First comes love, then comes marriage, then come babies….and realizing that making Christmas magical can be a lot of work (and expensive)! If you are like me and you love this time of year, it can be hard not to splurge for every expensive Christmas “experience” out there. I have 2 little girls and another little on the way so we are trying new things to find the traditions we really love and can afford to continue. Here are three inexpensive things we have tried and loved.
Christmas Book Countdown
This tradition has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now. I collected Christmas books from my childhood, garage sales, and discount stores throughout the year and set them away. You could also borrow some from your local library for free. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how many books you have. How many books you have will determine when you start the countdown.
All you have to do is wrap your book collection and put it under the tree. To save money, I use leftover paper and scraps from last Christmas. The wrapping can be tedious but you can get help from older children. My four year old loved helping this year. She is learning how to write numbers, so she also numbered each book in black marker from 1-24.
Once the prep is done, the kiddos get to take turns finding and opening one book from under the tree each night. My kids wake up each morning asking if its time to open another book. It doesn’t matter to them that it’s the same books each year. It actually makes for a good guessing game. Added bonus: they don’t beg to open their other gifts early.
These books looked better than ours but my girls loved helping! Via River’s Edge Curriculum
Follow the Bright Star
Adorable sticking out of the tree!
This year I wanted to be sure that we emphasized the Nativity story. So, I picked up a package of gold star sparklers. The star sparklers come 6 to a package so just one was plenty for my little family. Once I opened them to take a look, the sparklers were so cute I decided to stick them in the tree as decoration. (Disclaimer: I have an artificial tree and double checked how warm my lights got after being on for an extended period of time. Sparklers obviously can catch fire so use your best judgment if you decide to try this.)
On the night we opened the story of Jesus’s birth we talked about how the 3 kings followed a bright star to find Jesus in Bethlehem. I told them that they should also always seek out Jesus and that He is the real reason for why we celebrate Christmas. Then I let them go and “seek out” a star on the tree to take outside to light.
Sparklers are such a treat for kids that they really only get to enjoy once or twice a year. My girls loved this so much they wanted to burn them all in one night. I decided to make them wait and we will burn one each week and talk more about the story of Jesus’s birth each time. This could also be a fun kids Christmas party idea or even as take-home favors.
Christmas Eve Box
This tradition is really simple. I wrap a present for my girls with pajamas, snacks, cocoa mix and a Christmas movie to open the 24th. Last year I had purchased Polar Express on sale but you could even record a favorite from the Hallmark Channel or the “25 Days of Christmas” special to watch. We love this tradition, the kids love it and it is a low-cost gift that doesn’t require buying anything the kids don’t already need (face it, by the end of the year they all need a new set of PJs.) My husband and I also really enjoy all of the snuggles and curling up with a cup of hot cocoa before the craziness of Christmas morning.
However you choose to celebrate the season, we hope its wonderful and full of good cheer!