Christmas morning is such a special and exciting time for most people – especially families with children – and here are some wonderful ways to make it even more fun. You may even enjoy some of them so much you end up making them a family tradition year after year:
- Play Elf. After breakfast and present opening take a family stroll around the neighbourhood to visit an elderly neighbour or friend you know who is on their own. Drop off a little present or some cakes you’ve made at the same time. That way kids get to understand Christmas is really about sharing and caring.
- Family movie time. Before the rest of the family arrive, get the kids to sit down and watch a Christmas-themed movie with you. After all the energy of present unwrapping it’s a good time to relax and dare we say, even have 40 winks.
- Wake up in spectacular fashion. Wrap strips of coloured crepe paper over your little ones’ doorway/s on while they’re asleep on Christmas Eve. In the morning they have to burst through it, making them feel even more special.
- Christmas treasure hunt. Make present opening more fun by hiding the biggest gifts so that it becomes a treasure hunt. Dot clues on pieces of paper around the house so that the kids have to work out the next step to eventually reach the present. It’s not only fun, but extends the whole present opening too.
- Show them Santa. It’s possible to show the kids Santa visiting by using a free app which superimposes the big man onto your own living room. Called – appropriately-enough – Catch Santa in My House, it has convinced many youngsters that Santa has been in their own home delivering presents just hours beforehand.
- Read the Christmas Story. After the present opening, sit down as a family and read the Christmas story. The kids probably know it from school nativity plays anyway, but it’s still good to go through it together as a family.
- Take photos. In all the excitement it can be common to forget to take photographs of the fun, but don’t as these are some of the best ever family memories. How about taking a video of the kids before they enter the room where their pressies are to get all that pent-up excitement? Then, take one after the gifts have been opened to catch their delight.
- Make breakfast special. French toast and jam, hash browns with eggs, pancakes with bananas and cream, eggs benedict – make Christmas breakfast special (actually, it’s probably brunch by the time you get around to it). Making their favourites is also a good way to get the kids away from their new toys.
- Hot chocolate drinks. Have amazing mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream toppings. Try using peppermint or gingerbread spoons to stir with. Oh, and the mugs have to be amazing too, so buy stunning ones especially for the occasion.
- Wear matching pyjamas. Get the whole family decked out in the same Christmas pyjamas so the day feels extra special from the minute you clap eyes on each other. And, just think of the cute photos!
