"Unwrap the Magic: 10 Christmas Traditions to Create Unforgettable Memories with Your Family Today!"

The actual gifts may be long forgotten but the Christmas Traditions will last a lifetime, hopefully years and generations later our little ones will someday carry on the ones we make with their own families. in generations to come, they will tell their grandchildren tales of how this tradition began. Well thats my Christmas goals as a Mom😁.

It's not lost on me that as Moms we rarely get to actually enjoy Christmas, we are so busy preparing and making sure everyone else gets what they need, then it's all undone in 20 minutes on Christmas morning leaving a huge mess usually followed by tears (because that's what kids do when they are overwhelmed and Christmas is overwhelming, no matter how much we've spent or how hard we had to try and track down that impossible to get but must-have Christmas gift that got discarded within a few moments of opening), then one day we wake up and realise our littles are Bigs and the moments and magic are gone. If it wasn't for those Christmas Traditions we have there would be no trace of the Christmases past only regret that we didn't take more time in the moments or spent all that time worrying we would fail or ruin their Christmases when we should have been having more fun. 

This is why I want to share with you some traditions we have in our family that help us keep the magic alive now they are grown, maybe you will find some that you don't already have.

Christmas Eve Visits

We spend our Christmas Eve visiting family and giving gifts to those we won't see on Christmas Day. This is something I've done since I was a child. My mother's friends or sisters would put on a spread and we would all gather and laugh and swap gifts or Join in on the veg prep for Christmas Day, I remember some of those Christmas Eves better than Christmas Day itself. The excitement and joy leaving to return home and get ready for the big man himself can't be measured but it's definitely better shared.

Christmas Eve Goodies

We've all heard of the Christmas Eve box in some form or another- The Christmas elf we all know and dream about leaves behind the box of goodies on Christmas Eve before he returns to the north pole to help Santa deliver the presents ( at least that's how it went in Our house) ,  I personally did Christmas Eve Goodies with my oldest since his first Christmas ( he had no clue at only 4 months old) which then  became a Christmas Eve box when they became a thing and now that my boys are bigger its become Christmas Eve Goodies again. I like to include: new Christmas pyjamas and dressing gowns, a Christmas book to read before bed, reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn,  deck of cards or a board game to play before bed, a letter kit to leave a note for Santa, and of course some hot chocolate kits, their favourite snacks and cereals for the morning and some goodies to leave out for Santa.

A New Decoration For Each Child

I buy every child in the family a Christmas decoration each year I started this 10 years ago when  I began to buy one for a baby I lost as a way to give them a gift  and  to Honor and remember  them each year, but now I do it for my boys, my nieces and nephews. It's my way to give them a gift each year no matter where in the world we are, they will always have something to hang on their trees to remind them of home and the love they have behind them. To take with them when they start a family of their own and hang on their first tree.

Candy Canes on the Christmas Tree

Since my very first Christmas in my own home I hide candy canes in my tree. There is not a soul that doesn't walk into my house during the holidays and root through my tree looking for one, they are just expected now, my boys don't even eat them anymore but they will look for them all the same. There was one year I struggled to find any and that was the year I noticed it had become a tradition in my home and everyone had noticed it was missing.

Christmas Movies and Hot Cocoa

When your babies are small watching movies isn't much of a novelty, let's be honest watching the latest Disney movie for the 5th time in 1 day can seem pretty repetitive especially when you find yourself humming the theme tune through out the day. But the OG Christmas movies such as Home Alone, The Grinch and The Snowman cannot be matched and will always be family favourites.  Start when they are young and when your babies are grown and you feel like all the other parts of Christmas are being outgrown and the magic is starting to vanish this is one you can hang on to through the later years, both my boys will sit and watch a Christmas movie drinking cocoa and sharing the tin of roses with me on Christmas Eve. I don't think they will ever change or at least I hope not.

Books The Gift That Keeps On Giving. 

Another one you won't notice becoming a tradition. Find a “collection” or annual style book you know your child will enjoy and add one to the Christmas list each year.  My oldest boy loves facts and learning new things ( he is his mother's son). Since he was small I've gotten him the Guinness World Record book just from habit, one year I noticed it went untouched so I stopped and just guessed maybe it had been outgrown, I swapped it out for different books, and that was the year both my sons pointed out Santa had forgotten their book. You will see I'm a sucker for a gift that can be added to or given each year and that Leads me to the next one

Start A Charm Collection

All of my nieces got a charm bracelet from me for either their first Christmas or birthday. Then each special occasion they get a charm along with their other gifts. The reason behind this is that again no matter where their lives take them, It will be a tradition that Auntie K always sends them a special gift for every occasion, every Christmas and birthaday or any milestone along the way. It's something that can be passed through generations and continued if they please.

A Stocking For The Family Pets.

We've always had pets usually a dog since my oldest is an animal lover and his puppies were his pride and joy it use to be very important to include them in everything, in fact it was more then once when he was little that the dog stocking was the first thing to get opened on Christmas morning in pure excitement that Santa had remembered the ball and treats for his dogs over the brand new toys waiting to be noticed. We haven't had a pet for the last 2 years yet both of my boys still remind me of when the dog used to get a stocking aswell.

Christmas shopping Day

I would always make a day leading up to Christmas to bring the boys shopping for their gifts for family members, both of my boys are real “gift-givers” especially my youngest its very important to him. they both put time and thought into picking presents for people.

It's a nice way to teach them that Christmas is more about making someone else feel loved and seen by giving a gift that shows you know them then it is about getting a gift. We also spend it having a look at the Christmas markets, enjoy the food and lights and its a great way to kick off the Christmas spirit once they get their holidays from school. 

Do you know the house with the best Christmas lights in your town?

We made it a custom to drive around our town and countryside looking for the best Christmas displays then we vote on which house had the best decor or which house had the most lights up and of course which ones looked like Christmas threw up on them. This started with my father and my oldest son, one year he spent Christmas with us and he would keep track of the houses with the best lights, my oldest was about 2 or 3 and they would return to see them when it got dark, as soon as my son would see him coming any day over that Christmas he would know “Dandad the lights” and off they would go. It was something he loved so each year after that we’d go around and see had they added more. Now my boys are older and still walk through the door saying “oh mom such and such house hasn't got any lights up this year or did I see they got more”.  We have the OTT house at the bottom of our main road and my boys say Christmas doesn't start until their lights are on. For me it was the cornflakes Ad “HoHoHo”, For my boys, it is the house with the most lights at the bottom of the road😅