Christmas has become all about gifts and that is truely unfortunate. I am not a religious person, and although Christmas has no religious meaning for me, I do appreciate the holiday for what it is – a time to GIVE and a time to be with your family.
We want to raise Elliott in a home where there is lots of love, which doesn’t have to mean lots of presents. There are many ways, other than presents, that you can show love to your child on Christmas (or any other day of the year!):
- play with them
- bake cookies with them
- tell them that you love them
- read them bed time stories
- take them on fun outings
I believe that having a holiday with few gifts and lots of love is a much better way to spend your time.
Even though we don’t give Elliott many gifts on Christmas, we do want to have a few Christmas traditions. Something for him to look forward to every year. I would much rather him be excited about the traditions than the gifts he will be receiving!
Since we have only had one Christmas with Elliott, we haven’t really started our traditions yet. The only one that we have is taking a photo in front of the Christmas tree. Richard and I have talked about what traditions we would like to start and here are the things we plan to do (some we will do this year and some won’t begin until next Christmas):
Bake Christmas Cookies. I love baking Christmas cookies and if it involves chocolate, I know Elliott will love it too! I would like to spend December baking all sorts of yummy Christmas treats and popping them in the freezer. Then, when the cookie craving comes – we just pull them out and have a yummy snack!
Watch Christmas Movies. We are watching every Christmas movie that pops up on TV, but we would like to figure out our favourites and then watch the TV schedule and find out when they are playing so we can watch them. We plan to watch these movies while we sip hot chocolate and eat our homemade Christmas cookies.
Take A Christmas Photo. I definetely want to continue our tradition of taking our photos in front of the Christmas tree! I think these photos will be so great to look back on when we’re older.
Make A Gingerbread House. Making gingerbread houses was always fun for me as a child and I would really love it if Elliott got as into it as I did! I think building these houses are lots of fun for kids. I mean, they’re not going to complain right – it’s CANDY and COOKIES! It just HAS to be fun!
Watch The Santa Claus Parade. What child doesn’t love to see Santa! The wait in the cold is well worth it, just to see their faces when Santa finally comes down the street on his float!
Check Out The Lights. When I was younger, my mom used to take my siblings and I for a drive through a really rich neighbourhood where the homes were COMPLETELY decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. It was SO MUCH FUN! I definetely want to start doing this with Elliott next year.. in our pajamas!
Even though Elliott will only be 17 months old this Christmas, I want it to be an enjoyable holiday for him. He may not remember these things when he is older, but I will. I am also a bit insane with my camera so there will always be photos for him to look at to refresh his memory. Ha!
What are your Christmas traditions?
