The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. Once we get our first snowfall (living in upstate New York, I’m sure it’ll be earlier than usual) I’m immediately ready to turn on Michael Bublé, set up the Christmas tree, and start baking. But with an 18-month-old, this Christmas will be different. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with a toddler, but I’ve been wondering how to help him enjoy it as much as I do. So, I made a list of 7 ways we can celebrate the Christmas season together with our toddler and start making memories and family traditions.
1. Baking cookies together
I know it’s daunting to bring your toddler into the kitchen, but simple tasks like cutting out sugar cookies or gingerbread men together will create lasting memories for you, even if they’re too young to remember! Some of my own favorite early memories involve pushing a chair up to the kitchen counter to “help” my mom or grandmas with whatever they were making, and I know they helped me to develop a love for baking from an early age.
2. 25 days of Christmas books
Every night before we put our son to bed, we read a bedtime story. This December, to celebrate the Christmas season and build anticipation, instead of an actual Advent calendar that he would be too young to appreciate, we’ll be wrapping 25 Christmas books and putting them under the tree! Each night, he can pick one to unwrap, and that will be his bedtime story for the night.
This would be a great opportunity to use your DOD library card or local library to find some Christmas books! You can also re-wrap ones from early December to read again later.
Some of our favorites that will be under the tree this year:
You’re My Little Christmas Cookie
The Legend of the Candy Cane
Christmas in the Big Woods: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids (Little House Picture Book)
Gingerbread Baby
The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale
3. Handprint crafts
If you look on Etsy or Pinterest for toddler handprint crafts, you’ll be bombarded with an avalanche of ideas. Last year, I picked up simple wooden ornaments from my local craft store, painted the ornaments red, his hands white, and made very easy handprint ornaments to give to his Grandparents for Christmas! Especially if you live far away from family, those tangible gifts will be treasured for many years to come.
4. Salt dough ornaments
If your kiddo enjoys playing with playdough, chances are they’ll also enjoy making salt dough ornaments! The dough recipe couldn’t be simpler (see below), you’ll have a fun afternoon craft, and keepsakes to look back on each year when you decorate for Christmas.
These can also be a great way to do handprint crafts!
5. Christmas decorations that are kid-friendly
I know my son is going to be all over the Christmas tree this year. There have been discussions about putting the play pen around the Christmas tree, LOL! So, this year, I will be setting up a few extra decorations that he CAN play with. Wooden or fabric decorations instead of glass or ceramic, and simply keeping those breakables out of reach will save everyone some tears this year. Target has great options for kid-friendly décor, and Grandpa and Grandma gave my toddler the perfect nativity set that he’ll be playing with all season long!
6. Cute and Non-Overstimulating Christmas movies/shows
I think most people have a few special Christmas movies that they watch every year. A fun way to celebrate Christmas with a toddler can be creating their love for a certain holiday flick. This list is perfect for nap time, evenings, or really whenever!
Peanuts A Charlie Brown Christmas (Apple TV)
A Very Merry Pooh Year (Disney+)
Rankin Bass Christmas specials (Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, the Little Drummer Boy, etc)
Franklin S1:Ep.12 Franklin’s Christmas Gift
Franklin’s Magic Christmas
Guess How Much I Love You episodes 40-49 (Amazon Prime)
If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie (Amazon Prime)
Frog and Toad S1:Ep.9 Christmas Eve (Amazon Prime)
Little Bear S2:Ep.7 The Snowball Fight/Winter Solstice/Snowbound
Little Bear S3:Ep.11 Little Bear and the North Pole/Winter Wonderland/Gingerbread Cookies
Bluey S1:Ep.52 Verandah Santa
7. “Pajama Run”
One of my favorite Christmas traditions from my childhood was the Pajama Run. One night, close to Christmas, my parents would put us all to bed, then about 10-15 minutes later, come back wearing Santa hats and ringing sleigh bells. They’d bundle us into the car with blankets, and we’d put on Christmas music and eat Christmas cookies while we drove around to look at Christmas lights. This year will be the first year my son will be old enough to appreciate the lights, and I can’t wait to drive him around base to see them all!
8. Bonus ideas
Odds are you probably have Christmas music playing a lot this time of year anyway, so put on Jingle Bells and get rockin’ around the Christmas tree with your toddler! Christmas coloring pages are also a great way to keep your child entertained for a few minutes while you make dinner or start a load of laundry. Bonus if you can sit down and color together! You could also try a Kindness Advent Calendar, especially if you have older kids as well as your toddler, and find ways to get everyone involved.
Finding ways to celebrate Christmas with a toddler doesn’t have to be complicated. At the end of the day, the most important part of creating holiday memories with your toddler is simply spending intentional time together.
As Walt Whitman once said, “we were together. I forget the rest”
