Read how Mumsnet users make their Christmas magical

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From picking out the perfect Christmas tree and hanging mistletoe above the door, to tracking Santa on NORAD, the Christmas period is full of magical moments for both parents and children alike. Whether you have certain traditions you do every year, or you want to try out something new this time around, IKEA want to hear the ways you make Christmas magical.

Here’s what IKEA have to say: “This season is about gathering your loved ones, being cosy and enjoying time together. Everyone has their own way of celebrating. Whether you put up a tree or simply light a candle, it’s easy to create a home that is designed for magical moments.
We love offering solutions to make it easier and more fun to interact at home, whether sharing a meal, playing games, or just having a chat. When guests are visiting there’s nothing like lighting candles to get the festive mood just right. Try some Christmas scented candles (out of reach from little ones), with the winter spices ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg, to help you create a welcoming feeling of warmth and cosiness.”

Which Christmas moments do your children love the most? Do you write letters to and leave treats out for Father Christmas and the reindeer? How do you keep the magic alive as your children get older? Which magical Christmas moments were your favourite when you were a child, and have you tried to recreate them with your own children?

Share how you make Christmas magical on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where 1x MNer will win a £300 IKEA e-gift card.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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We go to our local Christmas Tree festival which is always beautiful. The kids put the reindeer food out in the garden, then mince pie, carrot and whisky by the fireplace.

We have our own traditions :) New pjs, new sheets, certain specific things in the stockings, and opening one small (chosen by adults!) present the night before christmas

We love getting ready on Christmas eve with treats for Santa and leaving reindeer treats on the lawn!

Not having grown up with Christmas, I have nothing to recreate. I think it's all ridiculously over-hyped, anyway. IMO being relaxed and just enjoying it is much more fun and less stressful than trying incredibly hard to reach an impossible Hollywood perfection.

Dh loves following the NORAD thing and making mince pies with the dc. I keep decorations from year to year, and the dc love seeing old favourites again - especially ones they made.

We have a tradition of getting together to decorate the tree on xmas eve, with mince pies and mulled wine and carols.

Christmas Day is the only time we have breakfast in bed, and opening all the wee gifts in our stockings x

Our absolute favourite Christmas ritual is family gifts. We go to a nice city nearby and split into teams - one parent one child on each. We then have half an hour to buy a present for the other parent from both kids, and for the boys from each other. They are wrapped as soon as we get home with much secrecy and excitement. Always the best presents, and lots of fun hiding from each other as we buy.

We also go to the cathedral on the same day to see the tree lights, and to light candles - my Nana died two days before Christmas a couple of years ago, so we say Happy Christmas to her and and to others we loved and lost. DS1 will be 13 soon, and he first went when he was ten days old - we have never missed a year.

Tracking Santa on NORAD. They love space so i want to encourage it as much as possible.

I put up lots of decorations, then when the children have gone to bed on Christmas eve I put up lots more for an extra surprise in the morning.

My family still have the same traditions that my parents have with my children and my nieces and nephews and that’s to have a family meal Christmas Eve stay together overnight and wear matching pyjamas that we all wear Christmas Day and open are presents after breakfast we still keep the little traditions of leaving out milk and cookies for santa and writing letters to Santa for the little ones

We have a lovely lunch out on christmas eve, mainly consisting of cake, and then a walk to feed the ducks. Then home to put together a small buffet type dinner for family and a few friends.
Once everyone who's going has gone we put on our new pjs and snuggle with a film.

Christmas eve really is my favourite day of the year!

For over 40 years I've been decorating the Christmas tree with my best friend from student days. We live at opposite ends of the country, but this little ritual means so much to us, and every year I make a new decoration to hang. For me, this is the real start of Christmas...

Christmas is still a magical time for me even as an adult. I love to role play and get excited with the kids on Christmas eve. I leave milk and cookies, get my partner to dress up as santa in the night, jump up and down in the morning haha

I love putting the Christmas Tree up as a family! We have music playing and lots of yummy treats. It really is special!

We seem to have taken on the family tradition of decorating the tree together. Hours of excitement, laughter, bickering, bossiness and the tree literally gets swamped with every possible decoration by my four daughters, only for me to completely redo it once they have gone to bed....then, whilst no one actually acknowledges it, there is a palpable relief from all the kids when morning comes and the over burdened lop sided tree suddenly looks like a thing of beauty, same decorations and lights but this time evenly distributed, with all those little home made nursery decorations taking pride of place...I learnt this just as my mother taught me, and I am passing down the magic of christmas

We start the day with gathering around the tree to gether opening a few prezzies , then have breakfast and finish the prezzies then the rest of the day spent with all the family

Decorations, especially nice we have a lego train under our Christmas tree. Festive tunes and food treats. Christmas films.

We always go to the Christmas Eve family carol concert after a visit to Santa. Then we go home singing all ready to watch a Christmas film, usually Elf with Hot Chocolate and some Chocolate.
Before getting milk and cookies for Santa and of course some sliced carrots for the Reindeer and then a Christmas story.
Absolutely love the magic and excitement.

We hold off from starting Christmas too early so there's quite a bit of excitement built up on the night we go out and choose the tree and we make that a special occasion. When I was young there was quite a bit of handcrafting went on at Christmas from making jams and chutneys for gifts to creating paper chains for decoration, so I am keeping up that tradition

I love Christmas as I usually take two weeks off work to spend as much time as possible with the kids. I love decorating the tree with them and spending time cosy indoors watching Christmas movies.

Lots of little family traditions which are important to us - a walk around the local houses to grade the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve box for the family, Boxing Day Panto. Lots of time with family and friends.

Christmas movies with the family :)

We always have the same traditions every year, I think we get more excited about christmas eve now! With a big picnic dinner for all the family, and then new pyjamas and a christmassy film.

Putting the Christmas Tree up together as a family

Leaving Santa & Rudolph their milk, biscuit & carrot out on Christmas Eve

Reading 'Twas the night before Christmas' on Christmas Eve

The kids love putting up the Christmas tree. We put on Christmas music and have snacks. We have a bay window with a deep windowsill and the DC stand on it to put the baubles on the higher branches, but they might be getting a bit too tall for that this year!