The first Christmas with a baby is so exciting, having a child at Christmas will change your experience from here on out! We asked some parenting bloggers what they’re looking forward to about the first Christmas with their little one…
I’m looking forward to Violet’s first Christmas for so many reasons, we are going the whole hog for her first Christmas – matching PJs, Christmas eve box, might even pop some tinsel on the dog. Violet just loves Christmas lights so I can’t wait to see her face when she sees the tree for the first time! www.fizzypeaches.com
Teddy will be 7 months at Christmas & I’m so excited- we are going all out! Christmas Eve box, dressing him up as an elf, Christmas stories, seeing Father Christmas. I just can’t wait for him to experience the magic of it all ???????? www.fromrachaelclaire.com
Starting a family is also a great time to start some festive traditions that can carry on through the generations…
We dressed our daughter as a little Father Christmas for her first Christmas and my son as an Elf for his. I love looking back at the photos, as they both looked so cute. www.householdmoneysaving.com
Father Christmas always brings a GUND bear for the first Christmas in our family, we all have one – mine is looking a lot more well-loved than the kids ones, obviously! We also get a first Christmas bauble for the tree for each child, and then every year following they get to choose one decoration each to add to our collection, so that we build up a Christmas tree of fun memories over time. It’s all random and mismatched but it means a lot more to us than a stylishly decorated tree. http://mummyisagadgetgeek.co.uk
For our children’s first Christmas we enjoyed making our new traditions. We started Christmas Eve boxes with new pjs, a new film, a Christmas book and sweets and then Christmas morning stockings opened in our bed and stories with hot chocolate. We love our lazy morning. We also decided to do a main gift from Father Christmas which would be set up downstairs waiting for the children with Santa’s snowy footprints leading to and from the gifts. The children thought it was magical. Www.whatmummythinks.co.uk
We always have a small Christmas dinner on 24th December and open at least one gift on Christmas Eve. This is to celebrate the fact that we are a bicultural family, and in my culture (Finland) Christmas is celebrated a day earlier than in UK. www.wavetomummy.co.uk
I’m looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of four, to Baby B’s first Christmas and seeing how cute the girls are together in their Christmas outfits. I’m also already scoping out matching Christmas jumpers for them to wear the whole of December! Toddler H absolutely loves it when Baby B matches her! www.newmummyblog.com
For my daughter’s first Christmas a couple of years ago we started doing an alternative advent calendar where we do a Christmas related activity every day. For example watch a Christmas film, read a Christmas book or go to a local light switch-on.
http://www.raisingaragamuffin.com
Our favourite tradition is ‘Christmas tree day’. My son’s birthday is 23rd December so we don’t do Christmas Eve boxes but on the 1st we put up the tree and have a festive breakfast, everyone gets a box with Xmas clothes, PJS, books, toys and treats for the festive season – and advent calendars. Then we play Christmas music and dress up in Xmas clothes to put up the tree. When the house is decorated we all cuddle up to watch the Polar Express with a hot chocolate. I’m so excited for it! I much prefer this to the Christmas Eve boxes as this way they get to use all the Christmassy stuff all December. www.nomipalony.com
Our very first Christmas as parents our heating had broken! So we pulled on as many layers as possible, confined ourselves to one room, and sat in sleeping bags in front of an open fire. That’s when we realised that the most important thing of all for Christmas was that we were together and happy. For various reasons we now have our family Christmas on Boxing Day and I think the experience from that first year has meant that we are much more relaxed about how and when we celebrate. http://cupoftoast.co.uk
Of course Christmas is a time for giving, sharing and helping others…
A few days before Christmas, we always find some toys that are no longer used but still look quite new, wrap them up and take them to Santa’s post office (the charity shop) for other children to enjoy. We also have a special Christmas Eve buffet/picnic in front of a Christmas film. It’s the only day the children get to eat food in front of the TV, so they always think it is really special. https://ourfairytaleadventure.com
We live in Tanzania now and this year we are starting an advent box. Everyday the boys are putting a food item into their box and on Xmas eve they’ll give it to a family who need it. They’re really excited to be helping others out! Www.iamriver.net
We’d love to hear your Christmas traditions, old and new!