Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, there’s something special about experiencing the magic of the season through the eyes of little ones. Christmastime can evoke feelings of nostalgia with holiday traditions taking on renewed significance when you’re the one responsible for passing them on to the next generation.
Even though I’m in my forties, this time of year still reminds me of the matching party dresses that my sister and I would wear to our grandmother’s house every Christmas Eve. After the festivities, we’d stay up well past our bedtime listening for Santa, each of us insisting that we heard the jingle of reindeer bells. I often wonder what memories my own children will hold dear once they’re grown. It’s unlikely that they’ll remember the gifts beneath the tree. Rather, I hope they’ll recall the happy feeling of being with family and friends, the anticipation of joyful celebration and the little traditions that mark the season.
As traditionalists at heart, Farrah and I both enjoy creating little moments of wonder and surprise for our daughters who seem to be growing up faster with each passing year. While holiday outings to the Ballet or Christmas Tea at one of Charleston’s fancy hotels surely are nice–the pandemic reinforced the notion that many of the best traditions don’t cost a lot and can be enjoyed right at home. Our youngest daughters, Gracie and Isla, were more than happy to help illustrate some of their favorite pastimes with a Nutcracker-inspired slumber party complete with hot cocoa, stories and games. Read on for some of the fun ways we like to usher in the holidays for our girls.
- Holiday Puzzles – Last Christmas, we broke out a wintry puzzle for the entire family to piece together over holiday break. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins worked together to put every piece in its place. It turned out to be such an enjoyable way to spend quality family time that we vowed to do a new one every year. My girls can’t wait to take a crack at this playful puzzle by Rifle Paper Co.
2. Christmas Crackers – Since Farrah’s husband is British, a few of their family traditions have English origins. In addition to the standard mince meat pies, Christmas crackers make an appearance at their holiday table. Filled with little toys, silly jokes or paper crowns, these pretty crackers are a delightful way to share a laugh at the beginning or end of the meal.
3. Story Time – Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, and I try my best to instill a love of books. Although I can’t say that my efforts have been overly successful (yet), my daughters do enjoy when we read Christmas stories aloud. Since they were babies, it’s been our tradition to read a different holiday-themed story each night leading up to Christmas. It’s been wonderful to revisit some of the classic tales from my childhood, while discovering new ones together.
4. The Advent Calendar – Our wooden “gingerbread house” calendar is one of my daughters’ most anticipated holiday traditions. During December, we plant “surprises” behind the tiny doors marked for each day leading up to Christmas. Usually, the girls will find a small chocolate or candy with a thoughtful message or a Bible verse that speaks to the true meaning of Christmas. On those rare days when I’m feeling extra creative and motivated, they’re thrilled to discover a riddle leading them on a scavenger hunt to find a “prize” like lip gloss, a new hair barrette or other trinket. You can find similar calendars here and here.
5. Hot Cocoa Bar – We’re quite fond of our coffee breaks, especially during the holidays when we welcome the caffeine and a chance to take a breather. At Christmastime, we give the girls an opportunity to enjoy their own “coffee break” (and leave us alone to enjoy ours) by setting up a self-serve hot cocoa bar. It’s one of those special occasions when I don’t mind letting them dial-up the sugar just a bit and choose their own toppings, including marshmallows, candy canes and chocolate-dipped pretzel rods. Cute Santas and pastel-colored Nutcracker mugs with matching stir-sticks add a festive touch that sparks their childish imaginations.
6. Decorating the Tree with Meaningful Collections – I appreciate a stylish and beautifully-decorated tree as much as anyone else, but don’t expect to find one in our house! One of the joys of the season for our family is unpacking the jumble of ornaments that have been hand-made, passed down or collected during travels. Our Christmas trees (all three of them!) reflect family history with many of the ornaments connected to a story or someone special. Each year the collection grows as we gift our daughters an ornament reminiscent of their personalities or interests at the time. We also add framed picture ornaments with photos taken throughout the year to document memories.
Our girls will be on holiday break before we know it, and we’re looking forward to carving out a little extra family time! Watching Christmas movies, baking holiday treats, decorating gingerbread houses and taking golf cart rides around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights are all on the agenda. What holiday traditions do you and your family enjoy?
The Roost Finds
Robin Maceyunas
Christmas Angels! Such a beautiful, heart warming post. Thank you Farrah and Lori for sharing this Christmas gift with all of us. Loving “The Roost”!
Dana
What a lovely post with such adorable children. Love this.