

The true joy of the (truly awful local) panto

DinosaursRoar · 03/12/2016 17:45

The care that's gone into Father Christmas letters.

The excitement on my 6 year olds face when discussing what he could give to his sister, not about what he'll get, but being excited about giving something.

Serin · 03/12/2016 20:20

Our youngest DS has a bad stutter and is very self conscious.

School discovered he could sing beautifully and he was headhunted into a wonderful robed church choir. When he is singing he has no stutter and the joy in his face is amazing.

This Christmas he has a solo at Midnight Mass, we will cry!

ClassmateHB · 03/12/2016 20:58

This is probably the last year of Santa (Ds are aged 8 and 10) but this is the first year I have been properly excited - I think because they are so excited. The best bit for me though? Sitting with them on Amazon ordering presents for their dad, step mum, and grandparents, and the thought they put into presents this year. It makes me realise they're bloody good kids.

GetKnitted · 03/12/2016 21:30

Singing along to Christmas songs in the car... and my favourite, singing the wrong words to Christmas carols :)

BelOfTheBall79 · 03/12/2016 22:34

This is my baby's first Christmas. He's given me such joy already as we put up the tree and decorations...his face lit up when we switched on the lights and he was just looking on in such awe. I love Christmas but having him here this year is like seeing it through new eyes.

defineme · 04/12/2016 08:46

My dd singing as she cuts out decorations honestly melts my heart, it truly is all about the kids for me.