Are you looking to make a little Christmas magic in the home stretch to Christmas? Read on for my tips on how to make Christmas magic without burning out!
If you’re a mom, to small kids especially, you’re probably the magic maker at Christmas. And although it’s fun to make Christmas magic for your kids, being the Christmas magic maker is a lot of responsibility. If you’re anything like me, you take that responsibility very seriously. Maybe even too seriously.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to give my kids a perfect Christmas. All that self-induced pressure can backfire (and has!), though. I’ve learned that I don’t have to make all the Christmas magic. I can sprinkle it in here and there, and you can too!
How to attain this sweet spot of Christmas magic? Pick a few ways to make Christmas magic in the week leading up to Christmas. It doesn’t have to be all magic all the time. Your kids will love a sprinkle of magic here and a sprinkle of magic there and you won’t be so burned out on Christmas that you can’t enjoy it.
Ready to make some Christmas magic? Let’s talk about how.
How to Make Christmas Magic
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate is not an everyday thing in my house. So, offering hot chocolate to my kids in any capacity is special. If you keep the hot chocolate on lockdown on a regular basis in your house too, you can make Christmas magic with a simple mug of hot chocolate just by itself. If you want a little extra Christmas magic with your hot chocolate, you can consider some extra hot chocolate fun.
Hot chocolate bar
Kids love a DIY moment, especially for something they’re going to eat or drink. At Christmas, a hot chocolate bar is a great way to give them some Christmas magic in a DIY format. If you want to set up an easy hot chocolate bar at home, lay out fun hot chocolate toppings that you and your kids can mix into their beverages to make them extra special. We like marshmallows (or marshmallow fluff), whipped cream, crushed candy canes, and chocolate shavings. Don’t forget to offer spirits for the grown-ups! My parents especially like butterscotch schnapps to make Christmas magic in their hot chocolate.
Lights
My favorite way to use hot chocolate to make Christmas magic is to make a bunch of hot chocolates to-go, pile in the car, and go on a ride to look at Christmas lights around our town. It an easy way to get a lot of bang out of a small buck.
Music
Make Christmas magic from now through December 25th by making Christmas music the soundtrack to your lives. Play Christmas music in the car, while you’re baking cookies, in the shower – whenever you can play Christmas music, do it! If you need a Christmas music recommendation, I can’t recommend Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas album enough. Every song is fire.
Clothes
When I was a kid, I knew it was Christmas because my mom’s wardrobe changed. Once the calendar hit December, she busted out her holiday turtlenecks. Did it matter that we lived in Florida where it rarely got below 80 degrees? No! It was Christmas, darn it, and she was wearing her festive clothes!
Although I’m not sure I endorse wearing holiday turtlenecks, I do wholeheartedly recommend wearing festive clothes in the lead-up to Christmas. It’s an easy way to make Christmas magic for you and your kids. Don’t wait to pull out your red and green until Christmas Eve. Get your money’s worth out of those holiday outfits. Wear, wash, repeat!
Christmas pajamas
I love Christmas jammies. This is festive clothing I get behind pretty much any time of the year that it’s cool enough to wear long pants. You see, I haven’t bought myself pajamas maybe ever. My mom buys me a pair of Christmas jammies every single year for Christmas, so that’s what I wear year round. If you don’t have a mom who is hooking you up with Christmas pajamas, an easy way to add a little Christmas magic into your family is to make sure everyone in your house has a festive pair of PJs. Yes, even your husband.
Cookies
Who doesn’t love cookies at Christmas? I sure do. I typically make Christmas cookies the whole month of December, but we save the really magical (and frustrating?) cookies for Christmas Eve. What cookies are those, you ask? Cut-outs, of course! Cut-out sugar cookies are Santa’s favorite cookies, so we have to bake and decorate them on Christmas Eve so they’re nice and fresh for the big man’s visit. When you’re making his plate before bed on Christmas Eve, don’t forget that he gets cookies at lots and lots of houses, so there’s no need to pile the plate high. One or two cookies will do!
Reindeer food
If we’re going to leave cookies for Santa, the reindeer need a snack too! One of the most fun ways to make Christmas magic on Christmas Eve is to make and scatter reindeer food on your front lawn. We make reindeer food by mixing some oats with some festive sprinkles. It’s really that easy! Just scatter it on the lawn before bed on Christmas Eve to entice the reindeer to stop at your house first in the neighborhood!
Simmer pot
We like to make Christmas magic with taste and sight, mostly, but don’t forget about smell! You can absolutely get your nose in on the holiday action by making a simmer pot. They say that smell evokes core memories, and as soon as you smell those spicy, citrussy smells of a simmer pot, it’s suddenly Christmas. At least for me it is.
Santa tracker
I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Most of the time it makes me want to throw my devices out the window, but occasionally, it really provides a service. On Christmas Eve, I’m super grateful for one thing that technology has given us – the Santa tracker. This genius little piece of technology is a great way to make Christmas magic on Christmas Eve and really get your kids excited for St. Nick’s arrival. I mean, how cool is it that we can follow Santa as he makes his progress around the globe!?
Gingerbread house
Another way I like to make Christmas magic the week before Christmas is to build and decorate a gingerbread house with my kids. We usually get icing everywhere and eat more candy than we put on our house, but this is pure, old school Christmas fun. Just make sure you hold your structure long enough after each addition so it doesn’t all crumple into a heap of sugar!
All day lights
I love Christmas lights. Inside, outside, white, colored – it doesn’t matter. I love them all! Although I must confess they look their most magical at night, who says you can only turn them on after dark? Set the mood all day by keeping your lights on during the daylight hours!
Nativity
My mom had a Precious Moments nativity set when I was a child. I looked forward to rearranging the scene daily all through the Advent season. To my surprise and delight, my kids love to rearrange my nativity set too. I love to see how they set the nativity scene each day. They seem to keep coming back to a holy conga line, and it makes my day. Kids can make Christmas magic for their parents too!
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
I would wager that most families probably read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas before the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. It’s the classic choice. My dad used to read it in front of the Christmas tree when we were kids, and now my husband reads it in front of our Christmas tree to our kids. It’s the perfect way to really get your kids ready for Santa’s visit and sneak in one last piece of Christmas magic before the big day!
Other posts
Looking for more Christmas tips? I’ve got you covered!
What are you doing to make Christmas magic this week? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!