The Christmas season brings with it more than just bright-colored leaves and frostbitten noses. It also brings people closer together, causing us to act more kindly to each other, react more peacefully to stress, and brings our families closer together than during any other time of the year. We’re much more thankful of the things that we have and of our loved ones. Opportunities abound here at the end of the year to do all sorts of things that the whole family can pitch in and enjoy, building lasting memories and strengthening the bond of family. It’s more than just baking and wrapping presents – the Christmas season brings an unlimited of ways you and your children can have fun and grow closer.

1. Anyone who’s done Christmas shopping in the past is sure to have seen those small, 2-3 foot tall Christmas trees they sell. They’re cheap and small enough for easy storage, and a perfect way to spruce up a child’s room. Buy one for your kid, and spend some time finding ornaments and decorations that fit their interests together! Does your daughter love pink? Go out with her and look for some pretty pink ornaments and lights, or just buy up one of those pink trees! Or maybe your son loves football. – You’re sure to be able to find football ornaments! Decorating one of those mini trees with your kid is a great way to bond in the Christmas season.

2. Christmas cookies are a must during the holiday season. It’s the time of year where you can bake as much as you like, and you can make beautiful, delicious treats for your whole family. This is the perfect time to include your kids! Get them involved in the festive art of baking, and instill in them the wonderful sense of tradition that it brings. Kids love to help their parents and to feel grown-up, so get them involved in the process. You can all make and decorate cakes and cookies, and if you want to take it further, get some tins and packages that you can decorate together to make gift-packages for friends! Pop in that Christmas music CD, light up a few candles, and turn that kitchen into a fun, safe playground!

3. Treats aren’t the only fun things to make during the holiday season. There are a variety of different fun crafts that can be made, from gingerbread houses, coloring pictures, ornaments, custom present packages, and more. Take a trip to your local craft store with your children and see what you can come up with. Homemade things are always more memorable than bought ones, and are much more fun to make! Involve the whole family in a night of craft making where you and your children can open up and discover that inner artist!

4. A lesser-known tradition that my family loves is the gag gifts. My family is quite large, but it can be done with any number of people. Here’s how it works: soon after Thanksgiving, have everyone write their name on small pieces of paper. Jumble the names in a hat, and have everyone draw out a name, making sure that no one gets their own name. The name a person draws is the person they have to buy a goofy, funny, or embarrassing gag gift for. You can choose if everyone should know who has drawn whom, or if you want to keep it a secret until Christmas Eve, when the gifts are specially delivered and opened! It’s a lot of fun, and is a great activity that can have a lot of thought put into it!

5. Make time to plan a few jolly-themed Christmas events that your whole family can enjoy. The goal here is simply to bask in the wonderful atmosphere of this season. Put on some Christmas music, turn down the lights and light up a few candles, turn out the Christmas cookies, candies and snacks, and just have a good time together. Watch a Christmas movie, or just have fun playing a few board games together.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays with the extensive cooking and shopping, but we can’t let ourselves forget what is important and what the time of Christmas really means. This is a great time to bring your family closer and start a few great new traditions that will be passed down for generations to come! Your children can enjoy this time of year like no other, and these will be memories that will stay with them forever.

By: Cole Carson

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Cole Carson is a successful entrepreneur and internet marketer. He specializes in the fields of business and marketing, health and wellness, and motivational topics. Dr. Earl Mindell spent eight years on Goji Juice. Learn what Goji Berry Juice is!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 1:02 am and is filed under Children. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.