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Christmas is by far my favourite time of year. I have such amazingly fond memories from my own childhood. My Mum and Dad always made Christmas such a special family time of year, that now I am grown up, I always hope I can recreate that same feeling of magic and anticipation with my own children.
Ever since my first Christmas as a Mum when Erin was just 6 months old, I wanted to start creating some Christmas traditions that our family could enjoy year on year; something that as they grew up they would remember and look forward to, like a Christmas rite of passage if you will.
Here are some of the traditions we do as a family that I absolutely love recreating every December. If you’re looking for some fun family traditions to start with your children this Christmas, here are some you may want to consider.
*Please note – this post contains affiliate links – which means should you go on to purchase via one of my links I will receive a small amount of commission directly from the retailer at no extra cost to yourself.*
Advent Adventure
1. Book Advent
Advent calendars are great, but for one with a difference, a book advent allows some real quality bonding time with you and your little ones and lasts far beyond the month of December. The idea behind book advent is to have 24 books (ideally of differing shapes and sizes) and unwrap one every single day on the run up to Christmas, snuggling up under the duvet and reading it together before bed to help them calm down and settle for the night. Christmas themed books are ideal, although in theory it can be any books that you like with a magical story behind them. The Works have a 24 book advent selection as well as their fab 10 books for £10 deal which at this time of year includes LOADS of festive classics. My other favourite Christmas books can be found in my post “Best Christmas Books for Book Advent” here. Don’t forget to look in charity shops and explore second hand options if you want to save yourself a bit of money, as the cost of buying all 24 new can soon add up! You can also buy Book Advents from Disney and Frozen Book Advent with a book for every day of advent to read on the run up to Christmas. I also LOVE this cute advent colouring in book – with a new scene to colour in every day till Christmas.
2. Home made advent calendars
Christmas doesn’t have to be all about commercialism and chocolate (although at times it may feel that way). A home made calendar is something that can be enjoyed over and over again, year on year, and one like this matchbox advent is ideal, allowing you to alter the contents to reflect the age of your child as they grow up. I was lucky enough that someone very kindly made this for me, but if you’re a creative soul you can easily set to work on something similar yourself.
3. Elf for Christmas
For those of you brave enough to do Elf on the Shelf (I don’t think I am brave enough yet!) it can be quite hard to keep thinking of different themes and content to do every single morning. When I went to BlogOn in a few years back I found one these Elf for Christmas Advent Letter packs in my goody bag – with a numbered envelope with a letter inside for every day of advent, this is a really cute idea which requires a lot less brain power on behalf of the parents!!
It’s always fun for your elf to bring some activities and some of my favourites for 2020 include:
- Arrive in style – why not welcome Elfie back this Christmas with an awesome personalised Elf Arrival Balloon?
- Make a Cadbury’s Chocolate Christmas Cottage – a twist on the gingerbread house!
- Make a Christmas Craft from Christmas Cards to Baubles and Nativity Scenes – Baker Ross have an awesome budget friendly selection.
- Bake – why not have Elf leave a lovely baking kit such as cookies or even these awesome Christmas Macaroon Puddings!
- Remind them of the magic of Christmas with these super cute ‘I believe’ pin badges.
- Hot Chocolate Kit – leave out ingredients for children to make a hot chocolate – think marshmallows and whipped cream in a cute miniature mug!
4. Reverse Advent Calendar
We do a Reverse Advent calendar in some format every single year, as I think it is important that the girls learn that not everyone is as fortunate as themselves.
Every day during December (we generally end a little earlier than the 24th so it can be dropped off ready for Christmas Day), we pop a food item, piece of clothing or toiletries item into a box ready to take to the shelters. We also have a bit of a clear out of toys prior to Christmas and take ones that are no longer played with to the local charity shops, ensuring that others can save some money on treating their little ones whilst raising some funds for good causes in the process. It’s good for the soul, good for the storage space, and it gives me a warm feeling inside to know that the girls have helped make someone else’s Christmas that little bit brighter.
5. Writing to Father Christmas
There is something so magical about writing to Father Christmas with the girls, and each year we pop our letters in an envelope and walk down to our local postbox to send it off on its journey to the North Pole. I love to capture a photograph each year of the girl’s posting their letters – they are lovely to look back on and see how much bigger they get as the time goes by. We also save all of the responses from Father Christmas as a memory of all the things they asked for – I figure these will be good for laughs on their 18th birthday when we have forgotten about all of the latest crazes.
Going to see Father Christmas is also one of our favourite things to do, whether thats at the local garden centre, the one who drives down our road, polar express train ride or something more extravagant like Lapland UK. If you are visiting Lapland UK – check out the hotels near Lapland UK guide to save some money on your accommodation – it all adds up!
Decking the Halls
6. All about the Baubles
We love decorating the tree together as a family, and each year we let the girls pick a new bauble to buy for the tree as part of our Christmas Traditions. Last year we’ve added these gorgeous personalised name baubles from the Handmade Christmas Co. to our collection – with their velvet ribbon and the glittery italic text, they really make a statement amongst the fur and pinecones! They have a wide variety of colour and text choices available to suit every colour scheme, but I love to keep things traditional where I can, with lots of reds, golds and greens in this house!
