Christmas is a time for love and families and spending time together creating cherished memories, but it doesn’t always work out like that. Sometimes we try so hard to create the perfect family Christmas that it just never feels as though we’re doing enough. So why not forget about the perfect family Christmas and enjoy the best one instead? This is much more achievable and generally a lot less stressful, so it’s well worth trying out. Read on to find out more about how to do it.
This is a collaborative post.
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Be together
Christmas is so much more than just exchanging gifts – it’s about showing love and appreciation for one another and spending time together as a family. So it’s this that should be a priority over and above anything else. Work out some great festive activities that you can all do together so you can get into the spirit of Christmas and enjoy it as a family.
One great idea is to decorate the house together, for example, or do a Christmas scavenger hunt, or everyone pitches in when it comes to making Christmas dinner. Or why not volunteer as a family for a good cause? There are always lots of volunteering opportunities around Christmas, and you’ll be able to do a good deed as a family. Whatever you do, make sure you spend your time together and be fully in the moment to make the most of that time. We do have a fabulous turkey board game that you can play together too, perhaps for Christmas or Thanksgiving.
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Budget well
Christmas should never be about financial strain or stress, and yet often, that’s exactly what it’s about for at least one family member, and perhaps all of them. One thing you can do to ease this stress is to set a budget and stick to it. In this way, you can enjoy the festivities without worrying about the finances involved. To make this budget, write down what all your Christmas expenses are, including gifts, decorations, food, and any outings you might want to have as a family. Work out what money you’ll have to spend (bearing in mind all the usual monthly bills that don’t stop in December) and allocate the right amount to each category.
This isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially when there is so much temptation around over the Christmas period. Something that could help would be using Park Christmas Savings. When you do this, you can put aside a little money each month and then exchange it for vouchers to spend at Christmas, making everything stress-free and simple.
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Make traditions
If there is one time of year when traditions are perhaps more important than ever, it’s Christmas. Some of these traditions will have been passed down through the generations, and they’re wonderful and they can certainly be part of the best family Christmas you can have.
However, why not make some new traditions that are just yours? This is even more fun because they’ll mean so much more, and if you ensure they can be done by everyone and they encourage shared experiences, that’s even better. It might be baking gingerbread houses together and having a competition, or maybe you go out for a walk and gather the materials you need to then come home and make a homemade wreath. You might want to have a traditional food on Christmas Eve, or even put out a Santa Plate. These are the things that are most joyous, and that will make your Christmas the best.
You could even bake some traditional glazed sugar cookies in Santa shapes as well!
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If you are struggling a little to know what to do for Christmas to make is the best family Christmas, we have loads of Christmas Ideas and Activities on site of course. Here are some Christmas printables you might love:
More Christmas printables we know you'll love
Here are some more amazing printables that we have on KiddyCharts that are focused on Christmas fun!
Free Christmas present gift tags
Gift tags for you to print out and add to your presents whenever you want.
Christmas coloring and activities: 25 Christmas Tree themed coloring and activities for your kids #KiddyChartsAdvent
25 amazing activities for the kids to get stuck in to for Christmas - with a tree theme as well!
Christmas games for kids: Christmas tree iSpy
A Christmas tree iSpy game that the children will adore.
Christmas bucket list
What would you like to do this Christmas - we've got LOADS of Christmassy ideas for you to try this year.
Free printable Elf adoption certificate for your Elf on the Shelf
Do you have an Elf - make sure he is REALLY part of the family with this wonderful adoption certificate for him or her!
And even some more Santa themed ideas too:
Other Santa themed ideas on KiddyCharts
Santa is a pretty important part of Christmas - so why not take a look at some of the other ideas for Christmas involving the Big Man!
Santa nice list certificate: Free and personalised!
Get your child a personalised nice list certificate - we've got one for boys and one for girls....what's not to like?
Printable Santa stop here Christmas door hanger
Get a little door hanger for the kids bedrooms - just to add to your decorations, and to make sure Santa pays a visit....
Roll a Santa game: free numeracy game
Roll-a-Santa is a fun, and simple little game for kids, that helps to teach numeracy and matching as well. It is also a great way to entertain the kids.
Free Rudolph and Santa plate printable
Some people LOVE to leave Santa and Rudolph some goodies on Christmas Eve, we know that we do - so why not check out this free Santa plate? We ALSO have a personalised version for 99p that you can put your child's name on!
Free printable Santa stop here sign
If you want to go a little further - why not add a Santa Stop Here sign outside the house - we've got a free one for you.
Try these off site as well?
Christmas Printables from the Web
Some more ideas for Christmas Printable fun from the internet. Why not nip off my site and check them out? But DO come back afterwards!
Free Christmas Playdough Mats
Playdough is always a winner, so why not check out these Christmas themed playdough mats for the kids?
Printable Thaumatrope for Christmas - Red Ted Art - Make crafting with kids easy & fun
Have you heard of Thaumatropes? They are wonderful for the kids, and oh so simple to make. Check them out on Red Ted Art.
Free Preschool Printable Worksheets: Christmas Do A Dot Printables
Do a Dot printable are a wonderful activity for pre-schoolers, and here are some gorgeous Christmas themed ones to try with the little ones.
Thanks as always for coming to see us, and if you like what you see, do sign up for our articles as they happen.
We’d love to see you back here sometime soon as well.
Take care,
Helen
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