Christmas Traditions with International Elf Service
Hello from International Elf service!
We're experts in Childhood Magic with a mission to support children's reading, learning and positive well-being and we’re delighted to have partnered with Muddy Puddles to share these wonderful Christmas traditions with you.
Please use code MUDDYPUDDLES15 for 15% off your next purchase at internationalelfservice.com.
One of the most wonderful things as a parent is enjoying how excited children get about Christmas. We’ve rounded up a few magical Christmas Traditions to make your countdown to Christmas really sparkle!
1) Advent Calendars
Children absolutely love counting down the days to Christmas and the daily anticipation of what they’ll discover in their Advent Calendar. Why not start your festivities off with a BANG! with this very special multi-award-winning Christmas Elf Letter Advent Calendar - personalised for all the children in the family, it works just like an Advent Calendar. Daily Elf letters bring all the latest secrets and snippets from the North Pole, appearing mysteriously around your home on the Countdown to Christmas - as if by Magic! If you like the idea of making an interactive Advent Calendar, this 3-in-1 Advent Calendar is so simple and easy to make.
2) Write a letter to Father Christmas or Santa Claus
Of course, it's no surprise that the most magical Christmas Letter of all is an extremely carefully thought-out message that goes to the North Pole, where it stirs up the greatest amount of Christmas Magic ever. Father Christmas (or Santa Claus) can send your children his very own special letter-writing stationery for them to write (or send a picture) to him - the perfect keepsake.
3) Baking
There are so many smells that make us think of Christmas: oranges, cinnamon, Christmas trees, snow, and freshly baked gingerbread. Baking together is an amazing way to bring the family together and create traditions and delicious smells that everyone will forever associate with the wonder of Christmas.
- Make North Pole Marshmallow Cups
- Make Christmas Peppermint Bark (Father Christmas’ favourite).
- Make Melted Snowman biscuits
- Make Christmas Tree Pizzas
- Make some bird and small animal-safe Glitter-free Reindeer Food to sprinkle outside on Christmas Eve or Bake Cookies for the Extra-Hungry Reindeer to munch on.
4) Christmassy Activities
Sitting down together to read one of your (and their) favourite Children's Christmas Books or watch your favourite Christmas Movies is one of the greatest pleasures I think a parent can have on the countdown to Christmas, and it’s an absolute MUST on Christmas Eve!- Get creative with these Christmas Activity letters written by a very special Christmas Elf in the North Pole.
- Invite a few friends over for a Christmas cookie decorating party
- Take a video of each family member saying what they like most about Christmas.
- Take a photo of you all sitting or standing in the same place on the same date each year.
- Make Snow and build a Snowman.
- Make a little something for a child in the long-term care wing of the children’s ward at your local hospital.
- Make a handmade Christmas ornament for someone else in the family.
- Colour a Christmas picture or make a Christmas craft.
- Make Paper Snowflakes to hang from the children’s bedroom ceiling.
- Collect and paint pinecones to make a centrepiece for the table, or to display in a clear vase or string on a bunting.
- Turn on the Christmas music and have a festive disco.
- Pull out pillows and duvets and have a family sleepover (or afternoon nap) under the Christmas Tree.
- Have a funny Christmas photo shoot (idea: wearing Christmas jumpers).
- Give the children a candlelit (bath or shower) with Christmas music.
- Clean out your toy boxes and donate good quality items to a local hospital or offer them to friends.
- Interview each family member on video, and ask them their favourite memory from the year, or what their favourite thing about Christmas is.
- Let each child choose a friend to invite over for a Christmas-themed meal.
- Raid your food cupboards for tins to donate to a food bank.
5) Outside Wintry Activities
These outdoors activities can easily be squeezed into after school and weekends - and when better than when the promise of Christmas magic is in air? Wrapping up warm and going on a Christmassy outing with YOU will make wonderful memories for your children.- Choose a Christmas tree together.
- Go out for a walk after dark or hop into the car in your pyjamas and drive around to look at all the Christmas lights.
- Visit Father Christmas in his grotto.
- Go to a shopping centre when it’s in full swing for Christmas.
- Go to a tree-lighting ceremony in a local town.
- Go to your local library and read about how people celebrate Christmas in other nations.
- Go to a Christmas market
- Decorate a tree or bush with Christmas decorations and (outdoor) fairy lights.
- Make snow angels.
- Have a special Christmas outdoor snack, or better still an outdoor Christmas picnic!
- Go on a ‘Present Hunt’, using a wrapped up empty box. One person hides it, and the others have to find it!
- Sing Christmas Carols outside.
- Gather with friends and neighbours to make a Community Landing Strip for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve.
- Get bundled up and go ice-skating.
- Have hot chocolate and candy canes in your garden, or in a local park.
- Make warm Christmas Apple Punch and enjoy it outside.
- Have a snowball fight.
- Roast marshmallows on a campfire.
