As a child, Christmas was the best. But you know what’s better than Christmas as a child? Christmas as a parent – watching your own kids experience the magic that is Christmas through their innocent little eyes.
There are so many different ways to make Christmas special and every family will have various Christmas traditions to add an extra dash of magic to the day. While your baby may not be able to fully understand Christmas or appreciate the wonder of it all, it’s never too early to start and make it memorable!
Here are a few easy ways to make your child’s first Christmases memorable each and every year.
Christmas Prop Photo Shoot
Use a simple Christmas prop such as a stocking, snowman plush toy or Santa sack and position your little one in or beside it for a Christmas themed photoshoot. Repeat a similar set-up every year and see how quickly your little one grows next to your prop of choice.
Holiday Hand Prints
Another cute way to track just how little they once were is with annual holiday hand prints. You can get hand and foot print kits or simply use salt dough and paint. Have a look online for inspiration. Repeat the hand print every year to compare! Check out more DIY Christmas Gift ideas for when they get older.
Special Ornament
Most families will decorate the Christmas tree together but perhaps each year you could also add a special ornament to the tree commemorating the year? As your little ones gets older, they may want to pick out the ornament. Another option for crafty parents is to make one every year.
The Countdown
Chocolate advent calendars are great and provide your tot with a small treat every day but you can also add to this tradition by making a Christmas Activity Advent Calendar where every day (or weekly if daily is too much) you do a different Christmas activity – make Christmas cookies, do a different Christmas craft, go for a walk to see the lights, watch a Christmas movie, etc.
The Night Before Christmas
Most families will set out milk and cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph but there are plenty of other great Christmas Eve traditions to try too. Why not start a Christmas Eve box for your child to open every Christmas Eve? Fill it with a special mug for hot chocolate, a Christmas biscuit or bedtime treat, new Christmas PJs and a special Christmas book to read before bed.
The Gift of Giving
Another tradition you can incorporate into your child’s Christmases even at a young age is giving a gift to someone who isn’t as lucky as us. The Kmart Wishing Tree is a good place to start. Let your child pick the gift, help you wrap it and bring it to your charity of choice. This may become one of their favourite traditions as they get older and hopefully one they continue with their own children.