Christmas is also a time to think about the ones who couldn’t be with us to celebrate. Every Christmas since I lost my Mum I’ve had a photo of her on my tree, as I like to think she will be with us in spirit even though she can’t be in person. This year, I will also be adding this gorgeous personalised white feather in loving memory bauble as a lovely reminder that she will always be part of our Christmases. White feathers are often seen to be a message from an angel or spirit, and we have found a few in some unexpected places since Mum passed away (including in Erin’s uniform drawer the day before she started school). As such, I have a real emotional attachment to them, so I have a feeling this bauble will be a pretty special addition.
7. Helping with Decorations
There is something truly magical about getting the children involved with decking the halls, and little touches like helping Daddy put the star on top of the tree or allowing them to gently hang the baubles (before having to even them out later due to their height restrictions messing with your feng shui) hold real sentimental value. If you’re looking for a tree where all branches will be in reach for the little ones, then these toy Christmas tree’s are ideal and look great as a festive household addition. The adorable My First Christmas tree from Step2 comes with it’s very own star to place on the top and 8 brightly coloured baubles which can be dotted around as they wish. Once the tree is fully dressed, the miniature train can be driven around the trees base. Lightweight yet sturdy, this adorable festive toy was a huge hit with Neve when she was little!
Now that the girls are a bit older, we have also introduced the concept of Christmas bedding! There is no better feeling than snuggling down into your Christmas duvet as you count down the days till Christmas Eve! We love this set from Bloomsbury Mill with its super cute Winter Wonderland design full of bright colourful elves at the North Pole. Available in both cot bed and single bed cover size, these sets are made from easy care cotton-blend which is super soft, durable, quick drying and requires minimal ironing!
Christmas Eve Fun
8. Father Christmas Plate
Every Christmas we leave out a plate for Father Christmas, with some treats for him and his reindeer to enjoy before they set off on the remainder of their journey. I hand painted this plate when Erin was just 6 months old (and it needs updating since Neve has arrived). It has a designated slot for Father Christmas’s drink, his treat, and of course a carrot for Rudolf. Every Christmas Eve before the girls go up to bed, we lay out the treats and place them near the tree for him to find, and watching the girls face’s when they realise that the treats have gone and just a half nibbled carrot top remaining is priceless, and something I will NEVER get bored of! Truly adorable. These personalised Father Christmas treat wooden trays are cute too.
9. Christmas Eve Boxes
Despite being a bit of an American concept, the popularity of Christmas Eve boxes in the UK has really increased over recent years. The idea is that a little box of goodies is delivered to the house on Christmas Eve, with some treats in to make Christmas Eve feel extra special. Whilst you might be thinking they’re getting enough treats already, the Christmas Eve box isn’t about expensive gifts or high value presents, more so some things to make Christmas Eve as calm and festive as possible. We normally have a festive film, some jammies and an activity or two – and the girls love opening them up and revealing what is inside. You can see what we had in our Christmas Eve boxes in previous years here.
I can recommend Elegantly Sweet for Christmas Eve box contents – her chocolate creations are to die for!
This year we’re including a special treat from the elves – these amazing Certified Good List hoodies from Elf for Christmas! They come in two different colours and are great to wear when snuggling up with a festive movie!
10. Father Christmas snow footprints
I started this tradition on Erin’s first Christmas, when lets face it, at 6 months she didn’t have a CLUE what was going on, but I wanted to show her as she grew older that Father Christmas had been doing the same things every single year as she’s grown up. As Father Christmas walks through the hall (entering via our front door with his magic key), he accidently leaves big snowy footprints on our floor – something which makes the girls gasp with excitement when they see them on Christmas morning! If you want to do this yourself – check out my FREE Father Christmas Footprints printable template – just add icing sugar or flour and you’re good to go!
Family Moments
11. Eating at the Table
I have to admit that for the majority of the year we are a TV dinner kind of family, with most of the time our dining table being covered in craft or junk to make enough room to eat at. At Christmas however, this all changes, and we try and enjoy as many family meals as possible, all sat at the table together and taking time to enjoy each other’s company, with no TV or Tech in sight.
Every Christmas Eve, we have my Dad round for a mini Christmas dinner, and it’s a lovely evening, with lots of chat and laughter, allowing my Dad to get caught up in the festivities and see the girls with their eyes sparkling in excitement. Last year we had to do it via Zoom, but this year we hope to be able to find a way!
12. Family Christmas Pyjamas
This is a fairly recent one for us, only starting the year that Neve was born. Matching Family pyjamas. As part of the girls Christmas Eve boxes we buy them both a new pair of pyjamas, and it only seems fair that the grown ups can enjoy a bit of Christmas Eve comfort too! For the last couple of years we have opted for the Alder Hey charity pyjamas from Matalan (with funds going to a great cause).
What other festive traditions have you started with your family? I’d love to hear them!
Lucy
*Disclaimer – this post features press samples which were sent to me free of charge in return for exclusion in this post. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own*
