One day I ran into the grocery store to get some chips. It was a sure thing for me, grab some sour cream & onion chips and head home. But I saw cheeseburger chips, biscuits & gravy chips, honey mustard chips and even top ramen chicken chips. What in the world? I found myself frozen in the aisle, contemplating should I surprise my family with biscuits & gravy chips? Would they love me for it? I mean, they love biscuits and gravy, but in a chip? Maybe this would be our new go-to chips. Or I could be kicked out on to the porch for not delivering the goods they expected.
I like to think I’m a decisive person, but that’s as long as there are only a few options. I’ve been known to hang out in the candle aisle for an hour. I mean when a candle is labeled “Hummingbirds and Molasses”, I want to know what that smells like. I have to know! One time I bought a 6 pack of Pina Colada Almond Joys. You couldn’t buy just one.
One year, we parked at some strangers home to watch a light show that was choreographed by a computer system. A little bit of sadness crept in as I watched lasers shoot across the yard to a Justin Bieber Christmas song. Everything seemed so complicated and busy. But with all of the options there are today for almost everything under the sun, nothing is simple anymore. And sometimes the best things are so simple.
Oh yeah, back to the chips. So as I stood in the chip aisle, it made me think of Christmas. With all of the new ideas, new traditions (if that’s even possible) and a host of options that are available today, the staples of a truly old-fashioned Christmas can be forgotten.
Well, if you’re like me, you’ve tried to relive your childhood with your kids. Why? That’s because it was awesome!! Was it simple? Yes!! Could you only choose from two flavors of chips? Yes!! But the bottom line is that you want your kids to experience the things that brought you so much joy, like the Goonies. So where does that leave Christmas? Well, are you a person who feels Christmas has been too commercialized? Is your Christmas spirit running on fumes? Do your kids seem a little entitled? Something missing? How about an old-fashioned Christmas? I know old-fashioned is a relative term, but the point is to take it back a few decades and have a simple Christmas, but one they will never forget.
So if you’re looking for those Christmas moments that really deliver and become etched in your kids’ memory, then look no further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0dxppHmp9k
Here are our 5 things that will give your kids an old-fashioned Christmas.
You may find yourself adding some things that you did when you were a child.
- Cut down your own Christmas tree – I know the pre-lit artificial trees are much easier and last longer. We have one. But this year, we went out and cut one down from a tree farm and put it in our dining room. It’s all about the experience. The kids have been pouring water in the tree stand each morning and it fills our house with that pine tree smell. They thought it was so cool that we got it from a tree farm.
- Decorate your tree with old-fashioned decorations – String some popcorn. Get some old school tinsel. Mix and bake some hangable ornaments. Make a paper chain or some coffee filter snowflakes. And finish it off with some of the big old-fashioned lights.
- Start a tradition – One thing our family does is have a birthday party for Jesus. We go to the store and pick out a cake and frosting. We even buy candles and the candy letters to spell out “Happy Birthday Jesus.” And then on Christmas Day, we all sing happy birthday to Jesus. Our kids love making the cake themselves and putting the letters on. We also buy an ornament each year when we are on vacation and hang it on the tree.
- Have an advent calendar – Kids love to countdown to an event. Our family wraps 24 books leading up to Christmas Eve. Each night we turn the tv off, open one book and read it with our kids. It’s like getting to open a present each night. And then on Christmas Eve, our family reads about the birth of Jesus from the Bible. Of course, another great one is “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.
- Go caroling – This is our favorite! We really don’t see people caroling these days. If this is a little out of your comfort zone, just know that this is something that your kids will never forget. Our family hosted a Christmas party where we invited family and friends, made pancakes and then went caroling in our neighborhood. It was much easier since there were a lot of people involved. Everyone loved it! And the neighbors were smiling from ear to ear. Let’s just say that this sent the Christmas Spirit meter through the roof.
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Your kids won’t remember most of the presents they received over the years. But they will remember cutting and decorating their own tree. They will remember when their parents took them out and sung “Winter Wonderland” to strangers. At the end of the day, Christmas is all about seeing our kids happy. Never underestimate doing the simple and sometimes forgotten things that have made Christmas the best time of year.
Do you have any ideas that will give your kids an old-fashioned Christmas?
