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So I was helping my mother clean out her garage the other day and I found a box full of all my old Christmas decorations from when I was younger... it brought back so many memories! I remember dressing up with my cousin and putting on a little song and dance for the family. I want my kids to have great memories like that one day!

I know it's a little early to be talking about Christmas, but its really just around the corner .So I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for planning an amazing Christmas for my kids this year??

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Why not make up your own advent calendar with your children?

Starting on Dec. 1st have a special activity planned for each day leading up to Christmas morning.

They don't have to be big. You could have:

make Christmas cookies
paint ornaments (hobbies stores usually have some neat stuff, or look at Oriental Trading Company for ideas)
go see Santa one day
go visit a light show

etc.

Make up a big calendar - and write down on each day what you are going to do. Then cover up each day with pieces of paper (stick-it notes are great for this. You can cut them to the size you need, they come in different colors, and when you peel them off they don't tear up the calendar.

Each night before the kids go to bed, have them pull off the activity for the next day (or you can do it 1st thing in the morning if you really want it to be a surprise).

And you can include things like caroling at a nursing home, taking canned goods to a homeless shelter, etc. so that they can get the idea of Christmas being a time of giving and caring, too


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I was actually already planning on doing an advent calender. We've been doing it for the past 3 years and the kids seem to really look forward to it. Were just not very big on buying presents in my family. I like to give the gift of experience rather than physical objects.

I do like the idea of making ornaments! I will defintley keep that in mind. They should probably had some arts and crafts books like that at my library.

Any other ideas??

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My kids always liked making felt ornaments. We would hang them in the kitchen windows with colorful ribbon. It's very simple and easy to do for kids of all ages. All we did was cut out shapes from felt and put a hole punch through the top. Then put a light coating of craft glue on the shapes and sprinkle with glitter. Thread the ribbon through and hang. I'm sure you could find some shape patterns online.

We also did an advent calendar and they would have to hunt for their activity or toy. The advent calender would contain a clue as to where they could find it. We did a lot of activity things but I would also pick up some things at the dollar store like little toys or candy as a special treat.




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One craft idea is to make a hanging cloth wreath made from the children's hands. It's a keepsake that you will keep for years. My son made one when he was about 6 and he is 20 now and I still drag it out every Christmas and hang it up on the door, crying every time I take it out of the Christmas decoration box. I will put the instructions and photo of it in an article in early December. Basically you get a large white square cotton cloth and glue one side to a long stick to which it will hang on. The children push their hands down into green poster paint and in a circular pattern make the leaves of the wreath out of their green hand prints. They can add a red yard bow at the bottom. It makes an adorable wreath that you can hang on your front door every year.

Gingerbread houses were always popular at our house as well. We collected all kinds of graham crackers, frosting, candy and dedicated a day of listening to carols and "house building." Each year we tried to out do the last in size and dazzle.

Snowflakes are always the tried and true way to decorate your windows and its a good way to challenge yourself to see how unique you can make your flakes.


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Hey there. To make the "season of giving" extra special, why not do some type of volunteerism as a family to give to those in need?

Through the years, my family has taken on various forms of service rather than give gifts to each other. (We still give gifts to the children, but the adults trade in giving to each other for giving to those in need.

One year, we approached the local AIDS clinic to identify a family in great need. They connected us with a family with both parents dying of AIDS, and three of the four children with HIV. They were living in the projects and were in great need of some happiness for the holiday season.

Each of the families within my family took on a particular responsibility. My in-laws were responsible for grocery shopping and purchasing everything the family needed for a great holiday meal. My family was responsible for the children in the family -- we bought them each new coats, boots, hats, gloves, and toys. My brother-in-law and his family took the adults, and purchased needed things for them.

In the end, we delivered bags and bags of gifts and food to their apartment, while the children stared in amazement and said, "I believe in Santa now!" Through our tears, in the projects that day, we saw the true meaning of the holiday. It provided us and our children with such a powerful lesson, and a moment that will live forever.



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I always use to love going to see the Radio City Christmas show with my family when I was younger. I took my kids a few years back (my kids are 8 and 4 ) and they seemed to absolutely loved it! Were probably going to do this again this year....

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Have the kids help you make a quilt of squares, with each square being a memory of a particular Christmas.

Camera, pictures, scrapbook. Help the kids make a scrapbook of all their Christmas memories.

You could also help the kids put on a pageant for the family with friends of theirs for extra characters.

Giving to children in need always helps others to have a better understanding of Christmas. See if you can find an Angel Tree in your community where they have tags on the tree to choose a child to give a gift to.

When I worked at a college in Washington we had a "community family in need Christmas". We had a major chain store donate a Christmas tree, chose a family in need (through a church), each of us chose a child to buy a present for, bought the mother some needed gifts and we each donated something for their Christmas dinner. Not only did the family receive a very nice Christmas, but we felt good that we did something nice for someone. We also decorated the tree. The family was a single Mother and five children. You can drum up some help by inviting other family members or friends to help you with this project.

Last edited by Phyllis, BellaEd; 10/07/08 12:17 PM.

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Here's a twist on easy Christmas ornaments with a recycling theme. I use small cardboard boxes, like those for lipsticks, or paperclips. I cover them in material or you can use wrapping paper and decorate them as Christmas presents. These look great on the tree. I've also used the plastic inserts from calculator tape to make a miniature ornament of the traditional English Poppers. Use thread or string to make your hanging strap first and then decorate. This could be part of learning of Christmas traditions from other countries. There are many other traditional ornaments, such as pickles, pigs and spiders, which the kids might enjoy learning about.


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Hi Tallons:

This isn't a craft idea, but is one of those one time things that will be remembered forever. One year my daughter asked for a trunk for christmas. The kind with the key lock and clasps.
That year we put all her gifts in the trunk and locked it. We bought mardi gra beads and the chocolate candy wrapped in foil to look like coins and tossed them in on top of the gifts, leaving some of the beads hanging out and a few coins tossed on top of the trunk... making it look like a treasure chest. That year she was unable to see any gifts except the trunk.
Of course this would be for older children, but my daughter is 26 now and she still talks about that Christmas and what a delight it was.
I guess this idea could be modified to fit children of a younger age.

Bylen

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