Joshua 24v15: Christmas Tips and Ideas

Today I hosted Christmas info session designed for mums. Here is some of the things I touched on. If you would like more info on anything please email me or leave a comment.

Topics covered were

How to establish Christmas Traditions in your family

Child proofing Christmas - ideas on how to decorate you home with young children

How to involve Children in Christmas

Christmas on a budget

Gift Ideas

Books and Music Suggestions

Question time

How to establish Christmas Traditions in your family.

Tradition ~ opinion or belief or custom handed down, handing down of these from one generation to another especially orally, artistic, or literary principles.

I would like to encourage you to think about what traditions you would like to pass onto your children and what traditions you have taken from your parents or your husbands parents.

The main tradition I would like to pass onto my Children and what I would love for them to take on when they have children is to celebrate Christmas as Jesus's birthday, as a time of celebration, worship and a time of reflection and a time of family. This is a tradition both my husband and I have taken from our parents we may do things slightly different but the core ideals are there.

In our family we do not have Santa, this is a personal decision and every family needs to decide what they are going to do for themselves.

The main reason why we do not have Santa is that it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. I have told my children from a young age that Santa is a story from Greenland where a man would make gifts for Children in need and give them out on Christmas eve. The story of Santa can be told to Children as an example of someone who gave. Santa was just a man.

Another reason why we don't have Santa is that we like to teach our Children principles of giving and encourage them to give, it is not the gift but the heart behind it that counts. My children do not miss out on the excitement of Christmas day they still wake up early and excited, I did not have Santa and I don't think I missed out on anything if fact I came away with a greater appreciation of Christmas, it is not just another holiday is it a celebration and a time we can use to instill values and teach our Children.

Also I feel Santa adds to the commercialism of Christmas and I don't want my Children caught up in that.

Here are some links to give you a background about Santa.

http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/

http://www.arthuriana.co.uk/xmas/

We have also started a few of our own Christmas traditions like having a special meal on Christmas eve with just my husband, myself and our 3 Children. We always have a healthy breakfast with fresh fruit and set the table nicely.

We have taken a tradition from my husbands family and changed it a bit to suit us. My husband grew up with stockings (I never had this) his mother use to be up to all hours in the morning wrapping gifts for 6 children so she would make a Christmas stocking for each of the children with a box of breakfast cereal, a Popper, something else to eat, and other bits and pieces to keep them amused while she slept in. I have taken this idea minus the breakfast and have made a Christmas bag for each of our children and I fill it up during the year and each of the children get it in the morning it helps keep them busy while we are getting ready for the day as we don't open presents until all the extended family are together. The children know the bag is from us and look forward to jumping in our bed Christmas morning so they can be presented with their Christmas bag.

We have other traditions that will be touched on in the other topics.

Child proofing Christmas - ideas on how to decorate you home with young children

How to involve Children in Christmas

I will do these two topics together as I have found the best way to decorate your home and keep looking good is by involving the children. (my children are now 3, 4 and 6)

If you have really young Children it may pay to put a playpen around the Christmas tree or put it up high.

When we decorate the Christmas tree I explain that this is something that once we have finished decorating it they are not to touch they can look as much as they like but are not to touch. Just to be on the safe side I put all the good decorations up higher.

I have purchased quite a few glass baubles that you can fill yourself. Every year I empty them and the Children fill them up again with pretty things. I also buy paper ones that they decorate.

I also let the Children fill my vases (or pretty bowls etc) with coloured baubles. These 2 examples were done by my 3 year old. This is a cheap decoration idea as you use what ever you already have and can buy cheap baubles from a $2 shop, or use old ones you already have.

My Children and I also make a manger, angles. a stable and a star, we find animals from the farm box and set up a play area on the lamp table. I encourage the children to play out the story of Jesus's birth. This is something that is hands on for them and out during the whole of December. I have found these cute little figurines of Mary, Joseph and the 3 wise men that the children can play with all I need to do now is find shepherds. (I will post of photo of it all set up and instructions when we do it in December)

I put out a selection of Christmas picture books on the coffee table for them to read.

We also make lots of Christmas decorations during December and to add to the tree or house.

Having things for your Children to do and be involved is the key here, Christmas cooking with Children is such fun and a great way to spend time together. I will be posting some good child friendly Christmas cooking ideas soon and some links to alergy free festive cooking.

I have found the Better Homes and Garden mags full of great Christmas ideas without all the gossip and star news. The adds are ok and I can let my children look through the mags without worrying about what they may see.