It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
We had Christmas at our house last Saturday! Yes, I know that's all wrong, but we're due to spend the actual Christmas Day in France with my family, so I decided that we'd be a family of two Christmas Days.
This is the first Christmas Day I have ever experienced as a 'parent'. Last year, OB was rehabilitated back to his birth mother over Christmas, and NB didn't come until January, so I was free and single for the holidays.
There's a lot of pressure in doing something for the first time, especially when that something is as tradition-laden and significant as Christmas. I knew that I definitely wanted to begin establishing traditions that will stay with our family, while at the same time making the day appropriately special for two very young children who were unlikely to fully appreciate what was going on!
In the end, we did it quite simply. The night before I decorated the tree (it's been up for a while but with only our Advent decorations on it, so I added baubles and tinsel) and arranged the presents in piles around it.
Then, on 'Christmas morning', we all sat on my big bed while I read the children the Nativity story out of one of their toddler Bibles. I explained that it was Jesus's birthday and we sang happy birthday! Thankfully, OB's recent birthday meant that they at least had a vague idea of what a birthday is.
After that, we went downstairs and attacked the presents! I was a little torn about how to do the presents, because I really don't want Christmas to be all about that at our house, but at the same time, I vividly remember the thrill of seeing the presents waiting under the tree on Christmas morning and I didn't want to deny that excitement to the boys.
I expected them to be overwhelmed by the presents and take ages to open them, but actually, they attacked them with gusto and soon littered the floor with wrapping paper, boxes and toys! And, surprisingly, they did completely ignore the boxes and concentrate on playing with the toys, so I was happy with that!
Of course we also filled the day with a variety of unhealthy foodstuffs as well as a visit to friends. In the evening we watched a children's Nativity film with some hot chocolate and sweets.
All in all I think it went pretty well for a first attempt!
This is the first Christmas Day I have ever experienced as a 'parent'. Last year, OB was rehabilitated back to his birth mother over Christmas, and NB didn't come until January, so I was free and single for the holidays.
There's a lot of pressure in doing something for the first time, especially when that something is as tradition-laden and significant as Christmas. I knew that I definitely wanted to begin establishing traditions that will stay with our family, while at the same time making the day appropriately special for two very young children who were unlikely to fully appreciate what was going on!
In the end, we did it quite simply. The night before I decorated the tree (it's been up for a while but with only our Advent decorations on it, so I added baubles and tinsel) and arranged the presents in piles around it.
Then, on 'Christmas morning', we all sat on my big bed while I read the children the Nativity story out of one of their toddler Bibles. I explained that it was Jesus's birthday and we sang happy birthday! Thankfully, OB's recent birthday meant that they at least had a vague idea of what a birthday is.
After that, we went downstairs and attacked the presents! I was a little torn about how to do the presents, because I really don't want Christmas to be all about that at our house, but at the same time, I vividly remember the thrill of seeing the presents waiting under the tree on Christmas morning and I didn't want to deny that excitement to the boys.
I expected them to be overwhelmed by the presents and take ages to open them, but actually, they attacked them with gusto and soon littered the floor with wrapping paper, boxes and toys! And, surprisingly, they did completely ignore the boxes and concentrate on playing with the toys, so I was happy with that!
Of course we also filled the day with a variety of unhealthy foodstuffs as well as a visit to friends. In the evening we watched a children's Nativity film with some hot chocolate and sweets.
All in all I think it went pretty well for a first attempt!
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