It’s December and day by day chocolates are being enjoyed as your kids work through their advent calendars. It’s a special time when your friends and family have a week or 2 free to relax and connect, but what can you do to spend time mindfully without cliché ideas of what Christmas is supposed to be or running after the toy of the month?
Commissioning a series of family portraits is a great way to include your family and grandparents. You don’t need to wear silly festive garb, but do it each year and you have a visual record of their growth you will love to look back on in the future.
With every new present under your tree your kid’s smiles wider and wider, it’s the season of giving after all, but why not give back to the community? When many families are experiencing hardship, it is the perfect opportunity to teach your child that not everyone is so lucky and why we all need to be grateful of what we have and how we could show more care and understanding for others. Perhaps you could ask your kids for every new toy they receive, they give a quality toy to another in need, you may find that they are happy to help even more.
Carols in the Domain is a fabulous event that can get the whole family involved. Where else can you join Aussie celebs singing classic songs with your family on live TV? A great tip is to get there much earlier in the day and visit the Royal Botanic Gardens and National Gallery of NSW for a full day of free, family friendly fun.
Baking and icing biscuits is a great way to build excitement in your home. Your kids will love getting a little messy mixing the ingredients together to stirring and sneaking a taste when they think you’re not looking. With fun cookie cutters available like Christmas trees or Santa hats and lolly decorations you can really get creative. You could even share them around to neighbours to help build a Christmas spirit in your street.
After your kids have gotten bored of their new toys or more likely broken them you can host a get-together with their friends to keep them away from staring at the TV. From arts and crafts projects, puzzles to putting on a play from a dress-up box, there are many activities you can hold to engage their imagination.
Camping is a great way to relax and enjoy yourselves as a family that is affordable, fun and creates moments you can all bond over. Whether 1 night or more, camping allows you to leave your home for some time in your local national park or somewhere more afield if you can stomach hours of, are we there yet chanting. From simple bushwalks, to exploring local historic towns or even attempting to make damper, camping allows your family to explore nature and appreciate each other’s company.