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Hanging up stockings, decorating the tree and leaving out mince pies for Father Christmas
are all so much more fun when you have a little person that you're doing it for. Perhaps
the most awe inspiring part of celebrating Christmas with children is that you are creating
their memories of Christmas, which they will hopefully look back on fondly and recreate for
their own children in years to come.
So whether it's their first Christmas or their fifth, we've come up with a bunch of ideas to
create your own family traditions that you can treasure forever.
Decorations
- Babies under one haven't quite honed their arts and crafts skills yet, but
that doesn't mean they can't help make a decoration for the tree. Why not paint
their hand and make a handprint on a piece of cardboard. Punch a hole in the top
of the card and thread a piece of ribbon through it. Tie it on the tree and save
it for next year. Continue doing this year after year so that you have a
chronology of hand prints. As the children get older, let them decorate their
prints to add their creative flair.
- Buy a new personalised tree decoration each year for
your child. As your children grow up, they can make and personalise them themselves.
Alternatively, capture your baby's first Christmas with this handprint Christmas ornament
- Get your baby a personalised Christmas stocking that they can keep for years. Or, if you already have children, you might
want to get a series of matching stockings or sacks that they can either swap each year or claim one as their own.
- Start a tradition of using an advent calendar - it helps build the excitement
for your children all the way through December. A wooden advent chest allows you to tailor the surprises each year to the age and number of
children you have. For little babies, you could fill the drawers with items like
teething rings, musical rattles or small soft toys. They won't really understand
what it's all about, but opening the drawer each day together and playing with
what is inside is a great bonding experience. Toddlers will love things like crayons,
stickers or chocolate buttons. Older kids might like trinkets or ornaments that they
can take out and hang on the tree themselves.
Gifts
- Now that you get to be Father Christmas, think about how you want the gift giving
to work. Are all the presents going to be from Father Christmas or will some be from
mummy and daddy? And who will the big gift be from?
- Consider giving a gift of invested money or bonds each year to your child. As they
grow, so will the investment and when they're 18, 21 or any other age you decide on,
they can benefit from your thoughtfulness all the years since they were born.
- Personalised gifts from your children are great for doting grandparents, aunties,
uncles or even Godparents. Start a tradition where every year you give them a gift from
your child. When they're very little, this could simply be a photograph of them in a
beautiful frame. But as the children grow older, they can help in making the gift -
whether it's a picture or some kind of arts and crafts. It will help the child learn
about giving and the person receiving it will appreciate the effort and personal touch.
- Why not create a personalised family calendar to give to other family members? Use pictures taken during the year to capture the highlights.
Great for family living abroad who you don't see regularly.
- If you have older children, encourage them to give 'gift vouchers' to neighbours or
elderly family members, that they make themselves with gifts like mowing the lawn, raking
leaves or walking the dog. It will teach them how to give of themselves and they will be
very much appreciated.
- Teach your children about giving. Either let them help decide on and choose presents
for other family members, or get them involved with some kind of charity activity each
Christmas where they can help out those less fortunate - even if it's just choosing
something from the store cupboard to take to a food collection box.
Food
- Before you had children of your own, you most likely spent Christmas at your parents'
house or with friends. But now, holding Christmas at home becomes more important. It
allows you to stamp your own traditions on this special day - and preparing the Christmas
feast is one of them. See our article on how to
cook Christmas dinner even when you have little babies to look after.
- If you have a large extended family, you won't be able to dictate that Christmas is
held at yours every year, so why not come up with one or two key Christmas treats that
become your trademark - like Mum's Mince pies or your Marvellous Cranberry Sauce. As your
children grow, get them to help you in making these favourites. They will no doubt become
recipes that they pass onto their own children.
- Just because your baby doesn't have teeth yet, doesn't mean they can't enjoy a
Christmas dinner (assuming they have started solids!). You can simply puree a portion of
cooked turkey (breast meat without skin is best), carrots, potatoes, parsnips and brussel
sprouts for a mini Christmas meal that they will thoroughly enjoy. Add some milk or
formula to moisten it if it's too thick. For pudding, steam some apple, pear and
cranberries together until soft, then push it through a sieve to remove the cranberry
skins - make sure you have more apples/pears than cranberries as they are quite
tart.
- Toddlers can have the same Christmas dinner you're having - just chopped into small
pieces. Let them choose what they'd like and allow them to join in the silliness like
wearing hats, pulling crackers and blowing noise makers.
Other traditions
- Capture the moment: Take a family photo each year so that your child has a momento
for each Christmas. You can accumulate them in an album and give them as a gift when they
leave home.
- Perfect your Father Christmas story and bring it to life - adding more details the
older they get. Leave him a glass of sherry and a mince pie. Add a carrot or apple for
Rudolf. Make sure there are bites taken and stray crumbs on the Christmas morning. You
might even want to create some Father Christmas footprints. Simply place a large pair of
shoes on the floor and sprinkle glitter around them.
- Write to Father Christmas. From about the age of 3, children will understand the
concept of writing a letter to Father Christmas. When they're still little, write the
letter for them but have them decorate it. As they get older, encourage them to write it.
They can either post them or you can save them and keep them as momentoes for when
they're older.
- Have a tree decorating ceremony. Choose a day every year - maybe the first Sunday in
December. Make a favourite family meal perhaps with some warm, spiced apple juice (or
mulled wine for mum and dad) and all decorate the tree together. Even though toddlers
might destroy more than they decorate, let them decorate the lower branches so that they
feel involved. This will become great family bonding time.
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