Exciting sets of lights localy!
I love Christmas lights – they are beautiful and magical. So it’s very exciting to see more and more set up in our area each year.
A local house with Christmas lights on trees, walls and grass
If you want a drive to see some nice lights (and without lots of crowds, too) try this route…
High St Rd, between Winbirra Pde and Vannam Dve in Ashwood – lights on the south side with candy canes featured.
Turn into Vannam Drive then left into Ashwood Drive, seeing some small collections along the way. Park next to the playground (you’ll see why – the house opposite is AMAZING!)
Walk past the playground , across the bridge and turn right to see Santa on the roof as well as a train and Santa’s car. Wonder along Ashwood Dve a bit to see some other small sets of lights.
Back in your car, turn around to go into Baryn St and right into Vannam Dve to see a blue light display.
Turn again and then right into Arthur St.
On the left, past the kinder and shops, is a HUGE Santa and lots of pretty lights.
That’s it in Ashwood (for what I know – let me know if you spot more goods near by!) but if you turn from Art
hur St into Huntingdale Rd and head to Burwood Hwy (via Highbury and Station St) there is an awesome display near Benwerrin Reserve – they have lights, a massive Santa display AND visits from Santa and his elves.
Have a Merry Christmas and say hi if you see me along the way!!!
Who decorates your Christmas tree?
It may seem like an obvious or irrelevant question, but who decorates your Christmas tree?
I discussed this with some Mums at kinder yesterday as we watched the kids decorate their kinder tree. A real Christmas tree sits in their group area with baskets of tinsel and ornaments so they can decorate and redecorate it as they wish. It’s a simple and fun activity for them.
Allowing children to decorate a Christmas tree
One Mum doesn’t let her kids near the tree and decorates it all herself so it is done ‘properly’ and looks perfect. And Dhrynio commented last week that her mother-in-law had always decorated their tree so Dhrynio’s husband didn’t know how to do it!
Other Mums let their kids decorate the lower parts of the tree however they want. The upper part is either done by the parents or is directed by the kids but with parental assistance.
A blog post I read recently mixed both these traditions (I can’t remember where I read it – I’ll add the link when I find it!). She let the kids go wild and decorate the tree in the evening. Once they had gone to bed, she pulled everything off the tree and started again, doing it her ‘control freak’ way! She gave the kids the fun of decorating and herself the reward of having a perfect tree she could enjoy. I’m just not sure how children would feel when seeing their creativity was replaced by Mum’s perfection. Nor what message that gives the kids about fun and trying compared to it having to be ‘right’.
Protecting special decorations
Most of us keep certain ornaments – fragile and particularly sentimental ones – out of the kids’ reach and put them on the Christmas tree ourselves. Some mums just leave those decorations in a box for a few years until the children are old enough to appreciate and treasure those ornaments.
One Mum said she kept nothing from her daughter to provide the lesson of caring for things and being careful. I love that principle and her courage (she even lets her touch glass balls imported from Europe!), but I just don’t want to risk some of my more precious decorations to a curious and lively two-year old!
Many of my more precious ornaments are actually precious because they were made by my daughters when younger – they are fragile at the joins, etc rather than because they are glass, and precious because they are not replaceable.
Child participation and perfection
Can you have it both ways – let everyone put decorations on the tree for fun and have a Christmas tree that is stylish and perhaps artistic?
It may be a bit hard to manage both on one tree (although I have this image in my head now of a tree done perfectly on one side and chaotically on the other, and just rotating it as suits the time or audience!)
To me, a solution is to have two trees or two rooms/areas and treat each differently.
For example, have a stylish tree in a formal lounge room and let the kids be creative with the family room Christmas tree. Sure, their tree may be chaotic, colourful and unbalanced, but it will delight them and be fun!
Or maybe it can be a time share thing – let the kids decorate the tree on 1 December but redecorate it on the 19th or so so it is ‘perfect’ for Christmas Day photos and any gatherings you have in the house in the last few days.
So who decorates your Christmas tree?
Is that your own decorating tradition? Or have you copied what you did as a child?
