When I was young, my family never celebrated the holiday season with quite the same joy, anticipation or fanfare as they do in the movies, stories, or even in my husband’s “All American” family household. In stark contrast, I often found myself as an only child pulling out the same plastic Christmas tree every season and decorating it with the same sad ornaments year after year. It was my family’s sad holiday tradition.

But don’t get me wrong. It’s not that my parents didn’t love me or want me to have a joyous season. I think they just never understood the meaning of the holiday, especially given the heavy commercial emphasis our society places on big gifts and picture-perfect, splashy decorations. As a result, I grew up merely going along with the motions of Christmas, but never really celebrating it in true spirit. Now that I have two young daughters of my own who sparkle with joy waiting for Christmas to come, I’m starting a new holiday tradition this year: handcrafting a DIY children’s Christmas tree with my children.

It’s so affordable, meaningful, and easy to do! I simply purchased a small, tabletop Christmas tree from our local grocery store and used scrap arts and craft supplies to create the decorations. While the skies the limit on what you can do with your child to create your own personalized ornaments, feel free to make the ornaments Gemma and I put together this year. Not only was it fun to do, but it was educational and engaging, too! So join us in creating this new holiday tradition with your kiddos today.

P.S. Remember that this is your child’s tree, so it doesn’t have to look Pinterest perfect. Help him if and when he needs your support, but try and let him have fun getting his hands dirty making all the decorations on his own. It’ll look perfect in his eyes and ring in the true.

PRINTABLES AND GUIDES TO THESE FUN TRADITIONS

WILL BE FOUND ON OUR NEXT POST!

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Yvette Hwee

CEO & Founder at Playful Bee

I'm the momma of Gemma, a curious 3-year old, and Foxin, a rambling 1-year old, so I'm deep in the trenches every day, just like you. I'm deeply passionate about early childhood education and policy. On any given day, you'll find me 1) running a mile a minute chasing after my tots, 2) busy at work with Playful Bee, 3) cuddling with my dogs, 4) chowing down on a delicious meal with my hubby, and 5) enjoying a bit of zen during a hot stone massage. As young parents, our days may be long and years short, but ahhhh...life can be good if we let it.

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