Start as I mean to go on....ideas pls

candice56

Hi all

As you can see from my signature I've had a baby - YAY!

I have fond memories of my childhood christmases at home and they are mostly the things we did every year e.g. small pressie left on the landing, making grandparents cards, wrapping paper around the base of the tree etc but I can't remember anything about food or drink or phones calls on the day.

Me and hubby already do a few things like hang stockings 2 weeks before and light the fire and open pressies whilst eating chocs in our dressing gowns on the day. Great for us but maybe not for kids.

Now of course our little man is only going to be 7 months so he wont know any better but I'm on maternity and have time to plan and carry out, what I hope to be family traditions.

Any ideas....

caroline78

We always use to get 12 days of Christmas presents....I still do this with my partner although we have no kids.
Basically it is a small present under the tree from the 12th December. These can be a small packet of sweets or a piece of fruit...Just something to let the kids know that Santa is watching.
Then on the 24th the small present is replaced by the Christmas Eve hamper which contains new pj's, slippers, dvds, sweets etc...

Gingerbiscuit_2

We were allowned to open one small pressie from under tree on xmas eve. Usually from family member.

We also used to open tin of quality street on xmas eve!

Leave milk and mince pie for santa- which would have been munched by next day.

Dorato

How about writing a letter to him from santa? Then, in years to come, he can read it to prove to him that Santa really did some to see him even when he was really small?

candice56

Ah Dorato thats a great idea, I'll def do that...keep 'em coming please

mary-op

I used to hang a stocking on the door knob of the kids rooms -that had small toys in it, little books, sweets etc. and they could open that when they woke up but the bigger presents were downstairs and they had to wait till we were all up for that otherwise paper would have been torn off and we'd not have known who'd bought what.......lol

They're grown up now but still like the element of surprise so they get a shoe box of odds and sods -some silly some useful and among the silly ones I hide a cheque for them but they have to find it..........makes sure that don't discard anything too quickly if they think its 'a bit of rubbish mum made'..............lol

Since coming on this site I've learned about the christmas eve hamper.......having new grandson (he was 2 this year) I did one for him and his dads re-filling the reindeer food etc. I also wrote a little story for him and hope to do the same this year. His mum keeps all these, plus the letter I write to him pretending I'm santa..............lol
Like the idea of the 12 days of christmas presents........worth thinking about

berniesmaster

my girls (4 and 6) have there own 3ft xmas tree in there bedroom, for them to decorate and santa to leave stockings under.

Dorato

candice56 wrote: »

Ah Dorato thats a great idea, I'll def do that...keep 'em coming please

Make sure you change your handwriting a little though or he might guess

You could also maybe make a decoration for the tree with "Baby's first Chrsitmas" on it and then make one each year? He can help when he gets a little older as well.

Maybe you could do a hand print each year?

And a scrapbook of pictures on Christmas morning?

jemtom

me and my brother used to get one present to open on christmas eve, and new pj's, slippers and dressing gown. and the same with mince pie, carrot and glass of milk. used to wake really early and open my stocking and we wernt allowed to wake mum and dad until 7am although i had usually been up for hours before that. im still the same now get so excited wondering if father christmas has been:rotfl:

oligeo

I love love love christmas!
My kids are now 5 and 4.

On xmas eve we make biscuits for santa to leave out with a cup of milk and a carrot for the reindeers.

As we have no chimney, I bought a magic santa key (from a garden centre I think) its a little key with a plaque attached with a lovely little rhyme. We take it out the front and leave on the wall 'so santa can get in' - Then when they're in bed we bring it in and leave it on the empty plate.

We each have a stocking that we lay out on Xmas eve, these get filled with the presents from santa. All other presents, from us, grandparents, etc are from that peson, only the the stocking gifts are from santa.

We do tonnes of christmas baking and crafts to share with family and friends, but your baby's a bit small for that at the moment.

Sarah

yippee_kye_yay

ur ds may be a little young but one for next year; i will be taking my ds and dd who are 2 and 1 to a shop that has a good selection of xmas decorations and they will pick a new one each for the tree. we will do this every year and i they will choose where to put it on the tree. then every year they can hang the decs they chose themselves. last year ds picked both as dd was a little young to understand

last year i printed off santa pics off the comp and they coloured them to leave as a thank you for santa they will continue to do this until they can write a thank you note for the big guy. dd was 10months last xmas and was fine at colouring under supervision (she tried everynow and then to eat the crayons) so i would try your ds with this.

new pjs on xmas eve is a must!! this year they will be within a hamper left by santa!

christmas cards we send i always get the kids to write there names on them, although its a load of scribbles but everyone loves it