Christmas traditions

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luludou

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Dec 28, 2007
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I joined a FB group about Christmas and this one lady posts about the Christmas magic she does for her child. Decided to share them with you (credit: Helen Taylor)

The one negative thing she said she wouldn't be posting what she does with her daughter anymore as she was having negative comments about how she was spoiling her child and traumatizing her and having her live in a world were unicorns exist :confused:

Tradition ideas (with children) (H.Taylor / FB)

Advent calendar
Instead of the usual advent calendar put in the doors a clue where to find that days treat. There will be 24 advent Christmas tasks to do like bake cookies, sing a Xmas song, etc.…

Elf keys
Anyone who does elf on shelf for the kids. I ask my friends and neighbors every time they go on holiday to fetch me back a postcard and cheap key ring from other places. Through the year I send my child the postcards of her elves on holiday and when they arrive on December the 1st they fetch her the keyrings as a little holiday gift. I also turned her beat up old dolls house into an elf house by painting and wallpapers with Xmas stickers and snow and that is where they live until Santa takes them home. I made all their bedding and clothes out of all her old Christmas baby clothes so sentimental too.

Magic Elves
When my daughter is asleep thankfully she sleeps like the dead once gone off. I change her duvet and PJs then set up a magical elf breakfast and tell her the elf on shelf has been busy over night . I also have a decorated magic elf box and they leave her small treats like bubbles, stickers crayons and sweets in her elf box every morning when she wakes

Mrs Claus secret recipes
I fill a cookery basket with cutters apron spatulas etc… and print out labels for Mason jars and fill them with cookie mix, gingerbread mix ect and they are all labeled Mrs Claus secret recipes. I've printed out a load of Xmas recipes on recipe cards including my own and put them in a scrap box designed in the Mrs Claus secret recipe book. I then attached to the inside a letter for the child from Mrs Claus asking her to be an apprentice chef. We do this the day before Xmas Eve the basket magically appears. I decorate the kitchen while she is asleep then we spend the day making Santa's special cookies for Xmas Eve night

Special breakfasts / meals
Any one with little kids may like these ideas I do for my little girl every Xmas. North Pole breakfast the day the elves arrive. Snowman party when we put up our tree and Grinch breakfast Xmas Eve morning. A reindeer food bar ready for santa coming. We do related crafts that day to the breakfast theme too

Christmas Tea
A theme for a Christmas tea I am doing for my daughter this year, which maybe helpful to those with slightly older kids is Home alone. I am currently making Kevin's battle plan and wet bandit posters. I am going to serve cheesy pizza and print out the exact label on it Kevin had. Do my child a home protection back pack and do child friendly traps around the house. I plan on cutting out figures for window out of cardboard and painting them and finish off the day with a movie showing

Nutcracker Theme
This year I am doing with Sabrina a nutcracker theme. I am going to cut out solider and sugar plum fairies for her to decorate and make a special tutu with her. I am then going to do a themed tea party cutting sandwiches ect in soldier and ballerina shapes. Then snuggle up read her the book and watch the movie.

Polar Express movie night
My family love polar Express movies so at some point in December I do a polar movie night . I ask in November my local shop keeper to keep me large boxes which I paint and stack in a train design. One for my daughter to sit in and one for snacks and real hot chocolate. I print her out a believe train ticket and put a new set of PJs and dressing gown on her and she gets given the silver bells and treats all in a train party box and she sits and watched the movie in her cardboard train x

Christmas Eve box
There are free printable templates on the net to make things for a Christmas Eve box:
A button on red fabric for Santa's lost button
An old key on santa ribbon..if you don't have a chimney
Snowman soup...white hot chocolate with candy cane.
Magic sleep dust...glitter
Grinch food...green sweets
Reindeer food
Reindeer poop...chocolate malteesers
Elf magic beans ...coloured m&Ms
Build a snowman..marshmallows twiglets 2 brown m&Ms and a carrot bit
Angel magic hair...sparkling wool.
Free print out of I've been good certificate
Santa letter
Put these in pretty bags with labels and gift wrap. I also add a Xmas theme cup and melt chocolate into an egg cup stick a lolly pop stick in let it set remove add a sachet of hot chocolate and a cookie and you have Santa's special sleep stirring hot chocolate before bed

Magical star
We decorate a star every year with glow in dark paint and hang it in my daughters bedroom window so santa can find her in the dark

Santa’s treasure hunt
Every year I print out a Santa treasure hunt I hide all the bits like snowman's nose Rudolph's collar Santa's hat etc… all around the garden. When she has found the last one and put them in her bag Santa leaves her a note to find one gift to open on Xmas Eve before bed. Then santa takes the lost items back in the bag when she is asleep and leaves her toys . But silly old Santa always loses a button off his coat and his sleigh driving licence that she has to keep safe and sent with her thank you letter to north Pole after Xmas

Christmas wish box and diaryHaut du formulaire
I bought a vintage looking diary a plain wooden box and a pile of Santa charms. Every year my daughter writes her Christmas wish in the diary . I've decorated the box in a Christmas wish design and made tags saying santa thanks you for your wish and if your good he will ask the elves to make and leave that reply with a charm on ribbon in her magic box. Charms were just silver Santa's and note book was brown patterned leather with a built in book mark. The box was a small plain wooden one about a jewelry box size and I drew Santa's and wish signs and snowmen etc… on it and wrote her name as (Insert child’s name) Christmas wish box inside and bought her a special santa pen only to be used for that.

