It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and a time to create Christmas traditions. Here are some ways to create special memories with your children.
Citizen Enfants’ asked some of our contributor and reader mums how they celebrate the special day, which festive traditions they love, and what they do to make it magical for their little ones.
Sheena Bhattessa: Founder of Citizen Femme, and mother of two
Christmas is spent in the Caribbean with my husband’s family; always very special but very different to a London Christmas with which I’m familiar.
With 2 children in tow (a 2 year daughter and 5 month old son), I am beginning to create my own traditions. Before we leave London, we meet Father Christmas plenty of times, whether we go to Hamleys or Chelsea Physic Garden, along with numerous activities that I book. Pantomimes are a regular family trip – they’re so wonderfully hilarious and my entire family always takes one full row accompanied with plenty of sweets, and we have a good old laugh, followed by an afternoon tea somewhere.
Christmas at Pendley Manor Hotel, Tring
I’m in charge of presents for the entire family and my sister in charge of wrapping. Everyone gets a present or two. Many years ago, I had personalised stockings and baubles made on Etsy, adding more as the family expands. I fill them with Celebrations and Ferrero Rocher (or protein bars for the healthier ones in the family), and one really special surprise in each. They are hung up along the fireplace, alongside mistletoe up on every door in our parents’ house – which is usually where Christmas takes place. Since we are away for the 25th, we do a pre-Christmas family celebration (with Father Christmas, of course) and then celebrate Christmas Day itself again. In the Caribbean, we have lots of friends with children about the same age, so an annual Christmas pyjama party is customary. At home, we leave milk and cookies the night before. Early morning, we are out of bed far too early to find footsteps in fake snow that I’ve put out on the floor, because Father Christmas even makes it to the Caribbean. A lovely lunch by the beach and when the babies are sleeping, some card games.
Morag Turner: Editor of Citizen Enfants, and mother of three
My family have always placed a lot of importance on traditions, particularly at Christmas. The one that is dearest to me is making mince pies with my boys. I use my grandmother’s pastry recipe and remember so vividly my little sister and I standing in her kitchen, aprons on, with her showing us how to roll out and cut the pastry. Now I do it every year with my boys. We pop on the Christmas tunes and make tray after tray throughout December. The kids love a homemade mince pie every day after school and there is a constant supply for all the friends and family who drop in. We also pop them in little gift bags to give to teachers and neighbours as presents.
Another tradition I love is getting out all the decorations my boys have made over the years. My eldest son is 15 so I have a huge supply of wonderful creations that successive talented teachers have helped them to make. They all go on the children’s tree in the playroom which ends up a wonderful hotchpotch of colours and shapes. It’s a joyous walk down memory lane and what I feel Christmas is all about: celebrating with my children and feeling incredibly grateful for them.
Alexandra Carello: Head of PR at Citizen Femme, and mother of two.
We will be at home in London with my family. I grew up in London, so this is where I love to be. We’ll have champagne and presents in the morning followed by a big lunch at my parents’ house, after which we walk across Hyde Park to The Connaught for martinis in the bar.
My daughters are little but they really starting to understand the magic. I always make sure they have a stocking filled to the brim on the edge of their beds, because as a child I loved waking up and feeling the weight of the stocking on my bed. Candy canes on the tree are a sure-fire way to get them excited too. I also love taking them to see all the London lights, popping into Claridge’s to see the beautiful tree, and going bauble shopping. I even get my daughter her own mini tree so she can go wild with the decorations – and so I can have mine left alone!
Claire Brayford, writer and mother of two
Christmas Eve is probably the biggest part of our celebrations. We have a family party where everyone dresses up, the children play their various musical instruments and ‘Father Christmas’ always makes an appearance. Pyjamas also play a big part, especially matching ones. Each year there’s a new theme, our favourites have been from Yolke, Roanne Orlebar and this year’s Sleepy Doe. Then mini presents are another thing – stocking presents, tree presents, and table presents – traditions inherited from my husband’s family, but especially stocking presents, as that was always his favourite part. The dream would be to have Hunt & Hope stockings hanging on the fireplace this Christmas.
Jes Salter, writer and mother of two
What I really love about Christmas time is creating new traditions that I hope will become beautiful little core memories that surface for them each festive period, too. Obviously when they are tiny, you know they won’t remember, but my just-turned-seven-year-old is now big enough to remember and look through photo albums. That makes everything more magical. Since she turned three – and now the littlest one is three I’ll start taking her too – we’ve gone to Skate at Somerset House. The backdrop is beautiful, and they cater for families really well with little penguin skate aids, and we’ve always had a really fun afternoon out. On Christmas Eve we celebrate Wigilia – a Polish celebration – and toast the first star at night with friends and neighbours who are in London. That evening I give the girls new pyjamas – this year they are from If Only – and will treat myself to a new pair, too.
Louise Roe: Founder of Sharland England, and mother of two.
We wake up at home, likely while it’s still dark because we have two tiny people itching to check the fireplace! We’ll unwrap the stockings and have tea and toast in bed. Then it’s off to various family member’s homes to visit them all, eating as we go.
There are some festive traditions I have kept all the way through a decade living in hot and sunny LA: making mulled wine and pomander oranges, leaving sherry and a mince pie at the fireplace, and watching old movies on Christmas Eve.
Hiding the Elf on the Shelf everyday is brilliant, as is decorating the tree together, and we have some special Christmas stories we read every night before bed through December.
Alice Edwards: Founder of Memo Press, and mother of two.
I love going to see The Nutcracker with my children. They’re both mesmerised by the ballet and we all leave feeling festive. Letters from Polar Post are top of my Christmas list. Everything they create is utterly magical. I also saved two advent calendars from Liberty that were gifts in previous years. Now I fill them with tiny gifts for the children. This year they’re full of things like fun post-it notes, stickers, ski socks, and bath bombs. The other thing I always get my children is matching PJs and Christmas Day outfits from Pepa & Co.
Holly Anna Scarsella: Brand Consultant, and mother of three.
For me, the most important thing about Christmas is the memories we make rather than gifts, so for December we make a real effort to schedule as many amazing days as possible; from ice skating to a festive show. One of my favourite things to do is to take the kids to Bond Street and Mayfair to see the Christmas lights. We walk around with hot chocolates and the girls just bask in the decorations until they work up an appetite – then we head to 34 Mayfair or Annabel’s for lunch in their festive rooms.
Lisa Mehydene: Owner of homeware store Edit 58, and mother of two.
We’ve been based in the Cotswolds for the past four Christmases and it has been so fun creating new traditions there – everything from the annual morning outing at the forest to select our Christmas tree, to Christmas Eve spent celebrating (feasting!) at our favourite local pub while playing board games and getting into the festive spirit.
We give books and PJs to the children on Christmas Eve (so there is a motivation for them to go to bed), and I also really look forward to our annual Christmas Day walk, followed by the Boxing Day duck race in the nearby village.
It always makes me laugh that children remember the seemingly inconsequential things – for my two, comfort, joy and magic seem to be found in decorating the tree, putting out treats for Father Christmas, hanging stockings, and tucking into Christmas dinner.
Any Questions or Tips to add?