Christmas means different things to different people, but it’s still that time of year that will make your heart leap with either joy or tantalising anxiety. As the year comes to a close, the mental load as a parent that goes along with the “Silly Season” is astronomical, but we keep the magic alive for our little ones.
So, how do you keep the spirit of Christmas and end of year alive when sometimes it feels so hard to keep up? Extra costs, extra activities, extra commitments – end of year break nearly can’t come soon enough!
We know it’s not all about presents and more about family time so here are our top tips on how to ignite that spirit and get your family feeling that holiday cheer.
If you celebrate Christmas and you haven’t set up your Christmas tree yet, what are you waiting for? Think of it as a family activity. Use it as a time to talk to your kids about why you celebrate Christmas and find out what presents they want from Santa this year (wink, wink).
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this is one to put on the list for your family – The decorating doesn’t just stop at the Christmas tree – many families enjoy putting up Christmas lights on their home to display their joy for the holiday season, and there are always the special few who go to the extreme with their decorating. If you’ve ever put up Christmas lights yourself, you’d know that even putting up a few simple lights can be overwhelming – but that doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying other households’ excessive displays! There are many local areas where you can view the extensive showcases of Christmas lights – and you don’t just have to feel jealous of their impressive displays. Take your family have a look at which ones you and your children like most! Click HERE to find the Best Christmas lights in your area.
If you’ve turned the television on during the month of December, you’re bound to have glimpsed the wide variety of Christmas movies running and rerunning each night. While you might feel the smallest bit drained from watching ‘The Santa Clause’ every year for the last 20 years, a good way to get your family feeling festive is to watch Christmas films you haven’t seen before. On Netflix there are a huge variety of options, including some completely new additions you probably haven’t seen before. The Christmas Chronicles (PG) is a very recent Santa-centric film ripe for young children, perfect for igniting their (and your!) Christmas spirit. Other new holiday films on Netflix include The Princess Switch (G), A Christmas Prince (G), and The Holiday Calendar (PG), all appropriate for the entire family.
So this time of year is a time for FOOD! Why not get in on the action and make some treats with your children as well? An enjoyable (and affordable) idea is to bake some holiday-themed cookies with your kids. Using holiday themed stencils, different kinds of toppings, icings, and recipes, your kids are bound to come up with some delightful finger-food you can bring along to your Christmas celebration. A list of fun recipes to explore with your children can be found here.
The tradition of writing a Christmas letter to Santa is something that many parents can relate to – and children of today don’t have to worry about their physical letters to the North Pole getting lost in transit, as they can now email Santa online. Living in the technological era of 2018, this website has a variety of online activities for your children to participate in – whether that means checking if they are on the naughty or nice list, sending Santa their Wishlist, or checking out the website’s Joke of the Day. There’s a good amount of content available to entwine the Christmas spirit with the device focused entertainment your children can’t get enough of – and that leaves you the perfect opportunity to sneak off and buy their end of year gifts in the meantime. 😉
That finishes our list of Silly Season related activities, and we’re sure that some of these activities will certainly entertain your kids these holidays!
Happy holidays from our team at Yomojo! 🎁
