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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Watching the first nativity was a joy. The unexpected mishaps just add to the enjoyment. Love the excited faces as they put on costumes and sing.

every morning when she opens her advent calender the look of excitement on her face reminds me of the joyful season

They always want to give gifts to charities that help children

While we enjoy getting together with friends and family, Christmas feels rather hollow to my husband and me, as we're not religious, and not hugely keen on a big festival of pointless spending and gift exchanges (we often say we'd keep the 'festival of lights' bit for the solstice and happily do without the rest). Fortunately, having a child has made it fun again. When she was little, she was so excited about Santa coming that she'd get very little sleep on Christmas Eve (and Santa would stay up to all hours and be exhausted the next day). At 13, she still loves Christmas - decorating the tree, wrapping presents, visiting friends and family, mince pies, the whole business. It makes Christmas a bit of a special time for us, which really helps!

The smiles are enough to just remind me that they don't need such expensive presents, they just want to have fun and play. Innocence at it's best.

They remind me of the endless Nativity plays at their primary school. I recorded these, and it is quite boring and embarrassing to watch them now!

I always love going to my daughter's school's carol concert. It's so lovely to see all the children singing those traditional songs and seeing how excited they are at the thought of Father Christmas visiting them!

My son LOVES the sparkly decorations and lights. He loves making Christmas shaped cookies and yesterday he came home with some Christmas cards from his classmates... when he opened them he had such a cute look of glee and surprise, it made my heart melt.

well every day that they wake up they are asking if today's the day Santa will be coming!

The build up before Christmas putting the tree up helping with the decorations and seeing them getting all excited for the festive season

We made a box together for the Samaritans charity Christmas box campaign and they really enjoyed thinking of things to put in.

I love seeing their faces light up when they think they hear santa!

I live alone & 130 miles away from my family so spending Christmas with them is so special to me. The look of delight on my great niece's face when she sees all her presents is just wonderful.

I love Christmas as a parent, takes me back to my childhood seeing them so excited. Its nice doing the little things my parents used to do like going down stairs in the morning to check if father christmas has been and making decorations, brought the christmas feelings back which I had lost as I got older.

We have been counting down, they were so excited to write their lists and post them. I may have also been using a santa app on my phone to get them to behave. We are counting down to our Santa visit which has been really exciting. I think the best bit of when they randomly start singing Christmas songs that they have learnt in school/ nursery.

Singing Christmas songs in October, watching all the movies I use to watch as a child

My 12 year old daughter sings a lot anyway but now I get Christmas songs from early in the morning until bed. Even better she has learnt some on her guitar so will sing one song nonstop for about an hour at a time

My daughter sings jingle bells all the time.. literally every day. And she's a terrible singer haha. It makes me smile though because she's happy and excited for christmas :)

Nothing like watching little ones open their gifts

The awe in his face the other day when he met Santa Claus was enough for me to feel the joy, he talks about Father Christmas and how we need to look after him when he visits on Christmas eve/day...love the innocence!

I love being able to see the excitement and anticipation of Christmas through their eyes. They like to make wish lists and decorations and I join in with them

My kiddies are aged 6 and 4, they are the perfect age to enjoy Christmas and for me to make it as magical for them as possible. They get so excited from the 1st December when Daisy the elf comes to stay, watching them jump up out of bed every morning full of anticipation and excitement , always brings a smile to my face. Then all the outings throughout christmas - going to see father christmas and visit garden centres full of christmas decorations and activities for the children - its so nice to have something to do every weekend and see my children so happy and engaged in the whole christmas theme. Christmas day - my son has autism and last year was the first year he actually opened any of his presents, normally its too much for him and the change of the routine of the day rally upsets him. last year i was filled with joy, watching him open his presents :-)

The look of pure joy in their faces when they see there cousins who live 200 miles away and watching them play together!

Christmas Eve for for - I love saying good night and seeing their excited faces and then telling me how they will never be able to get to sleep and asking will he come if they are awake...

Making homemade gifts does it for me.