Christmas traditions - what do you do with your kids

jussyc

strawbsuk76 wrote:

last year to add realisim we used my OH work boots and put flour on a baking tray dipped them into the flour and placed prints round the presents all over the carpet. My daughter then 3 went hysterical on xmas morning when she thought santa had left prints everywhere and it was so easy to vac up afterwards
hope this helps

we do this with talc, it also smells nice when you vacum it up!

SammyD_2

Aww, what lovely ideas, and some great ones from the links posted too. I also took my son who was two last Christmas to the local church to a Christingle service - the children all had to make their own Christingle candles out of oranges and candles and sweets and parade around the church. The service was at about 6pm, so it was a lovely finale on Christmas eve.

FZwanab

jussyc wrote:

we do this with talc, it also smells nice when you vacum it up!

If you are from the oldstyle board, you could use breadsoda and destroy odours at the same time!!

boobless

jussyc wrote:

we do this with talc, it also smells nice when you vacum it up!

dont forget to add the fairy/elf/reindeer dust (glitter or confetti sparkle)

happy memories

Frogling

SammyD wrote:

Then on Christmas day, we have a "family photo" which we put in a special album just for that, so we can compare year on year. I write where we were and what we did at the side of the photo.

We also take a family photo at Christmas, and then on New Year's Eve, I write a letter to each of my little girls with 'highlights' from the year gone by: funny things they've said and done, events such as first days at school, days out, family happenings both large and small, etc. These then go in envelopes, along with a copy of the family photo, and are sealed up and placed in a safe box with the letters I have written them in previous years. I'm hoping that, when they are older, they will enjoy looking back at the photos and reading up on things that they did, some of which will probably have slipped our minds by then.

When I was a little girl, we used to make paper chains during the day on christmas eve, and now that our little ones are old enough, we will be doing that this year and then hang them up in the girls bedroom. In the afternoon, we will be making fresh bread and mince pies, and will pop out for a walk in the park.

Christmas Eve = new pyjamas for the girls, and this year we are going to decorate the window in their bedroom so that Santa will know which room to put their stockings in. I've got them some battery-powered lanterns from Ikea to put on their windowsill to light the way for the reindeers.

SammyD_2

Frogling wrote:

We also take a family photo at Christmas, and then on New Year's Eve, I write a letter to each of my little girls with 'highlights' from the year gone .

Love the idea of the letter - will add this to my list of things to do. I am finding that the things I wrote in my three year old's baby book are now things that I would have forgotten about if I had not got them down on paper, so this really struck a chord.

Thanks for the idea.

amanda40

The Christmas FAiry always comes to our house on Christmas eve to make sure my two boys are all ready for Santa. She comes during bathtime and always leaves them new pjs and a Christmas Story book on their pillows. They are 8 and 5, it really gets them excited for Santa coming.

Once Santa has put out all his presents, he sprinkles star or christmas tree like confetti, from the chimney, round the plate ( with his snack leftovers), all over the presents and out the door. We call it magic santa dust.

Last year I got a lovely thing from nursery which was a small bag with glitter and porridge oats with a poem for Rudolph - you sprinkle it on the lawn on CHristas EVe - the smell of oats and the glitter help guide them on their way boys loved it!! It is also a great fundraiser for Christmas Fayres at school/nursery as it is easy to make , very cheap and you can sell it for 50p a bag. We sold hundreds of it last year.

funkster01_2

im i teacher and i do that with the dust every year, the kids love it, just adds a personal touch to all their cards, if anyone is interested i can dig it out and post the poem on here if you like. then you jus put glitter and some oats in a little bag.

dlb

Anyone with a open fire this is great.
A lady i used to know got her kids to write a letter to santa, then with adults help placed it on the open fire and told them the smoke would go up to santa and he would magically put it back together again.
Then a few days later a reply would appear in the fireplace!!
The kids thought this was great and very magical!!

suzukibabe

We always leave a drink and a mince pie for santa, and a carrot for rudolph.
We always open a little present on christmas eve, and my son has his stocking, oohh i can't wait for christmas now.