Christmas traditions - what do you do with your kids

funkster01_2

Happy Christmas

When Santa’s sleigh is full of toys,
Ready for Christmas Day,
Use this special magic dust
To help him find his way

Just sprinkle it outside your door
The glitter will give it light,
The reindeer will smell the oats,
And bring Santa on Christmas night.

Here is that poem, then you ad a little bag or envelope of aots and different colour glitter and the kids love it!!

amanda40

funkster01 wrote:

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.

I would love a copy of it thanks - meant to keep it last year , but after the dust was used the poem disappeared!.

neveranymoney

We always put the decorations up whilst listening to a Christmas CD my OH and I bought on our first christmas together. Then we watch christmas movies every weekend in December! On christmas eve, we watch more movies, listen to more christmas songs and visit some relatives. We're lucky enough that the regional itv here does a santa watch, saying that Santa has been spotted over such and such a place and all children should be in their pj's and getting into bed etc. I always hoak out 'the night before christmas', it is a pop up and used to be mine, and at the end together we shout, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

pjs_3

The christingle service is my favourite. My little girl is 5 and has been since her first Christmas. Our church turn off the lights and the children all stand around the church and sing away in a manger with their candles lit. It makes me cry though! Thinking of taking my son this year he is 2 and a bit of a handfull. Just got to watch that candle and the sharp cocktail sticks!!

My husband always makes mince pies with the children. Its the only day in the year he does anything creative or messy with them so its a special time for them. I stay out of the way and let them get on with it.

AMIE399

I DO ALL MY HOUSEWORK BY 1pm
( INCLUDING PEELING ALL THE VEG FOR THE BIG DAY.... I GET UP EARLY !!! )
THEN I MAKE A NICE EASY LUNCH AND SPEND THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON WITH THE FAMILY.. WE HAVE A TAKEAWY FOR TEA SO THAT I DONT NEED TO COOK AGAIN. MY XMAS EVE MOTTO IS.... WHATS NOT DONE BY 1.. ISNT GONNA GET DONE !!!! I THINK ITS GOOD TO SPEND XMAS EVE AFTERNOON RELAXING WITH THE FAMILY AS THE BIG DAY IS NO BUSY !!!!!

Timeandmoneylord

In lieu of an advent calender, we always play one Christmas song everyday from December 1st through to the 24th- and my brithday's on the 8th so I always get to choose that days! Apart from that, my friend's son's birthday/house party on the 24th had become quite a tradition- Christingle then that.

Love the idea for the photo, though- I might have to start that one!!!

mintymoneysaver

The night before Christmas is always our bedtime story on Christmas Eve, and I still have to read it to them even though they're 13 and 9!

AMIE399

Last Year One Of The Games We Played Was Chocolate Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here... It Was Such Good Fun, Good For Kids As Nothing Too Hot To Eat ( Some Of The Chocs Were Salty !! ) It Had Jelly Bugs And You Had Forfits Like Impersonating A Croc Doing A Death Roll !!!!!
I Think I Got It In Bhs And It Was £5.. Well Worth It !!

Kaz2904

We always go to the christingle service by my aunties house and after that one of the local men has borrowed a tractor and trailer every year since I was a child and parades it round the village as santa on his sleigh. It's wonderful to rush sleepy kids out into the cold with no shoes on all cuddled up in your jumper peeking at santas' sleigh going by! When we get home and put them to bed we tell them to listen for santa and go and shake bells outside!

comping_cat

We put the xmas tree up on 30th November in the evening (with the christmas cd on!!) so that its all christmassy throughout December (i take the decs down on the 1st Jan)
On christmas eve, i clean the house in the morning, and the children have baths and hair washes. We also make santa either cakes or cookies. In the afternoon we always goto the Pantomime, its a lovely start to christmas. We come home and have a takeaway and a christmas film, and this year (after reading on the christmas thread) im going to give them both some new pjs as an early christmas gift!!! As they goto bed, we put the santa cookies and a glass of milk out, plus a carrot for Rudolph. i then peel all the xmas veg and lay the table whilst im waiting for them to goto sleep. Once they are asleep, i get the pressies down and laid out, and then i leave a trail of chocolate coins all around the house (all the places santa has been!!!) it used to be glitter, which looks lovely but is a pain to hoover up afterwards!!!!
On christmas morning, both children come into me with their stockings and we open them in my bed, then we come down, the children collecting the chocolate as they go, and checking that santa has had his cookies and milk (Rudolph always leaves a little of his carrot).
They then open all the presents i have bought them (the ones santa brings) then later in the morning, we have a treasure hunt, normally for the present they are wanting the most. After lunch, we then open all the presents from under the tree, these are the ones from everyone else, its just a really nice way of spreading them out over the day, and they know who bought them what, rather than opening a mound of presents and not knowing!!!!
Christmas is also the only day of the year when they can eat what they want, when they want, i always cook a proper roast dinner with all the trimmings, and we always sit down together, but if they want to eat their selection boxes and junk all day, then thats up to them!!! They are normally very good tho, and do eat their christmas dinner!!!! We then veg out for the rest of the day!!!!
I love christmas, and im starting to get excited already!!!!! Roll on December!!!!