My kids are 12 & 16 - I'm planning Christmas and thinking we have only have 2 more Christmases with DD in high school! YIKES! She loves Christmas (my kids inherited it- LOL!) so I know Christmases will always be fun and exciting, but what traditions do you have with your older kids that you love?
Want to Hear from Parents- Christmas with Older Kids
- Thread starter zchristy
- Start date
http://magicalholidayhome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7070
This link should explain it better than I can
Our elves arrive on December 1st (they can arrive anytime at your convenience), and they bring the advent calendar. Mostly our elves bring small gifts for my older teens. sometimes they do mischief... my son thinks the elves are there for me to have fun DD loves them. They will also bring them some chocolate, some $$, a christmas cd, a christmas dvd.
One tradition they LOVED (but unfortunately we can't do anymore ) is horse-drawn sled with the whole family. It was a big carriage that could hold more than 30 people, for 1,5 hour and we'd bring Christmas music & drinks & bundle up (we had some COLD nights - can't do it anymore because the gentleman sold his horses. Those were great memories.
At our house it's New Year's Eve (mom does Christmas) and my brothers & sister come with their kids + dh's family. Since last year we couldn't go with the horse-sleigh in the evening we did gifts with dollar store gifts and everyone had a good time.
I also made Christmas pillows 2 years ago & the elves bring them at the beginning of december and we put them on their beds. These pillows have small pockets with a small amount of $$ in it.
This link should explain it better than I can
Our elves arrive on December 1st (they can arrive anytime at your convenience), and they bring the advent calendar. Mostly our elves bring small gifts for my older teens. sometimes they do mischief... my son thinks the elves are there for me to have fun
DD loves them. They will also bring them some chocolate, some $$, a christmas cd, a christmas dvd.One tradition they LOVED (but unfortunately we can't do anymore
) is horse-drawn sled with the whole family. It was a big carriage that could hold more than 30 people, for 1,5 hour and we'd bring Christmas music & drinks & bundle up (we had some COLD nights - can't do it anymore because the gentleman sold his horses. Those were great memories. At our house it's New Year's Eve (mom does Christmas) and my brothers & sister come with their kids + dh's family. Since last year we couldn't go with the horse-sleigh in the evening we did gifts with dollar store gifts and everyone had a good time.
I also made Christmas pillows 2 years ago & the elves bring them at the beginning of december and we put them on their beds. These pillows have small pockets with a small amount of $$ in it.
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I love doing a poster where they get a gift each day from Dec. 1st thur the 24th. Use poster board and mark off the month. Then I wrap 24 presents and I put numbers on them and put them in a sack under their poster. I normally try to use cardboard in their favorite colors. Jaymee is so easy to buy for cuz you can get soxs, towels, hair stuff and bath pretty easy. The boys I do car stuff, lotto tickets, chap sticks, get all a jug of windsheild cleaner and such. My kids are son 27, DD 25 and SIL 26. I shop dollar tree and cheap aisles.
My kids and nephews started this at a thing they went to when they all turned 3. You could go from 3-9, they made crafts and all at it. At that thing they gave coins, cards for ice cream cones, and such.
My kids and nephews started this at a thing they went to when they all turned 3. You could go from 3-9, they made crafts and all at it. At that thing they gave coins, cards for ice cream cones, and such.
I've done the 12 days of christmas with my daughter till last year. She's 17 and we decided to do something different, but she loved it. I'd leave something in her stocking every night, leading up till Christmas. Sometimes it was notes, sometimes notes telling her of an activity we'll be doing that day or time spent together. Other days, it might be an actual gift.
One year, we didn't do gifts and every day we left a note in our stocking about a favorite memory we had with each other. When she was really little, she wanted to play along, so she drew me a pictures and cut it into 12 pieces. Each day, she'd leave me a piece and by Christmas I had the whole thing.
I think getting some hot cocoa out and going to look at lights, while listening to music is one of her favorites too. I've let her bring a friend along (one who loves Christmas is a must!!) and that was appreciated by her.
We still ALWAYS read the Night before Christmas before going to bed on Christmas Eve and she still gets a new pair of pajamas. They might be a t-shirt and sweat pants or some Christmas boxers, but she loves them all the same and they are age appropriate.
I could go on, but I think that's it. Basically, we sit down each year..and I ask her, what's important to her this year and we try and do it. That brings some old traditions and some new ones into the mix as well and we're not doing the same thing over and over again each year.
