The holiday season with young children is such a magical time. Exhausting, but magical nonetheless. This year, my daughters are 2 years old and 6 months old. In years past, we didn’t have many special Christmas traditions to do as a family, so this year I made it my goal to start some new traditions that our family will carry on for years to come.
The Nutcracker
The first thing we started this year was seeing The Nutcracker here at McMorran. My 6-month-old is still too young. My two-year-old, however, is the perfect age! The tickets were very reasonably priced so I felt comfortable taking her even if she couldn’t sit through the entire performance. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much she actually loved the show. We took my Nana with us and it turned out to be a very special “girls’ time”. The dancers in the show did a beautiful job, and my toddler was mesmerized by the beautiful costumes. It was a great first tradition to add!
Mommy & Me Christmas Tea
Our next tradition was also something special with my 2-year-old, which I know her little sister will enjoy when she is old enough. We attended the “Mommy and Me Christmas Tea” put on by the Dance Academy. The event was nothing short of magical! There was a tea party set up with cute little snacks and sandwiches to accompany hot cocoa for the little girls, and chai tea for the adults! Then there was a special visit from Santa himself! He brought gifts to all the girls- red aprons and chef hats- which were absolutely ADORABLE! Then the girls and parents got to decorate already-constructed gingerbread houses with a huge array of candies! Every aspect of the event was well thought out, and could be enjoyed by families of all ages!
Advent Calendar
The next tradition we have started is a Christmas book Advent calendar of sorts. Throughout the last few years, I began collecting Christmas picture books. I have found many available on local “Buy Nothing” Facebook pages for free! When I had finally collected 25, I wrapped them all up individually. Then, starting on December 1st, we unwrap one book together each day and read that book throughout the day. The same 25 books can be used year after year, making it extra memorable!
Making Memories
Other traditions we are starting will include matching family pajamas, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, and driving to look at different Christmas light displays on Christmas Eve. I plan to write down these recipes, ideas, and traditions in a memory journal I recently found online. This book is truly beautiful and heirloom quality. It has different pages for each year, and my hope is that it will be passed down from generation to generation as our family grows.
For BlueWaterParent.com – Alyssa Dock
Photos by Alyssa Dock
