I still remember my favorite Christmas decorations from when I was a kid. He would play with them before they were officially displayed in the house or on the tree. I wish my mom would have kept the cute elves, they looked exactly like The Elf on the Shelf today, but so much less maintenance for my mom! She just took them out of the box and played with them for hours. She reminds me that we don’t have to go to elaborate lengths to create Christmas traditions for our children. All of my fondest memories are of simple things, like my brother and I stealing homemade chocolate chip squares that were kept in cold storage until Christmas Day; having large extended family dinners at a makeshift table in the downstairs rec room; and lazily spend Christmas mornings opening presents and savoring sweet Italian panettone and spicy orange juice
Start some Christmas traditions with your little ones today and remember to keep them simple!
christmas tree felling It’s a big annual tradition in my family. We always cut down our own tree in the forest where we live and take hot chocolate in a thermos and snacks on the way out. My children still remember the year we all slid across a frozen creek bed with our freshly cut tree to reach the foot of the mountain we had climbed. Take a slide for toddlers with little legs that get tired easily!
Christmas card They are the perfect activity to do with young children, but you need to set aside your usual demanding standards and let your little ones have their way. They can make their own or help you decorate cards and envelopes with coloring and festive stickers. Family members love to see children’s artwork.
Decorating cookies and building gingerbread houses. They are my children’s favorites. They don’t care if you don’t make the gingerbread yourself, they are just happy to support the walls with icing and plaster candy everywhere. Relax a bit and buy a cookie or gingerbread kit and watch their faces light up.
tree decoration It is always an easy and festive activity. Play some Christmas favorites on the record player, make a batch of hot buttered popcorn, and let your toddlers put ornaments on the bottom half of the tree. Choose wooden ornaments and other unbreakable items so you can relax with some eggnog as you drop them on the tree.
christmas movies they’re a great excuse to curl up by the fire with hot cocoa and watch some holiday movies. The little ones will enjoy Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Muppets Christmas Carol. Plus, Mommy and Daddy can put their feet up for a while!
Treats for Santa Claus and his reindeer They are a must on Christmas Eve. Have the little ones help wash the carrots and place them on a plate for the reindeer, and don’t forget the cookies and a glass of milk or brandy for Santa. Because honey, it’s cold out there!