Have you ever said ‘Christmas is less fun without little kids’? Have your ever put more effort into making Christmas special because there are kids involved?
Children have the wonder and belief that makes Christmas so magical, and that awe can help us adults remember how special Christmas can be. So it is right that we make an effort to keep the magic alive for kids.
But is Christmas all for the kids? Can we not also say Christmas is for adults?
So many Christmas activities and arrangements revolve around the kids, such as
- all kids get presents but adults share a Kris Kringle
- community groups give gifts to kids
- Santas in shopping centres and parks hand out lollies and tokens to kids, not adults
- generally only kids are encouraged to write to Santa
While it is great to make kids happy, I sometimes feel a bit sad that adults are left out of the planning for happiness. Why shouldn’t adults get presents to make them feel special, too?
It is often the case that adults run around preparing all the Christmas celebrations and find the whole thing tiring. I think a little more magic for the adults would make that work less tiring.
Christmas is for adults
So this year, what special touches can we add to Christmas to ensure adults feel the magic, too? What would make your Christmas happier?
It doesn’t have to be more gifts or big ideas, just little things that make the day about everyone, not just the kids. Because Christmas is for adults and kids, and anyone in between!
I also hear a lot of adults complain that Christmas is tiring or that they can not wait for the season to be over. I personally can not wait for the season to begin and I hate to see it go. We can do small things to add the “magic” back into Christmas for adults. We can plan a night where the adults drive around to look at Christmas lights. I love looking at others decorated homes; it cheers me up and puts me into the Christmas Spirit. Can you imagine a car load of adults awing and oohing over lights? I think that would be a lot of fun. You could also take the time to take that one adult who has lost the “magic” to see a Christmas play. My family has a tradition that all the adults get together and make Christmas candy. We have Christmas music playing and we find ourselves acting like an excited kid at Christmas. You are right, it doesn’t take much to help put that “magic” back into Christmas for one adult. It just takes one person who is willing to take the time to do it.
I think you have the answer (and the problem unfortunately) there, Lisa – it just takes one person willing to put in the time and effort to give everyone the magic of Christmas again.
A night with friends (rather than my kids) to see lights this year sounds fun so I might just give that a go I think 🙂 And the making candy night sounds like a lot of fun, too.
I’m 21, going to be 22 when Christmas is here. I still get gifts from my mom (I’m an only child — she spoils me) and I still give her gifts. I am getting less and less from family though, and I know my mom doesn’t exchange gifts with her siblings anymore. She’ll get small things for my cousins, but that’s it. She also buys for her dad. I suppose it’s different between parents and adult kids, but with extended family it seems much less common to give gifts to the adults. I really love gift-giving though, so I plan on doing whatever I can in the future for others, even if it means homemade gifts or food. 🙂
Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment, Erica 🙂
Don’t down play the home made gifts and food – people do appreciate them and they send a strong message of care and love as you have put yourself into the making.
I applaud your intention to do whatever you can for others in future Christmases – I’m sure it will bring you a lot of happiness an some lovely Christmas memories.
I never forget one Christmas (about 10 years ago) my sister and her husband treated all her family – we have a large family by paying for all our tickets to go see the Christmas display at a local attraction. We all went together as a family. It was quite something to keep us all together as we walked through the 12 Days of Christmas plus Santa, his sleigh and 8 reindeer Christmas lights display. It was wonderful to share such a Christmasy event with all my family. We all had a great time from the Grandkids to the Grandparents.
That sounds lovely, Clazetta. A lot of fun like that often creates more memories and stories than spending the equivalent amount on a tangible gift so it’s a great Christmas present for everyone. AND includes adults and children alike 🙂
That’s a really good point – Christmas does revolve around kids and their belief in magic.
But in some ways I htink adutls need Chrstmas magic and fun more than kids – we don’t get as imaginative all year or allow ourselves to stop and see the Christmas lights (or roses!) most of the time.
Hmm, not sure how we can bring Santa magic to adults – shops could give free lollipop to customers (even if kids are not invovled!). Um, busiensses can arrange alittle gift on all desks the last working day before CHristmas – a surprise to arrive to is magical and unexecpted and doesn’t ahve to cost much.
They’re a couple of good suggestions, Cin, thank you for sharing them (and leaving a comment!)
I intend on following in the tradition of my grandparents: Once their kids were grown, they “adopted” those in the neighborhood and those of friends and family. They claimed that seeing the holidays through the eyes of a child was their secret to staying young at heart. (smile)
Sounds like a good plan, Gary. Not only would it keep them young and the kids with other adutls to turn to, but it helps bind a community so I love it.
To make things short, Christmas is for everyone! As long as you get to spend this season with people important to you, Christmas will truly be exciting and meaningful.
Good to hear you beleive Christmas is for eveyrone, Vida 🙂
Well, it was not this year but I am proud to say I have done this long ago. During Christmas, my mothers side of the family has a reunion – just our grandma, grandpa, my mother’s brother and sisters and their families. We go to our grandparents house. I grew up with the tradition of the adults buying children gifts and letting them open the gifts as the clock strike 12 am on Christmas morning. Then we have a little feast. When I grew older, I started buying gifts for my parents, then I started buying gift for my godmother, who is my mother’s sister. After that, when I already have work, I started buying gifts for my aunts and uncles (sometimes one gift for one set of spouse, sometimes one each for the husbands and the wife). Soon, everyone else is buying gifts for adults too. They don’t have to be expensive. Mostly cheap bracelets or wallets. I even remember times when the gifts for adults are powdered detergent in sachets or canned goods. But opening the gifts is something we can look forward too.
Yah for you darkmeiji! You created your own tradition that let everyone in hte family enjoy Christmas and unwrapping a gift – that’s fantastic!
I love, too , how your family has embraced it in the spirit – gitfs of detergent or canned food are so practicla many people wouldn’t give them as gifts but it still a gift to unwrap (and avoids all the unwanted junk some people get!)
That’s right. I even have a photo of the foot of our Christmas with all the gifts. Sometimes, my father would tell me not to buy gifts anymore for my aunts and uncles or even for him since he is concerned that I am spending too much. But I always tell him – How could I do that? I started the tradition, I cannot be the one to not follow it?
It would be hard to not follow a tradition you started with love. Given your family’s attitude, darkmeiji, I assume you can give inexpnsive gifts when you need to anyway – it is the thought and effort that counts, not the price tag.