By Lorie Newman

I just love Christmas and over the years I have had lots of  practice on my kids with different ideas for Christmas fun.  Here are  some of my favorites for now. If you have tips to add, just leave a comment!

I’d LOVE to hear your fun Christmas tips! 

1.   Make a life-size wooden manger and put a bag of hay beside it.  Tell  the children as they do kind deeds during the Christmas season, they can  put one piece of hay in the manger for each good deed.  Everyone will  be surprised at how full the manger is on Christmas morning!  In years  past, our manger has been overflowing with hay by Christmas Day!  (Don’t  forget to put a baby doll in the manger on Christmas morning!)

2.   Play Secret-Santa “family style.”  One week before Christmas, have the  children in your family draw another family member’s name from a Santa  hat.  They are not to tell ANYONE whose name they have.  During this  last week before Christmas, they are to sneak about doing kind things  for this family member without telling anyone.  For example, one year my  daughter drew her twin’s name.  She would sneak into his bedroom while  he was in the shower each night and lay out his PJ’s and pull back his  covers– all without anyone knowing!  It was so fun for the children to  do the kind deeds in secret, but also to try and guess who it was doing  the kind deeds for them!  Christmas morning, instead of exchanging  gifts, the family reveals who their Secret-Santa was!  Rarely do my  children guess correctly!  Mom and Dad even enjoy getting in on this  fun!

3.   Each Friday during the Christmas season, have a “hot chocolate movie  night.”  Rent a classic Christmas movie each Friday.  Snuggle up and  enjoy it with cups of hot chocolate in Christmas mugs.  Don’t forget to  top the hot chocolate off with whipped cream and a candy cane!

4.  In the kids’ lunch boxes, be sure to add a bright and cheerful Christmas napkin each school day!

5.  If your children are small and don’t understand how many days are left  until Christmas, make a large paper chain, (green and red, of course),  making one strand of paper for each day until Christmas.  Each morning,  let your child cut one link of the chain off until one remains on  Christmas Eve!