10 sweet Christmas traditions to start with your children

How many sleeps ’til Santa, they ask every morning.  It’s hard not to get caught up in the enthusiasm that comes with the excitement children store up for Christmas.

With the month of December now firmly underway, this was the weekend to forget the grim announcement from the Taoiseach and get on with putting up the tree.

Sure, they’ll be 27 different fights over decoration placement and tree tweaking, but once night falls and the glow of the lights turn your living room into a magical winter wonderland, it will all be so worth it.

As well as those pesky Elves to manoeuvre and Santa visits to coordinate, we’ve decided to highlight some other traditions for parents to consider starting with their little ones.

We asked our parents panel about some of the ideas they’ve chosen to keep and which ones they’d rather leave in the attic.

“We light a candle every year and sing a few carols. It’s a nice idea to use the time to remember those who aren’t here anymore and have a moment to be thankful for all the good things that have come our way”. SARAH

“We take turns who puts the angel up on the top of the tree. It’s always a really lovely photo-moment in our house. Personally I hate the confectionary advent calendars. It’s another battle before breakfast every morning for the month of December!” AMY

“Every Christmas Eve, we wrap ourselves up and go to the Zoo. It’s much quieter than usual and all that fresh air ensures the children sleep brilliantly that night.” DARAGH

Speaking to IMAGE.ie, BabyBoo.ie – an Irish children’s clothes brand has a few suggestions of their own.

“Position the kids in their matching pyjamas in front of the Christmas tree for a photograph and print it for posterity. Be sure to highlight the year with a festive sign in the photo itself.”

“Make or buy a new Christmas tree decoration for each child, using a piece of ribbon to attach a bow with the child’s name and the year it was added to the collection in felt tip pen.”

Many of the new traditions are simply a spin on the lovely old ones we used to enjoy as kids.

“We used to leave out pudding and a pint of Guinness for Santa – now we make our own cookies and leave him some milk. Either way, there’s always a huge bite out of the biscuits come the 25th” PETER

“I know it’s strange to some people but every Christmas Eve while the children are in the bath, the elves or maybe it’s the fairies, leave out new Christmas PJs for the children. It’s always a huge, anticipated surprise. One year they even brought matching slippers and the children almost burst with excitement.” LUISE

“We look for the brightest star in the sky and wave at Santa. Then we check the Santa tracker and race to bed so we are asleep by the time he arrives! The most important part of the night for us, is the glass of wine and mince pie we share as they are falling asleep, before we start our assembly line of batteries and screwdrivers.” GEORGIA

That dedication and determination to keep the spirit of Christmas alive is the true magic of December 25th in our opinion.