I said the C-word. Christmas is soon going to be here, and with the fact that time is going so quickly this year, Christmas will be upon us before we know it. Which got me thinking about the preparations. While they can be a lot of fun, Christmas can also be a very stressful and hectic time of the year for parents.
Getting the children involved at Christmas
So I thought I would share with you some of the ways you can get children involved at Christmas. The sooner you start planning the festivities, the more relaxed you will be in a position to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the most wonderful time of the year.
Make your own decorations with your children
Part of the fund of the lead-up to Christmas is to start decorating your home. Some people love the idea of going over the top with plenty of lights, sparkle, and festive decorations. Whereas others are a little more understated with their choice of decoration. However you choose to decorate your home, some things you can do in advance is to prepare your homemade decorations. From a wreath on the door to homemade baubles for the tree, this is certainly an activity you can get eh children involved in. Thankfully there are plenty of ideas online on websites like Pinterest.
Get them involved with their Christmas lists
It can be hard to start discussing with children what they may like for Christmas, but there is no harm in starting to discuss the idea of Christmas lists that can be changed over the next few weeks or months. A great tip is to get some catalogues out and have your children look through them with you to gain some inspiration. It is always a good time to start discussing the prospect of gifts and Father Christmas as well, which can encourage children to be a little more well-behaved in the lead-up to the big day.
Prepare in advance for the food
The Christmas dinner can often be the most stressful cook you do in your own kitchen. So there is no surprise that preparing as far in advance as you can make lighter work on the lead-up to the big day and on the Christmas day itself. Things like the Christmas cake can be prepared in advance, and other things can be bought now and frozen ready. There will be plenty of turkeys in the shops now.
Make homemade gifts with your children
Finally, make sure that you take advantage of the time you have and make some homemade gifts for friends and family. When you have younger children things like hand or footprint ornaments go down a treat with family members. But you could also put their art or craft skills to good use and create some wonderful memories. These sorts of gifts are often the most treasured, and you always need enough time to implement them well.
I hope that this has inspired you to get your children involved at Christmas.