One year, we didn't do gifts and every day we left a note in our stocking about a favorite memory we had with each other. When she was really little, she wanted to play along, so she drew me a pictures and cut it into 12 pieces. Each day, she'd leave me a piece and by Christmas I had the whole thing.
I think getting some hot cocoa out and going to look at lights, while listening to music is one of her favorites too. I've let her bring a friend along (one who loves Christmas is a must!!) and that was appreciated by her.
We still ALWAYS read the Night before Christmas before going to bed on Christmas Eve and she still gets a new pair of pajamas. They might be a t-shirt and sweat pants or some Christmas boxers, but she loves them all the same and they are age appropriate.
I could go on, but I think that's it. Basically, we sit down each year..and I ask her, what's important to her this year and we try and do it. That brings some old traditions and some new ones into the mix as well and we're not doing the same thing over and over again each year.
DS who is now 30 usually reads The Night Before Christmas with some funny additions to it leftover from the time he couldn't read too well eg. "he looked like a plumber opening his sack".
He also gets a toy (Lego, transformer) on Christmas morning from Santa and helps the dog open her present.
He also gets a toy (Lego, transformer) on Christmas morning from Santa and helps the dog open her present.
We started a while back, doing scavenger hunts for their gifts - their stocking contains the first clue , they figure out the clue, which leads them to their first gift - they bring it back to the living room, open it and in it, is the clue to the next gift. Repeat.
Each child goes until they find all their gifts, then the next one takes their turn. They all love helping each other figure out the clues, seeing what each one receives, etc.
My kids are now 28, 25, 23. We now include their spouses/SO in the scavenger hunt. The grandkids gifts are simply wrapped and put under the tree, with pictures instead of tags so they know which gift is theirs. The tags are simply a photo of grandma and grandpa with each child that we took through out the year. The photo tags are actually ornaments for them to add to their collections.
Each child goes until they find all their gifts, then the next one takes their turn. They all love helping each other figure out the clues, seeing what each one receives, etc.
My kids are now 28, 25, 23. We now include their spouses/SO in the scavenger hunt. The grandkids gifts are simply wrapped and put under the tree, with pictures instead of tags so they know which gift is theirs. The tags are simply a photo of grandma and grandpa with each child that we took through out the year. The photo tags are actually ornaments for them to add to their collections.
Sunshine the scavenger hunt is a great idea but I LOVE the ornament with grandma & grandpa!! that is so cool.
My boys are 20, 17, 14.
We enjoy attending Mass on Christmas Eve, we eat a big dinner this night.
And the Big Christmas day Brunch and than a later dinner with family. (My boys like to eat and the whole prep and presentation of a meal!)
They still look very much forward to their stockings, decorating (not baking!) cookies on Christmas Eve.
They like to deliver baked goods to our "relatives" and friends during the weeks after the holidays.
Watching the classic Grinch movie, A Christmas Story, Charlie Browns Christmas, and Chrismtas Vacation together on the Fridays leading up to Christmas. Our Advent Family Movie Nights Pizza and wings!
They enjoy a marathon game of Risk or Monopoly on Boxing Day! That all must participate in
Christmas Crackers, they love them!
They also like the night we put up the tree, eat popcorn, cookies and have hot chocolate.
Candles, they like that I have a lot of candles lit.
This is most of the info from our 'holiday debriefing' from last year
We enjoy attending Mass on Christmas Eve, we eat a big dinner this night.
And the Big Christmas day Brunch and than a later dinner with family. (My boys like to eat and the whole prep and presentation of a meal!)
They still look very much forward to their stockings, decorating (not baking!) cookies on Christmas Eve.
They like to deliver baked goods to our "relatives" and friends during the weeks after the holidays.
Watching the classic Grinch movie, A Christmas Story, Charlie Browns Christmas, and Chrismtas Vacation together on the Fridays leading up to Christmas. Our Advent Family Movie Nights
Pizza and wings!They enjoy a marathon game of Risk or Monopoly on Boxing Day! That all must participate in
Christmas Crackers, they love them!
They also like the night we put up the tree, eat popcorn, cookies and have hot chocolate.
Candles, they like that I have a lot of candles lit.
This is most of the info from our 'holiday debriefing' from last year
I have no idea how I forgot this one! We have an Advent 'wreath' at home, that we light candles, say the prayers. Boys look forward to when it graces our diningroom table!