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Here at Norwich Mumbler, we know how hard it can be when Christmas is fast approaching and how busy and challenging this time 
of year can be for many parents and carers.
Perhaps some of these things are going through your mind as you read this…
Who’s coming for Christmas this year? Who do I need to buy for? What do I buy them? Where can we hide all the presents?
Should we send cards or do charitable donations, adopt a donkey, or perhaps spend a crafty afternoon trying to do homemade cards with the children?
What on earth am I going to do, the limited edition doll they want is out of stock everywhere!!
Well we’ve put together a few ideas to give you some inspiration for things to do that may just help you make Christmastime that little extra special and a little less stressful!
Our Top 12
- Spend an evening choosing all of your favourite family Christmas songs and make a playlist all ready for Christmas Day.
- If you like the main tree to look extra special (i.e. done by you to your high standards), why not buy a baby tree for the children to decorate themselves and then they can have their very own special tree.
- If you can manage to have a free day all together as a family, why not spend it baking some lovely festive treats. You can have a little competition for the Christmas Star Baker. You could wrap any spares up and give them as presents to family, friends or neighbours. You could also make individual place cards for the Christmas dinner table.
You can’t beat a Christmas tree shaped cake! (Lakeland mould)
- Have a special Christmas movie night. Put on your PJ’s, pile into the lounge, bring down the pillows and duvets, light the candles or put on the fairy lights, grab your popcorn and snuggle up as a family and watch your favourite Christmas films together.
- Buy a Christmas book, or if your budget permits, buy a personalised Christmas book online (you know the ones where you can insert family names so the story becomes all about you). Find a point on Christmas Eve to sit down and read it as a family. Write a little message inside as a nice way of remembering that night and then read the same book every year, always
adding a little note in it from that year. The book can then be passed down the family tree. Imagine reading the same book you knew your grandparents had read to your parents each Christmas Eve and reading their memories and imagining what it was like for them.
- On Christmas Eve, make a picnic, put on your best PJ’s and go for a family ride out in the car looking for the best decorated homes and gardens. No car, no problem, wrap up nice and warm and go for a walk round your neighbourhood decoration spotting. You could even take a flask and some treats and stop on your way round for a mini picnic.
- On Christmas Eve, just before you go up to bed, tape a large piece of Christmas wrapping paper over the door and in the morning the children will have to burst through the paper to see if Santa has been.
- You know that feeling when the children rip open all their presents and you suddenly panic….’How will we send thank you’s when I have no idea who bought them what!?’ Create a Christmas notebook, as each present is opened, make a little note of who bought it and it will make those thank you cards a whole lot easier. If you use the same book each year, it would be lovely looking back as the children grow up and you’ll be able to reminisce over all the gifts they received ‘From Santa’ and family over the years.
- Christmas is a great time for taking family photos, but not everyone likes to pose. Make it more fun with this little game. Get everyone to write a series of poses, animals or celebrities etc on a piece of paper and put them in a bowl. Take it in turns to pull out the paper, strike a pose to match the paper and let everyone guess who or what you are. Nominate someone to be on standby with a camera for each one and you’re guaranteed to get some great and no doubt very funny pics.
- Christmas morning can often include little ones ripping open all their presents in a matter of minutes, challenging if you were hoping this would take all morning or you’d hoped they would save a few until the family arrive. Why not create a little treasure hunt. This will keep the children busy as they go off in search of their presents and include time gaps in the clues, e.g., play with this toy and at 11am, go to x where you you’ll find x’. It could keep them busy all day!
- Make a special 2023 memories jar. Take a jar, have fun decorating it and on New Years Eve place it somewhere everyone can reach. Place alongside it little pieces of paper and a pen and then all throughout the year when you do something special, someone in the family has something to celebrate etc, make a note of it on a piece of paper and pop it in the jar. On NYE, you’ll be able to sit and read all the little notes and reminisce over the wonderful memories you made together in the year.
- Don’t forget that Christmas is for grown ups too, so make sure you enjoy all the festivities just as much as your Mini Mumblers.
Wishing all of our wonderful Mumblers and their families, a super special Christmas and amazing New Year.
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