Ok I have a few traditions I have already that we do with our kids but they are a little older and really want to do something fun with them and hopefully the hubby will participate with whatever we do. We do the whole drive around and look at x-mas lights and I buy them new pj's that they get on christmas eve and get to stay in all the next day, I get them an ornament to go along with what ever they are into that year. They are now 7 and almost 4 and is wanting to know what are some really fun unusual things you guys do around the holidays to make it fun and memorable??
How about seeing a holiday concert/performance? Or trying some new foods? How about writing a holiday story together and making a little book to save?
Well to 'third' the angel tree thing - Our church always has a "boxes for el salvador" and we shop and fill a shoebox with needs and toys for orphans in el salvador. We pick children that are the same age as our kids (my son and my neice) and they enjoy filling the shoeboxes.
But also, with my SIL and BIL, last year we did "Best you can do at the dollar store." We set a $5 limit and bought eachother only 5 items at the dollar store. It was fun to find the funniest/wierdest/yummiest gifts for just a buck.
Maybe go help out for a day at a local food pantry. It would teach your children the true meaning of Christmas. Or they could visit people in an assited living so many of those nice people don't get visitors and it would brighten up their day.
I let my boys help pick out gifts for Toys for Tots, and the Angle tree. We gather all our gently used toys and warm cloths we do not need and take them down to the family homeless shelter and the domestic violence safe house. When they are a little older they will come with me to serve dinner at the beans cafe (the homeless food kitchen in our town). (of course these lessons are best learned if repeated often, so this we do 4 or 5 times a year with the exception of the angle tree and toys for tots)
We also like to stretch out the fun. We actually celebrate Yule rather than Christmas. We start on the solstice and open a present a day until the 25th, when we open the rest and have the traditions dinner with family. It is like getting 5 days of Christmas every year, the first 4 just for us, and teh last one to share with everyone else!
You have inspired me to try something new this year too. We are going to pick a different place, religion, or culture each year and learn all about how they celebrate the winter Solstice!
You could make a paper chain of 25 links and tear one off each day to count down the days. You could also find out about some traditions from around the world and learn about them and incoporate some of those into your own. I know a friend of mine puts the children's shoes out and fills them with goodies and I know others that do special meals or feasts according to some other cultural traditions that are out there. You can also start a scrapbook and take pictures and journal the special days around the holiday (decorating, picking out the tree, hanging the stockings, writing letters to Santa...etc) with your kids.
Just some thoughts! Enjoy the season and take care!
I agree with Lee. My son and I have done Angel Tree. We also volunteer on our holidays - we usually pick either Thanksgiving or Christmas and go help serve or prepare holiday meals for others. It doesn't take up the whole day so we still have lots of time to celebrate together. It also reminds us of the reason for season.
The other things that we have done is make Christmas ornaments - and he picks what colour we decorate the tree in each year. We also make a gingerbread house each year. We use a kit but by extra candies and things to decorate with.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
We get angels from an angel tree, one for me, and one for my son, and we enjoy getting gifts for some children who otherwise might not get anything. We've done this since my son was born, not that he knew then what we were doing, but at 4 1/2, he understands now. It's a nice tradition.
We always made gingerbread houses, and I plan on doing it with my (now) 19 month old. Get graham crackers, make royal icing (so they will stick together), and get a variety of candy and sprinkles. We always displayed ours around the house. Like one on the table, kitchen counter, coffee table, etc.
We also baked and iced lots and lots of cookies. We gave them away to everyone and anyone. But it was fun icing them. =) Have fun!
We do gingerbread houses together. put on some christmas music and buy a couple of those kits. we do 2 people to a house. switch up partners each year. of course we have 4 kids. so the switching up was easy. now we have kids and spouses and grandkids. we set up in kitchen, living room and dining room. set up a camcorder to just tape. you won't always have a good picture as people walk in and out of view but the dialogue is great. my daughter and her husband always make a point of being home for it and my boys make sure they bring the girlfriend (now fiance's ) home. the grandkids are really excited about it always too. make hot choc and snacks and its a blast. another thing we do is go to a performance of some kind. in rich years we have went to see joseph and the dream coat, annie, phantom of the opera, lion king etc.... down town in chicago. in less rich years we go to local highschool holiday programs which are free. but the point is we go as a family.
We bake cookies. I take each of my two kids on separate shopping trips to buy a present for the other. We make ornaments/decorations/gifts for those on our gift list. We make a candy counters to count down the days leading up to Christmas. We do the Angel Tree at church. We place simple, kid-friendly craft kits in small goody bags and take them to the local pediatric oncology clinic.
After we open our christmas presents, we watch as many Christmas movies as possible, staying in our pjs all day. (the kiddo gets new PJs on Christmas eve). We watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Love Actually (during kiddos naptime!) and whatever else we can find. If we have time, we'll throw on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's fun and my husband's brothers come over with us.