Christmas ornaments

In our home we have 2 trees the usual Christmas tree and a very special white tree that comes out every year and is filled with all the things my child has made since her first trip to mother and baby, playgroup, nursery ,school and home with me. I urge all you mum's to do this as it really puts Xmas in perspective. When my child was born I bought her a special bauble every year but now I let her design and make her own as I feel they are far more lovely.

Christmas pjs
I also tell my daughter the story of pajama elves that they make special PJs at the workshop made with magic thread so Santa knows when she is asleep. They get delivered by elf mail Christmas Eve morning and I sew labels in them saying made by elves for Sabrina. I ask my postman to just give them to her or if it's a weekend they arrive in a decorated elf bag on the doorstep

Santa’s landing strip
I do in my garden on Xmas Eve 2 strips with white tape and sprinkle some loose bells and it's Santa's landing strip and bells have fallen off sleigh then do the foot prints into house

Christmas photo
It's not just about things you make or buy on a Christmas. Every year since my daughter was born we have a picture done by us not professional of us all dressed as silly elves. Even the dog gets involved. We laugh every year when we look back at the previous one.
https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reacti...ZGJhY2s6MjMyNjg5ODI5MDg2MjAzOQ==&av=592194625
Santa’s Chimney
I do a santa present drop game for my daughter I just paint an upright box to look like a chimney. I purchase off cuts of Xmas fabric and sew them up filled with dried beans and rice and sew a bow on then she can throw toss them into chimney if she scores she gets a sticker or pack of bubbles etc….
https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reacti...ZGJhY2s6MjMyNjMwMjg1MDkyMTU4Mw==&av=592194625
Christmas light drivehttps://www.facebook.com/ufi/reacti...ZGJhY2s6MjMyNjMwMjg1MDkyMTU4Mw==&av=592194625
After all the things I've shared from my family to yours my most favorite part is all of us getting bundled up with blankets either going for a walk or drive around to see all the Xmas lights in other people's gardens with some hot chocolate and a bag of fish and chips. I love this time with my family and it doesn't cost a penny.
https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reacti...ZGJhY2s6MjMyNjMxMDc2NzU4NzQ1OA==&av=592194625
Tree skirt
A lovely thing to do as a family is to buy a plain tree skirt and every year do your hand prints in paint on it you can then see how much your kids have grownhttps://www.facebook.com/ufi/reacti...ZGJhY2s6MjMyNjIyMTgwNDI2MzAyMQ==&av=592194625

New Year’s Eve box
Apart from filling it with a party pack I am going to fill it with a fob watch to symbolise my gift of time to the child. Two calendars one for the child and one for me with a special date marked on every month and that will be our special date night and 12 monthly envelopes filled with example cinema tickets. Swim lessons ect . instead of making resolutions I never keep I am pledging to my child quality time just him and me.
 

Minta

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These are all wonderful things to do. She is not spoiling her child ... she is creating memories with her child that will be treasured and giving her child the gift of Christmas Magic. I guess a lot people have forgotten the old saying .. If you do not have any thing nice to say then don't say anything at all.
 

PamelaG

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You said it, Minta! Ugh, don't you wish people would keep their negative opinions to themselves. These are all lovely ideas, full of magic and the fun of the season. What she does for her daughter is her business!
 

FrostyShimmer

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Thanks for sharing! I love these ideas.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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What wonderful ideas. There are certainly some I would have liked to do with my kids when they were small.
I love the NYE idea of the calendar, sweet.
 
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Holiday_Mom

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These are all wonderful things to do. She is not spoiling her child ... she is creating memories with her child that will be treasured and giving her child the gift of Christmas Magic. I guess a lot people have forgotten the old saying .. If you do not have any thing nice to say then don't say anything at all.

Amen! What a gift of time and memories this child will have. Besides all of that, I bet the mom is having fun coming up with the ideas and carrying them out. I know for myself, dreaming about doing something fun and nice for my family and then carrying it out helps me get through my own tough times.
 

MinnieCo

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IT's a lot, but kuddos to her. if I had the energy...I'd be all over it probably too. They recently booted out some people in a FB group I belong to for Christmas lovers. When people started posting holiday stuff in hobby lobby the haters all joined in. The admins were like..uhhhhhh...you are in the wrong group if you want to complain.
 

MinnieCo

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Okay...and I'll probably comment more as I read everything above...BUT the Mrs. Clause cookie recipe thing in the mason jars is brilliant. It allows you to "make" cookies, but not take the time to do the tedious stuff with the kids. I'm totally taking note of that one.....AND it's one way to add another item off the to-do list early!
 

sweetpumkinpye

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