Each year, I have the beautiful opportunity of creating a little bit of magic for my children around the Christmas holiday season. This is done as we work and play together in various Christmas themed activities, such as, movie nights (we love 'Home Alone' and 'Home Alone 2', which is affectionately called, 'Stuck in a Hotel' in our home), cookie making, baking, eating and sharing, carol singing, advent, Christmas tree and home decorating and many other things which contribute to the Christmas magic.
One of the ways we bring some magic into our home is by inviting St Nicholas or Santa Claus in. This means we have books in our advent about Santa visiting and the children each have a stocking with their initial on it, which I made for them. We lay the stockings out the night before Christmas and just like magic, in the morning, the stockings and surrounding couches are completely filled with amazing gifts.
Of course, none of this magic simply happens. When you become a parent, you are the bearer of the magic, the torch is passed from one generation to the next and you become the magic maker. Then it is up to you to decide how you will bring the Christmas magic into your home.
In our home, I am a lover of systems, routines, processes and traditions. This means that at the beginning of December I sit down with the children and we write a simple letter to Santa outlining our dreams for Christmas morning. The hope and possibility for the children brings energy and enthusiasm. As we do this activity together, I carefully guide them and ask them questions and help them think about their ideas so they are realistic and their wishes can be real possibilities for them. My children now understand why a rollercoaster wouldn't be a good thing to ask Santa for; we would have nowhere to keep it. I never tell them 'no' about any item but as we talk about it, I can guide them into making some really thoughtful choices. It's a good life skills activity as well. It is also a great chance to get to know your children better. You can learn about their likes and dislikes. You can learn about the things that are really important to them. You can learn about their personality.
This year, 3 of my children have made a few drafts of their letter, each time crafting it so that is became 'just right' and ready to send to the North Pole. Of course, we don't actually send them, I keep them and they become my Christmas shopping list. It's a double whammy... the kids get to craft their letters and my Christmas list is already made without me even having to think about it.
We use a simple letter format to write our Christmas letters. Originally I found an excellent one at Must Have Mum website but this year, I have crafted my own style. The reason I love this one so much is because of it's simplicity and comprehensive nature. The children need to be selective and thoughtful. It covers both wants and needs and there are only 4 items plus a special treat item. It also helps children with their letter writing and literacy writing skills and apart from the lengthy thinking periods, it does't take long to complete as a family activity.
When we are writing our Santa letters, I like to put on some Christmas music and prepare some Christmas themed snacks. I like making memorable and special activities. I will also point out though that it's good to print a few copies as every year the children have needed new letter templates as they either made spelling errors or changed their mind. It's a good idea to have some spares. You may want to have them draft a few copies or assist with spelling or even some gift ideas.
It is also a good idea to prepare the children for the activity rather than just spring it on them. I tell our children during the week that we will be writing our Christmas lists on Sunday afternoon so they can be ready and they would have thought about what they would like to write. Not only that but children like structure and springing an activity on them, especially a thinking task, may not end well. We want this to be memorable for all the right reasons.
Now, something for the adults.....
Whilst the Christmas Santa list is very helpful for Christmas and it ticks a lot of my preparation and organisation boxes, it got me thinking about the rest of the year. So, in using a similar format, I thought about goal setting. Most people set new years resolutions or goals in an effort to improve. Statistically, this exercise doesn't really go so well so by Valentines Day (Feb 14), most of the goals have been broken and the life trajectory is plateauing which makes most of us feel pretty guilty. The reality is that each day is a new opportunity for growth and whilst the new year is a good milestone marker, we don't need to wait till the new year to set some goals. Sometimes, it's the idea of doing something for an entire year that overwhelmed us, rather than the goal itself. So, that being said, if we shorten the time we set for our goals, would we have more success in sticking with them? The focus here is more on the 'sticking to it' part as opposed to the outcome part. The focus is consistency, which is really a goal in itself.
Using the Christmas Santa letter format, I transformed it into a monthly goal list- 5 simple items or tasks we could do for 1 month, 4 weeks.
I included 'something to share' on this one because I believe we never really improve ourselves or our circumstances if we are always looking inward. When we think about others and reach out to others, both lives improve. Also, we really don't need to be purchasing new items to wear each month.
Using this template, I set myself some goals for January 2023.
The idea of goal setting, be that short or long term goal setting, is another blog post as there is a lot in there but I will just say that these goals as measurable for me and they are achievable. You can see that I have ticked them off the list but in reality, you just check them off when you have completed that task. You may also notice that the first goal may seem a bit ambiguous. That is because it needs to be unpacked and I will need to plan and consider how to achieve that goal. I am thinking of refining my current systems and process to work for our 2023 demands. Because of this, I have included in my goals, 'New Year Schedule Charts' as something I need. These will help me achieve my first goal. The next two goals, I can schedule time for these to happen and the final goal, I will need to make a check off chart to keep me on track but all these supports will enable me to find success in January. Once you know you can do it for one week, you can do it for one month, then two and so on. This system also enables you to adjust each month as things can arise and you can be adaptable.
So, there you have it... a simple Christmas letter activity you can do with your family which also doubles as your Christmas shopping list and a plan to get you started and successful with your 2023 goals! Feel free to print out the PDF's and use them as they apply to you and your family.
Back to my original question, 'how you you bring the Christmas magic into your home?' I'd love to hear from you; send me a message or email me at home-centred@outlook.com
You can create Christmas magic in your home which can flow onto the following year. Keep the momentum going and you will have a magical 2023.
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