10 Christmas traditions for families to enjoy

Make paper snowflakes Cut out Christmas snowflakes from white paper, as many as you can! Scatter them on the table, or just let the kids pretend it’s snowing in the lounge or in their bedrooms (they’re not hard to clear up -really!) Find the How To here.

Surprise baking Bake some Christmassy cookies or try our easy chocolate truffle recipe and deliver them to someone as a surprise. It could be a neighbour, an old folks home, the local charity shop, the doctor’s office, the teacher’s staffroom…it’s a nice way to foster a sense of Christmas spirit.

Write a letter to Santa Kids will love the idea that Santa will receive their letter – and hopefully deliver on their wishes! You could also get the kids to write (or for preschoolers, you write as they explain) a detailed description of what your house looks like, the address, where the reindeer can wait etc – it’s good practise for them!

Make paper chains and streamers Deck the halls with paper chains and streamers! There’s nothing more festive than strings of coloured paper strung across the walls. You could make paper chain angels, Christmas trees, bells or just thin strips of paper stapled together and looped together (see image). Box streamers are two long strips of crepe paper folded over and over and over. Instructions here

Give away old toys Kids should be the ones to choose whether they give anything away, and if they do find anything they no longer want, pop it in a box and let your child come with you as you drop it off to the local charity shop or city mission.

Check out local Christmas lights If you have a lot of Christmas lights in your area or not too far away, how about popping the kids in the car to give them a tiki-tour of the lights? Choose a night when they don’t have anything too strenuous the next day, get them into their pajamas, add a lidded mug of hot chocolate or a cookie, and go sight seeing!

Go nativity You might like to take the kids to a Christmas service at a local church. Many churches hold a children’s service on Christmas Eve afternoon, with a nativity play telling the traditional Christmas story and singing carols. It can be a lovely atmosphere with candles and Christmas decorations and the buzz of Christmas Eve.

Sprinkle reindeer dust Many playgroups and kindies now give children reindeer dust – packets of glitter mixed with oats – or just make your own. It’s quite magical for kids to stand outdside just before bed on Christmas Eve and sprinkle it on the lawn or driveway to guide Santa’s reindeer to your house.

Read some Christmas books Curl up with a Christmas story before bed, with the lights on low or the Christmas lights twinkling. The Night Before Christmas is the traditional story about a visit from St Nicholas, written in 1823 by Clement Moore. Here are some other Christmas books we love.

Leave Santa a snack Be it a healthy stick of celery and a piece of low-fat cheese, or a couple of cookies and milk, don’t forget to leave something for Santa! And don’t forget to leave a few crumbs to show he’s eaten it!

Make some Santa footprints  Use white glitter mixed with baking soda, or buy some ‘real snow’ which actually feels damp (but is easily cleaned up once dry). Put pair of large shoes or boots down near the Christmas tree or your chimney or door, sprinkle the ‘snow’ around them to make a footprints, or if using baking soda, spray a very light coating of water over the soles of the boots and dip the boots in the baking soda. Then press on the floor to make footprints. Proof that Santa has been!

Leave a note from Santa Write a little note from Santa to your kids, perhaps thanking them for the snack, for the excellent instructions on how to get to the house, and of course telling them they’ve been good this year!