Christmas is a time full of traditions and one of the most important traditions is to pass on the joy and magic of Christmas to the children in our lives. Creating and sharing special memories are what these little people are going to carry with them for the rest of their lives, so taking a little time out at Christmas to share some traditions with them is the best gift you can ever give. We’ve put together a few ideas that you might like to think about incorporating into your traditions with the children in your life.
- Make Christmas Cards
A handmade Christmas card is an incredibly personal yet inexpensive way to share the Christmas cheer with your friends and family – and it’s a great way to keep the kids entertained!
One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep a Christmas Craft Box and then throughout the year, keep a look out for packets of pre-cut cards, interesting wrapping paper, fabrics, ribbons and embellishments, most of which you can get at your local discount shops. Alternatively, consider recycling bits and pieces from cards and wrapping you might receive.
Then, in November, pull out your Christmas Craft Box, talk to the kids and write out a list of everyone you’d like to send cards to. Set up a craft table for the weekend, and let them get to it. This is suitable for ages from 3-13, they might need a little help in the early years but before long you will find this becomes a favourite part of their Christmas.
- DIY Handprint Keepsake Ornaments
In addition to having classic personalised Christmas baubles, it is a joy to create handmade ornaments for your own tree, or to give as gifts to friends and family. Ornaments made by your children are great to keep for future years, and when they put them on their own trees as adults they will remember lovely childhood Christmases. One of our favourites are Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments.
Instructions;
Mix 1 cup flour, ¼ cup salt, 7 tbsp water and knead for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to max ¼ inch thick. From here, you can cut out shapes that you want either freehand or with a cookie cutter. Press the child’s hand into the dough. Use a straw to poke a hole into each ornament which will be used to hang the ribbon from later. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Once cooled, paint as desired, and finish with a ribbon to hang!
Source: babytalkbungalow.com
- Baking and Fun Food Traditions
Cookie Day
Kids love getting involved in the kitchen, and cookies are such a simple thing to make in bulk. A great tradition is to have an annual cookie day in early December before the school holidays commence. Choose your favourite cookie recipe (or any baked goods), and make in bulk. Wrap a handful of cookies in cellophane and ribbon (easily available at your local two-dollar shop). These are cheap, easy and fun presents for your kids to hand out to friends and teachers at school, as well as neighbours and friends.
Gingerbread House
Decorating a Gingerbread House is an absolute classic (and delicious) fun family activity. If you’re an avid baker, you may wish to make your own gingerbread from scratch, but for those less brave among us, Gingerbread House kits are readily available at supermarkets from early December. Head to the confectionary aisle to stock up on decorative lollies, and be sure to pick up a bag of icing sugar to make your edible glue. Then, the only limit is your imagination! The hardest part is trying not to eat it until Christmas day…
- Charity
Christmas is a time to be thankful for everything you have and everyone in your life and it’s a great time to teach your kids how to be charitable.
There are some great programs for families to get involved in, often run through the school including Operations Christmas Child. All you do is decorate a shoebox with Christmas wrapping paper and then fill it with;
Something to wear
Something to play with
Something for school
Something to love
Something special
Something for personal hygiene
You can then drop it to one of the many collection points.
- Write a card to each Christmas
Now this is one for you, and whilst it might seem so difficult to find the time, it will become one of their most treasured memories in time to come.
The night before Christmas every year, write a card to each of your children in your life. Include details about significant events from the past year, what they currently love to do, and perhaps what is number one on their present list for Santa this year. Include a funny story, or something important that they learned. Add details about what they currently want to be when they grow up, and what you want for their future. You might like to share it will them on Christmas day, and it put away, or you might like to keep it somewhere special, secret and safe for them to read when they are older. Having a simple tradition like this will help the children in your life see how much you love them and adds a memory to this special time of the year.
We hope you’ve enjoyed some of our suggestions and you might like to include a few in your preparations this year. We would love to hear what you do each year with the children in your life to help keep the magic of Christmas alive in your home.
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