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

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I think the "Joy" comes flooding back when I attend a school nativity play or when I find the 'perfect present' for him/her.
That's not to say the present needs to cost a lot, it could be that I know its something that will make them feel special or show that we were listening when they excitedly told us about something or other.
Most of all its seeing them play with the presents that were a "hit" although sometimes that's the boxes the presents came in!

I love this thread, makes me feel so happy!!

I love the way my son points out a holly bush every time he walks past one because it reminds mummy (me) of Christmas.

I love the whole month of December, the build up, the days out. We especially love Christmas eve, when the elf delivers our Christmas eve hamper with all our goodies. The excitement of putting out the empty santa sacks at the end of their beds and their faces as they're about to go to sleep are absolutely priceless.....I can't wait!!

just excitment and wonder when they see lights when we are driving in the car

You can't beat a good old nativity play or Christingle service to remind you of Christmas joy. There's something about hearing children sing - at any time of year - that makes me well up and cry happy tears, but at Christmas it's on another level. The look on their faces, the pride that beams out of them, the excitement of the season... I only have to cast my mind back and imagine my now 16 year old son as a cute four year old enthusiastically singing and doing the actions in his reception nativity play... ahhh!

love children's sheer happiness and excitement at this time of year and the hand made cards and decorations

We go on a car ride in the dark just looking at other people's lights and decorations!
The more the better, no "taste" judgement applies!

I have nine wildly overexcited kids and their enthusiasm and excitement for Christmas is infectious. As you get older, it's very easy to take the season for granted, but since having kids, it's lovely to see the happiness and excitement through their young eyes. Everything is new and different and a lot of fun at that stage, so it's fun to indulge in the excitement again myself. We use the time to do fun things together as a family. Making decorations, making our own Christmas cards, decorating the Christmas tree, going to carol services, sometimes we've gone outdoor ice-skating (at official rinks), walks in the frosty out-doors spotting robins. The best thing though is to spend time with family so every year we travel to stay with family so that we can spend some quality time catching up with loved ones. We thought we would have to do something different this year due to the expense involved, but the thing the kids wanted more than anything was to be with their family for a few days, so we will be doing it again. I am so looking forward to spending some quality time with my kids, having fun together and seeing all our family!

My dyslexic DD (8) writing out her first Christmas card ...addressed to me.

By telling me repeatedly, and with great enthusiasm, how they just can't wait to...choose the christmas tree, watch Arthur Christmas, open their presents etc.!

My son is 11 and has SN. As a result he acts so much younger, in his head he is 6. He's also very tall, 5'4 to be precise.

He gets so excited about Christmas, Ira his favourite holiday. Everything from his birthday in August revolves around Christmas countdown and what hed like to do. His hero is Santa and does whatever SC asks of him.

We went to see SC on Saturday. He doesn't usually do queues, gets very anxious and wobbly, but queued beautifully and patiently for 30 minutes. The first thing he said to SC was that he thought he was awesome and the coolest person on the planet.

It really makes me feel lovely and warm how receptive SC and his elves are towards him, every year, without so much as a quizzical look when he comes stomping towards them all giggly.

The joy was sitting between my children last night, one of which has ASD, and seeing the sheer joy and happiness they had at the local pantomime. The slapstick humour, which I watched for thirty years, making them laugh so much their eyes sparkled. I loved it.

It's DS's first Christmas so it all seems that but more magical but seeing his eyes widen when he's given a present makes our hearts melt.

I love the way ds3 (10) is just so totally "into it". He injects enthusiasm into the rest of us.

Children don't get stressed out by Xmas. It all just so exciting, it's easy to get caught up in the street and rush of Xmas but children never do. It's wonderful!

The joy of Opening the advent calendar each morning, and studying the little picture inside whilst devouring the chocolate my ds now counts how many sleeps using it too, getting dd even more excited.
Selecting and decorations the tree and the squeals of joy as the lights are switched on.
Wrapping gifts for family, and writing out the cards.
Choosing a Christmas film each Saturday to watch together.

Never getting bored of opening the advent calendar. Every morning they are so excited to open the door!

My kids still love having Christmas stories read to them every night in December (it's a tradition of ours to wrap up 24 Xmas books - from the library/charity shops etc) - they each get to take it in turns to unwrap one every night.

We asked if they wanted to stop it this year now they are 9 and 7 - to a resounding 'nooooooooooooo we love Xmas books!!' so it's lovely that they still get excited by it!

All the excitement and seeing my little ones faces light up with delight when they see all the lights and decorations. They got super excited when they got to decorate the Christmas tree all by themselves

My little one has only asked for two things for christmas....2 watches.

When i asked why he would want two watches that are the same he replied with "so we can both wear them mummy and play"

So lovely and I couldnt stop smiling.

All the chocolate the kids get! And all the leftovers for me!

My girls love Christmas. Nothing makes them more happy than seeing the first set of Christmas lights (even if they are starting to go up around July time now!!) We decorated the tree this evening, I got sent home from work at around 2ish with a stinking cold. I work in a nursery so as you can imagine at this time of the year I am destined to catch something! I have caught conjunctivitis, a stinking cold and a rotten cough. I got home to see their faces gleaming, I had promised them that we would decorate the tree, and even though every single little bit of Christmas spirit had been drained out of me, their faces showed me nothing but love and happiness. As my 2 year old put every single baul baul on the same branch and my 6 year old climbed up onto the chair to put the fairy on top of the tree I realised that, it doesn't matter that I'm poorly, it doesn't matter that I am worried about being financially stable for Christmas and it certainly doesn't matter that my children wont be getting iPads and Ugg boots, all that really matters is that these girls enjoy every second of it and that's what Christmas is all about. I was once told "It's not about what's under the tree, its about what's around it" and its true. Nothing matters but them, and without them, Christmas just wouldn't be right.

My 8 year old DD woke up the other morning convinced she's had heard bells in the night and her pile of books had fallen over so it must of been an elf climbing up them who knocked them over! She had such belief, made me realise that all the faffing around writing tiny notes from the elf and making santas snowy footprints on xmas eve isn't all in vain!

For me it's my youngest learning his lines for his nativity and non stop singing of 'rat a tat tat'. For oldest dd it's her practising her carols for choir. Some old that I know and some new

Naming the Christmas tree: we had Ginormous George one year, followed by Stumpy Stanley the next! My two get up at a ridiculously early time and open all the presents in their 'stockings' (pillowcases at the end of their beds). Then they compare their loot together in each other's rooms, eating ridiculous amounts of chocolate before breakfast. By the time my husband and I get up the house is strewn with cardboard, wrapping etc and they will be engrossed in making something from one of their stockings. My youngest is openly aware for the first time this year that Father Christmas is 'not real', which is sad for me!! Two years ago, he set up a trip wire to try to catch Father Christmas out while 'he' was putting presents at the end of his bed, and he has been building a case against his existence ever since... :-(