It seems like just yesterday we packed away all our Xmas decorations and baubles that adorned our tree, the red and white Santa caps and the Christmas song CDs. And before we know it, Christmas time is here again. While presents form an integral part of the occasion, why not gift your kids an experience to remember as well this Christmas? Read on for a couple of ideas I found interesting.
A Cozy Corner
Alright, so your little ones have a room to call their own, with their own bed and wardrobe and study table. But what about those evenings when the entire family sits together in the living room, doing their own things? We have such times at home – the husband is busy on his laptop, I’m catching up on my reading, Sarah curled up on one corner of the couch playing her favorite online games and Timothy sprawled out on the rug, dabbling with colors and paints and creating his usual mess. Why not think of gifting a personal corner of the living room to each of the kids, in such a case? If your child loves to read, simply throw in a bean bag in a corner, put up a small bookshelf alongside with all her books neatly stacked and a couple of quotes on the wall, along the lines of ‘You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.’ Or you could erect a makeshift tent with cushions and bedsheets in another corner to make it a sort of a cozy campsite. The possibilities are endless. Just imagine the look of delight on your kids’ faces when they discover they are entitled to call a particular corner their very own. An added advantage: Sibling squabbles will also probably take a backseat, with each having his or her own corner to mope!
Tickets to Events
Speaking from personal experience, I can confidently say that my kids love nothing better than dressing up to head out for a family outing, pink sling purses and black goggles in tow. And since Christmas is not only about a single day of celebrations with New Year right around the corner, it’s officially ‘holiday season’. Why not take advantage of the fact and plan ahead to spend some exciting quality time together? Gift them an envelope with tickets/entry passes for the coming four weekends; it could be a visit to the zoo, the movie they have been looking forward to watch since a long time at the theaters, or a sports event which the entire family enjoys. As they say, ‘A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content’!
A Christmas Party
A Cozy Corner
Alright, so your little ones have a room to call their own, with their own bed and wardrobe and study table. But what about those evenings when the entire family sits together in the living room, doing their own things? We have such times at home – the husband is busy on his laptop, I’m catching up on my reading, Sarah curled up on one corner of the couch playing her favorite online games and Timothy sprawled out on the rug, dabbling with colors and paints and creating his usual mess. Why not think of gifting a personal corner of the living room to each of the kids, in such a case? If your child loves to read, simply throw in a bean bag in a corner, put up a small bookshelf alongside with all her books neatly stacked and a couple of quotes on the wall, along the lines of ‘You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.’ Or you could erect a makeshift tent with cushions and bedsheets in another corner to make it a sort of a cozy campsite. The possibilities are endless. Just imagine the look of delight on your kids’ faces when they discover they are entitled to call a particular corner their very own. An added advantage: Sibling squabbles will also probably take a backseat, with each having his or her own corner to mope!
Tickets to Events
Speaking from personal experience, I can confidently say that my kids love nothing better than dressing up to head out for a family outing, pink sling purses and black goggles in tow. And since Christmas is not only about a single day of celebrations with New Year right around the corner, it’s officially ‘holiday season’. Why not take advantage of the fact and plan ahead to spend some exciting quality time together? Gift them an envelope with tickets/entry passes for the coming four weekends; it could be a visit to the zoo, the movie they have been looking forward to watch since a long time at the theaters, or a sports event which the entire family enjoys. As they say, ‘A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content’!
A Christmas Party
Christmas time is family party time. But the day after Christmas can be a fun Christmas party for your kids and their neighborhood friends, a good chance to compare the gifts they received and show off to their peers! Birthday parties are something kids look forward to all year long. This Christmas party could be a birthday party of sorts with simple Christmas party games like these; what’s more, the best part is you won’t have to plan in advance and worry about the menu of the party – it’s Christmas and just ice-cream and cake would be good enough for the kids. Needless to say, the parents in the neighborhood will be thanking you for getting the little tykes out of their hair while they do the cleaning up post-Christmas! (Make sure the kids party outdoors so that you can get some quiet time too.) A win-win situation for both the children and the adults, isn’t it?
Hope you and your family get all that you wish for this festive season… Merry Christmas!
Hope you and your family get all that you wish for this festive season… Merry Christmas!