Kids Love Christmas

My sweet son, Shawn, decorated our dining room table (I use the term loosely... *sigh*) yesterday morning before he left for school! It was so sweet of him. He used his Santa's and his little Christmas tree that he bought last year at the school store! Last year, he wanted to keep them in his room on his dresser, to have his room be festive. So I thought it was really nice of him to bring them out here for everyone to enjoy!

Aren't those Santa's so adorable? I just love them! Sammie wanted to separate them, but, I think they look neat together. And Shawn wanted to keep them together - so together they stayed. And they look so pretty with Sammie's flowers, too!

And here is his mini Christmas tree:



I love that he wanted a Christmas tree for himself - I think that is so cool! And that ornament on top is from the coolest Aunt on the planet! My sister-in-law/best friend Tracy! She was so excited for him when she found it, because, we can never find stuff with his name on it - or if we do, it's spelled the Irish way. We find all kinds of stuff for the other two - Patrick and Samantha - those two names are easy. Shawn - surprisingly, is not so easy.

He was so excited after he put that stuff out, running into my office to tell me, "Mom! I decorated the table!" Awesome!

And then, later that evening - my husband got out all the rest of the decorations and Sammie put a bunch of those out and about while Mark and I sat here working on our computers. It was really sweet - I'll have some pics for you when we get those fixed up just right.

Oh! And we've got our Insta-Snow to use for my Christmas Village - totally awesome! We got it from Vat19.com - totally awesome online store! But it comes from SteveSpanglerScience.com - totally awesome science guy!!! The Insta-Snow is going to add the perfect touch to my Village!

Ready to decorate for Christmas? You and the children can try these simple ways to add some Christmas spirit to your home this holiday season.

Use Bows - Pretty Bows add a special touch to any decoration. Choose your color scheme this year, then buy matching ribbon and make lots of bows to add around your house. You can even find color-coordinated pre-made bows in the Christmas section to match your tree decorations.

Indoor Lights - Use clear, white lights to decorate inside this year. If you have indoor trees or greenery, add a small string of clear lights to them. You can add lights just about anywhere. Placing a string of white lights in an oversized vase or bowl will make a festive modern statement. String some lights on your mantelpiece for a more traditional feel.

Special Family-made Wreath - Instead of buying a wreath to hang on your door this year, let your kids make one. Buy a plain, undecorated wreath and a nice variety of miniature tree decorations. Let them show you where to place the decorations on the wreath, and you use the hot glue gun to help the kids create a special wreath for your family’s front door.

Nature Centerpiece - Do you have pine and oak trees in your front and back yard? Gather pine cones, acorns and colorful leaves. Create a beautiful nature centerpiece for your holiday dining table. Make holiday swags with sprigs of green pine needles, complete with a red bow in the center.

Holiday Scented Candle - Stock up on holiday scented candles. Keep several candles lit in a few safe spots, out of reach of the little ones, while entertaining. Some popular holiday scents are gingerbread cookies, French vanilla, cinnamon sticks, and eggnog. Check your local department stores or specialty candle stores for more fun holiday scents.

There is something special about walking into a room and seeing the Christmas tree. It instantly makes you feel happy. Kids especially love to see the tree all lit up and sparkly. The ornaments, lights and sparkle hold them in awe for hours. Here are some tips for making tree decorating a fun family tradition.

Have Fun - First and foremost make this occasion fun. If decorating the tree isn’t fun for you, it won’t be fun for your family. So relax and enjoy it, even if little Emma isn’t putting the crystal ornament exactly where it should go. If there are some ornaments that are precious keep them in a separate box up high so that the adults can add them to the tree and make sure you have lots of fun wooden or non-fragile decorations for the kids to put up.

Theme - Before you get started decorating, choose a theme. What kind of tree would you like? Do you want a traditional green and red tree? Or does your family want something funky and different? Get together, brainstorm and decide how you want your tree to look.

Lights - Does your family like white lights, or do they prefer colorful bulbs? Choose lights that your whole family will like to see on the Christmas tree. There are tons of options out there, from single color strands to lights that play Christmas music as they blink.

Handmade Ornaments - A really fun tradition for your family is to have everyone make ornaments. Set aside a special day just for this - a day when every family member will be able to pitch in with their creativity. Use cookie cutters, colorful paint and beads to create an assortment of unique ornaments. You can also buy ribbon and wire in the Christmas department and make tons of bows to decorate your tree.

Store-Bought Ornaments - Add some sparkle and shine to your tree with things like tinsel, icicles and garland. Or, if your family isn’t crafty and does not want to make ornaments, go together as a family and pick out ornaments for the tree.

Make it Special - Make the tree decorating day a special time. Play Christmas music, put out fresh baked cookies and chocolate with tiny marshmallows. Gather a group of close family and friends around and make it a really festive affair.

Once you decorate your tree go on a Christmas walk around the neighborhood and take in all the sights and lights around you. Then bring everyone back to your place for a hot Christmas stew or casserole… you’ll be creating a family tradition for years to come.

Kids love making their own Christmas decorations for their home and displaying them proudly.

Use ribbons and bows to decorate lamps, curtains and drapes. Choose different color ribbons and bows according to the colors in your home. For example, if you have white curtains, add red and green bows you can stick onto any surface, and arrange the bows on the white curtains any way you wish.

Kids may want to decorate the drapes using different sized white doilies, and fill the drapes with snowflakes. Attach green or red garland to the bottom of the drapes, and hang small light colored ornaments on the garland.

Kids can also decorate the entertainment center with candles of all colors, little glass bowls of Christmas balls, and Christmas figurines. Whether the entertainment center is wood, white or black, this is a sure way to make the entertainment center a Christmas display.

Have a coffee table? If the coffee table is glass, the kids can decorate the edge of the coffee table with garland and ornaments. Remember to choose a garland that compliments the colors in the room. Tape the garland around the table. Start with taping the garland at one corner of the table and let the garland hang a few inches. Repeat the process: tape and hang, until you have hung the garland completely around the coffee table. Then add favorite ornaments and hang them on the garland. This is a wonderful visual effect that also works on your mantel or a banister or railing, too.

Your children can create Christmas artwork with markers, paints or crayons. If you display it in a nice frame, it will complement your home décor and look like you paid money for it.

And, of course, a favorite Christmas decoration is a gingerbread house. Create a gingerbread house with your children. The gingerbread house will be a perfect display for a countertop or in the middle of your coffee table.

Choosing Christmas décor ideas for kids to make is easy; arranging them to compliment the décor of your home is the challenge. Choose the decorations, and have the kids use their imagination to turn your home into wonderland of color.