Eating separately at Christmas – strange?
We have an extended family get together each year, like many people of course.
A shared Christmas feast
It’s been going for about 45 years and has moved between different people’s houses with everyone bringing parts of the meal we share. This year (for transportation issues which are perfectly acceptable) we’re having a picnic in a park instead.
Now, someone has suggested that each family group takes their own food for the event – that is, we each eat only our own food instead of pooling resources and eating together.
Is it just me to think it’s a bit pointless to eat as distinct family units?
To me, sharing a Christmas meal is about sharing and eating together. If we’re eating separately from people we rarely see except at this Christmas function, I have to wonder if it’s worth continuing the tradition really.
Does anyone go to Christmas events where food is not shared? Does it work?
More importantly, any tips on how to make it a family event despite the separate meals?
Fruit smoothies
Just for fun, make some Christmas themed fruit smoothies 🙂
Made cold, they can be very refreshing (and are a lot healthier than soft drinks and energy drinks!) and I’d prefer one to an eggnog any day 🙂
It can even be a nice drink to leave out for Santa – although if it is a warm night, maybe leave it in the fridge with a note to tell Santa to help himself!
If making one for a baby or toddler, it can effectively be their meal and you can add a bit of formula powder to add nutrients if you feel the need (personally, I think adding some banana is enough to give then plenty of vitamins and minerals).
A Christmas fruit smoothie
2 bananas
6 – 12 strawberries
2 kiwi fruit
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yoghurt (fruit yoghurt tastes nice but adds sugar)
500 ml milk
Quick version:
Put everything into a jug and use a blender to mash and mix it up.
Pour into two cups (or more smaller serves for kids) and drink.
Christmas version:
Put bananas, yoghurt, cinnamon and milk into a jug and blend.
Add strawberries and kiwi fruit blend on a low-speed but leave some small pieces of fruit (to show the Christmassy red and green 🙂 ).
Pour into cups and serve.
Make an easy, edible Christmas decoration
Want an easy way to make a cake or cup cakes or dessert platter or whatever look really special?
Simply heat up a candy cane (buy them in whatever size suits the decoration you’re after – they range from tiny to huge!) and gently bend it into a shape to suit.
Adding more of a swirl than the traditional cane shape is more compact so it works better on some designs I find – the long cane just doesn’t fit in and looks stark so this is a nice option.
Quality Santa letters written with love
Yesterday I wrote about Santa asking me to help him write letters to Australian children each Christmas.
As it is an honour to write to children on Santa’s behalf, and a responsibility to give those children a special message, I put a lot of care and love into all the letters we write.
General principles of Love Santa letters
Every Love Santa letter (including our non-personalised self-print options) is written to meet the following aims:
Making each child smile is what we aim to do
- it is positive and makes the child feel happy
- acknowledge the good things children do, ann encourage them doing more good things
- be truly personal so the child knows the letter is for him or her
- includes references to Australia and a warm Christmas so the child can relate to what they are reading
- indirectly teach children basic letter writing skills
Making Love Santa letters personalised
There are a number of ways I strive to make each child feel special, but it mostly comes down to spending the time editing each letter just before it is printed and mailed to be sure it is just right.
- is mailed in its own envelope so the child has the pleasure of opening a letter addressed to him or herself
- starts with their first name
- is often adjusted to suit the child’s age or good deeds
- includes some good deeds done by that child during the last year. Good deeds are always written in a positive tone, too, to build self-esteem. So, for example, I write ‘being independant’ rather than ‘not being so clingy’, ‘learning to play nicely’ rather than ‘not always fighting’, and ‘trying your best at maths’ instead of ‘not failing maths’
- is checked to be different from siblings’ letters, and often is adjusted to include a sibling’s name
To share in this fun part of Christmas, request a Love Santa letter so your kids can experience their own personalised letter – and look out for some ordering tips in tomorrow’s blog post.
The honour of helping Santa
A few people have asked lately how I came to be writing Santa letters so here’s my story…
I am a professional writer and I love writing and reading.
