“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” The cakes and mince pies may have been made for a couple of months now (or in the shops if, like me, you don’t make your own!) and Black Friday, Red Monday and all the other coloured days that marketing teams can think of, are coming thick and fast.
You’ve worked out who is going where on Christmas Day, how many chairs you’ll need (remember that Peter Kay joke about everyone being on different chairs around the table, at a range of heights?) and you’ve got a rough idea of when you will brave the loft for the Christmas decorations.
Then there’s the elf! Do you or don’t you? Is it something you’ve never started or something you wish you hadn’t?
We’ve been able to explain, in our house, that the Easter Bunny is a commercial thing, and the truth is just out about the tooth fairy, but we’ve tried to go with the magic of Christmas. We might only have one year left before all the secrets are uncovered! However, as a working mum with a busy job and some extras, two children and a dog, I just can’t adopt an Elf on the Shelf to add to the mix; I can just imagine getting into bed and remembering ‘that Blooming elf!’
I’m asked each year why we don’t have an elf, and have managed, so far, to explain my way out of it. We do have a secret elf that pops by on the night of 30th November/1stDecember and leaves a note and a gift. This is our way, and it works for us.
For those who have an Elf on the Shelf, there are thousands of ideas online for simple things to do each night, and I look on in awe as friends share photos of their elves’ antics, but it’s still not something we can keep up with.
From pants with Smarties on them (Smartie pants!), to raisins on the way to the toilet, and destructive sessions in the kitchen, the ideas are wonderful and magical but, if you have not got an elf yet, there are lots of other ways to make magical moments at home.
Writing to Father Christmas
If you’d like a reply from Father Christmas, you need to do this early. In 2024, this is by 9th December. There are lots of ideas in the blog below for helping your little ones to write their first letters!
Advent Calendars
With chocolate or pictures, these are the easiest ways to countdown to the big day. If you want to make your children’s advent calendars a bit more special, you can buy more extravagant versions like those from Lego or Smiggle, or make your own. Here are a few options:
You can buy little numbered drawers and add a chocolate, a gift, or a note in each one,
A washing line with mini envelopes, one for each day, containing a note or affirmation,
A book for each day, wrapped or unwrapped,
A ticket per day for something special, paid or free. An example might be a ‘dishwasher pass’ as an exemption from filling the dishwasher for that day!
Decorations
Make a day of it when putting up your decorations: heating on (maybe just on low, given the recent price rises!), Christmas films on the TV, Christmassy drinks and snacks… then redistribute the baubles evenly once everyone is in bed! We’re lucky enough to have space for two trees so one is colour themed, and one has a whole array of colours and decorations that we’ve gathered over the years!
There are lots of lovely ideas on Instagram and Pinterest for homemade decorations that can be made and kept or made fresh each year. We like salt dough for shapes that we can paint. Here’s a useful recipe:
Making and Writing Cards
As a primary teacher, I love any opportunity to promote writing. Try to resist the temptation to write all the cards for your child, even though it can seem much faster. Here are some ideas for the different stages of learning to encourage children to make their mark in your cards:
Finger or hand prints,
Making a mark with a paintbrush,
Making a mark with a crayon or chunky pencil,
Writing the first letter of their name,
Writing their names,
Writing the name of the person the card is for and their own name,
Writing all of it!
Spelling doesn’t have to be perfect. The aim is to encourage independence and so sounding out the words might be the right stage for your child. Grannie won’t mind if her card is addressed to Granee, and Grandpa won’t mind if his is Grampar! It’s all about the phonics in the early stages.
Visiting Santa
At risk of sounding even more of a Scrooge, we haven’t visited Santa in a big way, either. I’d have loved to have experienced the magic of Lapland or even visiting a really realistic Santa in a grotto but these experiences haven’t been something we’ve done. When I was younger, my aunty used to take me to Browns in York and we rode on Santa’s real sleigh, pulled by real reindeer, to see the main man himself, honest! I was happy with the curtain rolling by to show the sky as we flew, and the fake beard, but it’s much easier to spot a fake these days.
We’ve told our children that there’s one real Father Christmas and the others help him to manage visiting everyone in the run up to Christmas. We love the Santa sleigh that tours our town and villages on a trailer on the back of a car, but know it’s not real. We save the magic for Christmas morning from the real one!
Christmas Books
There are some gorgeous Christmas stories that help to build the excitement in the run up to Christmas. We’ve loved the Christmasaurus series by Tom Fletcher, and cried real tears over The Christmas Pig by JK Rowling. There are some nice ideas here:
Reindeer Gingerbread Men
Did you know that turning a gingerbread man upside down turns it into a reindeer? All you need is a batch of gingerbread (or bought gingerbread men with no markings), some writing icing, a few raisins or sultanas, and some cherries for their noses!
We’ve made them as teacher gifts before, and bought little bags to put them in – a much cheaper option than some other end of year gifts and given with an extra bit of effort. You can buy the bags here: biscuit bags
Christmas Films
If you’re staying in, there are lots of Christmas films available online and some will be streaming without additional cost. My all-time favourite is Santa Claus the Movie and for those old enough, Love Actually has to be the best film to wrap presents to!
Cinema Trip
We’ve started a new tradition in the last few years and that’s a family trip to the cinema on the last Saturday before Christmas. It’s an incentive to get the shopping done before then! Sometimes it’s a Christmassy film, but there’s always something that’s suitable for everyone on at that time of year.
Panto!
If you’re regulars at the pantomime, you’ve probably already got your tickets. If not, there might be some less busy options listed on your local Mumbler site.
Crunchy Christmas Walks
If it’s lovely and frosty, with the sun shining, it’s nice to go for a walk when it’s a bit crunchy underfoot. That’s the ideal! In reality, it’s probably a bit drizzly and soggy, if we’re lucky, and windy with hail if not. Again, there are lots of ideas on your local Mumbler page for local walks. The best ones stop for hot chocolate or a sneaky mulled wine en route!
Who needs an elf?
With so many other lovely ideas, it is possible to get through the run up to Christmas without an elf. If you do decide to have one, good luck with this year’s elf antics!
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