Creating Christmas Memories

Cerys Parker

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and for a child it’s even more magical, suddenly everything is brighter, there is glitter, sparkle and magic all around them and memories made now will last a lifetime for many. Creating Christmas memories is something that we all do with our children, however big or small, do you remember stirring a Christmas Cake or leaving out a cookie for Father Christmas. This year start new traditions and create memories that your child will look back on and reminisce about in years to come sharing and passing down these memories to their own children and creating secondary memories in future grandchildren of what you must have been like as a mother their parents.

Bake together

Smells invoke memories and nothing smells better than baking at Christmas, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, all spice and vanilla mix in the air add in dried fruit, oranges and lemons and for me I remember sitting at my grandmothers kitchen table rolling out pastry to make pies, stirring a cake mix and decorating gingerbread men for the tree and to give as gifts.

We have a special bowl that comes out at Christmas, it’s old and was my grandmothers when I was a child and I knew it was old then, as soon as the bowl comes out of the cupboard we know it’s Christmas baking time, inside the bowl are our Christmas cookie cutters, cupcake cases left over from last year and toppers and sayings to add to cakes. The kids love this, they have Christmas aprons included and it starts off our Christmas season the Sunday before Advent begins with Stir Up Sunday – a British tradition to make a Christmas Pudding, stirring and making wishes as you do hoping that they come true for you and it continues from there on, a visit with the grandparents and my kids start making their own Memories of baking with them – including my father who has perfected making Reindeer Cupcakes with them every year since my eldest was 2.

Special Christmas Breakfast

A lot of my friends do Elf on the shelf each year and start off with a Welcome breakfast for their Elf, we don’t do Elf on the Shelf in our house but I love the Christmas breakfast idea, whether you have it on Christmas Day or another day during the countdown to Christmas, sitting together as a family and enjoying a morning feast. Serve whatever you want for this one morning of the year where you have a Christmas breakfast ditch the health foods and indulge together, make Christmas pancakes, use some of the muffins that you have together, or go all out. Pinterest is full of inspiration for Polar Breakfasts, Christmas Breakfasts.

Everyone leaving the house at different times, then create a memory and serve Breakfast for dinner – enjoy it once a year and sit down together in your PJ’s and enjoy breakfast in the evening and then sit and watch a movie together as a family under the Christmas tree lights.

Christmas Eve Traditions

We started this last year, as mentioned we don’t have Elf on the shelf, but the kids know that Father Christmas has Elf helpers and in our house they check by on Christmas Eve with a box of ideas for the family and kid. There’s our Christmas PJ’s, a new Christmas Book, a Christmas Movie (always The Snowman), then other little things like Christmas Paper to make paper chains, a children’s Christmas magazine with activities, stuff for making hot chocolate. Recipe card for my fabulous Gingerbread Muffins to make for Christmas morning.

On the eve of Christmas Eve whilst the children are asleep Father Christmas’ Elves visit us and leave the box under the Christmas Tree for Christmas Eve morning. The kids rush to open it and we look at the items and read our book, then through the day whilst we’re preparing for Christmas Day there are things that we can do quickly with the kids to make the day special and not just about getting ready for guests, preparing for Christmas Dinner etc.

Christmas Day Walk

If it’s cold outside wrap up warm and go for a walk, around your street to see the lights, to the park if it’s close by to play in the snow, or just for exercise. It’s family time, especially if like our family you enjoy a Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings for lunch, walking off the calories, getting the kids on a new bike or even an old one. Having a family snowball fight – it’s creating Christmas memories that aren’t all about the hype, but it’s about time spent together as a family.


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Family Creating Christmas Memories

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Cerys Parker is a marine biologist and teacher as well as a Mum to 2, she is the founder of Rainy Day Mum, sharing Creative Family Fun, come rain or shine inspiring ideas for art, play and activities that the whole family can enjoy together.