Winter for many of us brings up feelings of coziness, warmth, and lots of reunions. It is a merry season, filled with love and family gatherings, festive moods, and delicious dinners. Despite the lower temperatures, winter also brings us Christmas and a box full of reasons to put a smile on our faces. This joyful time of year has a range of traditions associated with it but every family has its own and unique way of spending the holidays.
Some like to pack the bags and do some traveling to new places, others prefer a quieter time of relaxation and batter recharging, while those with kids usually focus on spending time with the family. Christmas Eve is among the nights that deserve the most attention when it comes to the holidays. In the dynamic and fast-paced world that we live in today, it is easy to adapt to the commercial mindset. However, on Christmas Eve we go back to basics and show our gratitude for the little things in life. And it is a night truly special.
It is also the night when we expect Santa’s visit. The parents out there will know that this is a unique and exciting moment for the kids, the night that they’ve been waiting for all year long. In this article, we’ll share a few tips that will help you make the holidays and Christmas Eve a magical night for your children. Help them remember the time with affection and joy!
Create your own traditions
Regardless of whether you are celebrating Christmas or another holiday, family traditions are a great way to bond and share unforgettable moments. It is also a great way to show your kids that there is so much to be looking forward to next year!
Think about a special tradition that you will start with the little ones. For example, turn the habit of enjoying advent calendars around and make your own reverse advent calendar tradition. Instead of opening up the calendar day by day, let the kids put something in. This can be a drawing, something handmade by them, or something they found and loved. To make things even more interesting, organize a time when you will create the calendars at home with the kids to add some creativity to the tradition.
Another interesting tradition that you can think about is unwrapping presents in your pyjamas. And not just any pyjamas – matching ones! Leave a pair of PJs for everyone from the family under the Christmas tree and start present unwrapping by putting them on first. What a better way to create a memorable and family-related day!
Decorate together with the kids
Which brings us to the next point – decorations. We are all excited about choosing our Christmas tree décor, the lights that we want to put outside the house, and all the little holiday details that we place in our interior to make the season even more festive and cozy. It may be way easier and quicker to decorate alone but let’s face it – this a is a true experience for the little ones.
Children love to see things change from time to time and decorating is one of the easiest ways to offer them the opportunity to enjoy this time of year. Go decoration shopping together and ask your kids for their opinion on the décor. This way, they will feel involved in the process and will even start learning a bit about decision making.
Let them be as creative as they wish and let the magic of the holidays unfold before your eyes.
Another great idea is to reuse old decorations from the past to match them to new ones that you have chosen. You can even organize a game for the kids to find the best combinations between old and new to see what they come up with.
Surprises are always welcome
Surprises are at the center of the holiday season. If we think about it, even parents wake up every day in hopes of a surprise, imagine how important this is to the little ones. When we say surprise we usually think about the amazing presents that we have bought and carefully wrapped up and tucked away under the Christmas tree. However, there are no limits and barriers and surprises can be found in different parts of the process.
For instance, kids love to play games. It would be a cool way to surprise them by organizing a mini scavenger hunt to make gift-receiving even more intriguing. Decorate a special box for the hunt and fill it up with clues of where the presents can be found. This can be around the house or if you are feeling extra adventurous, it can even span out to the neighborhood or a special place that your little one loves to visit.
Another great way to surprise your kids for the holidays is to bake their favorite sweets, even if they’re not exactly healthy. The holidays are an exceptional time when we can let our guard down and bend the rules for a day or two.
Prepare a nice welcome for Santa
Santa loves milk and cookies, right? What better way to make Christmas Eve extra special for your little ones than to prepare a nice welcoming atmosphere for Santa! After all, the magic of the story behind Santa, his little reindeer, and their travels to deliver gifts to those who have been good during the year is the brilliance behind this wonderful time. During the younger years of their development, children adore stories and magical tales that remind them that nothing is impossible.
Support them in their belief by leaving out food for Santa, cleaning out the chimney together so he can enter the house without any trouble, and leave a handmade greeting card out for him. Your kids will love the excitement and will be eager to check if Santa’s visited your house yet.
Organize a holiday movie night at home
With the dynamic lifestyle of most families, it is only natural that we don’t get to spend as much time with the little ones as we wish. A daily routine can easily prevail and you may find yourself in a vicious circle where there is so much to do and no time to enjoy a good movie night with the kids.
Well, leave the stress behind as the holidays offer the perfect opportunity to finally put on a Christmas movie and dive in without worrying about chores or tasks. There is a rich catalogue of Christmas films that are absolute classics, suitable for the little ones. Not to mention all the animated movies that kids absolutely adore!
If your kids are at a younger age and this is among their first Christmas celebrations, it may be useful to choose wisely a movie that introduces the whole idea behind the holidays and puts in perspective some of the traditions and joys of the season. You can use this as a supportive method to start making your own traditions and showing the little ones the magic behind the holidays.
Create homemade cards
We can’t stress enough on the fact that the holidays are about sharing, giving, and loving. It is the ideal time to make something unique and there is no better way to do so than to craft a handmade greetings card for your family members. This is a time when kids can get their pencils and decorations out and use their imagination to the fullest.
Crafting handmade items at home is a useful exercise that can develop children’s creativity, decision-making, and help them show you the true colors of their thoughts. Christmas cards can be found everywhere but imagine how happy the little ones will be to be able to create their own and give you their creation as a gift. This will truly mean a lot to them and doesn’t really require much investment. It can also be a great method to keep them occupied and concentrated while you are preparing the festive meal or setting up the dinner table for the celebration.
Spend the night under the tree
This one might come as a surprise but it turns out that kids love to change things around and feel free. To make the holidays even more special, allow them to spend a night under the Christmas tree with all the presents. You can set up home-based minicamp with a tent or you can just organize a cozy section under the tree, with lots of warm blankets and pillows to make their night ultra-comfortable. Believe us, once they try this once they will be counting the days until the next holiday!
There we have it – our list of holiday suggestions that can turn this festive season around for you and your little ones. We hope that you’ve enjoyed our tips and you find them useful for the holidays. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