I am also a Mum, love Christmas and love being positively engaged with the community. Helping other people is just what I do – I think it’s who I am.
No wonder Santa needs help if he still uses a quill to write letters!
Anyway, Santa is an extremely busy man and despite his best intentions, he doesn’t manage to write to all children every year.
So when my daughters were very little, I wrote them a few letters on Santa’s behalf so they could experience to fun of getting letters in the mail and the excitement and self-esteem that comes from being acknowledged by someone special (and who is more special than Santa???)
Santa’s request
Santa was looking for someone to write letters to some of the Australian children he just wasn’t finding time to write to before Christmas.
In 2002, Santa gave me one of the highest honours I think is possible for a writer – he asked me to help him.
I’m not sure if Santa heard about the letters for my daughters or just looked for an Australian writer, but I am proud he asked me and do my very best to live up to his expectations.
Tomorrow, I will post a bit about how I manage writing these special letters.
If you have questions about Love Santa letters or my story, please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer you:) Note I won’t give away any secrets though, so don’t ask how you can stay awake to see Santa or how he knows if you’ve been bad or good…
Anyone for tea?
I came across this recipe and enjoyed the flavour so much I am making packets of it as Christmas gifts. And my kids are making some this weekend to give their teachers and activity leaders as gifts, too.
Spicy orange tea
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
14 whole cloves
3 tablespoons dried orange peel (I dehydrated my own after the kids ate a pile of oranges!)
10 whole black peppercorns
11 tablespoons loose black tea leaves (You could try green tea, too, or mix them together)
Put it all together in an air tight container
Leave it for a week
Boil some water
put one spoon of tea mix per person into teapot
add appropriate amount of water
steep for 2 – 5 minutes
pour into cups and enjoy!
Remember to label the packets you give as gifts, including instructions of use. Kids can decorate the labels to make them personal and unique gifts.
Maybe leave some out ready for Santa to have a nice cup (as long as he’s willing to boil the kettle himself!) while he puts presents into stockings for you!
Christmas jelly – not just for babies and toddlers…
Continuing on with the request for some Christmas recipes the very young can enjoy, here is another one that’s pretty easy to make. It is well suited to an Australian Christmas, but I think it can be eaten alongside a hot Christmas pudding and apple pie, too!
Christmas jelly
200 ml hot water
4 teaspoons gelatine
100ml red fruit juice
100ml green fruit juice
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped cherries or strawberries
1-2 tablespoons sliced grapes or kiwi fruit pieces
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of gelatine in 100ml hot water.
Stir into the red fruit juice.
Pour into a small bow or jelly mould. Add the grapes or kiwi fruit.
Put into the fridge to set.
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of gelatine in 100ml hot water.
Stir into the green fruit juice.
Pour into a small bow or jelly mould. Add the cherries/strawberries.
Put into the fridge to set.
Serve together, tipped onto a plate or straight into bowls.
In total, this makes about one metric cup of jelly which is a side serve for about two people or a few days’ supply for a baby or young toddler.
Notes:
- juicing the fruit yourself is a much healthier option, but bottled juice works. Red juice can be cranberry or mix apple with raspberries, cherries and strawberries. Green juice can be made from kiwi fruit, apple and celery together, green grapes or a combination.
- you can of course use packets of jelly instead of gelatine and fruit juice but it has a lot more sugar and less satisfaction!
- stand your jelly bowl in a hot water for 30 – 60 seconds to make it easier to tip out once it’s set
Have you ever made your own jelly?
Surprised to find it is this easy? I know I was when I made it for my first baby – it’s such as easy thing to feed them but I didn’t want the sugar and additives of the commercial jelly.
Have you ever left a bowl of jelly out for Santa? I haven’t but it’s not a bad idea, especially if it’s hot on Christmas Eve!
If UK children ran Christmas, they would…
Nearly 20% of children love to give gifts and help others around Christmas time. I’m not sure whether to be pleased 20% of kids are generous or sad 80% haven’t been shown the pleasure in giving and helping others.
What do you think?
All the more reason to focus on teaching kids about the spirit of Christmas and reducing the reliance on presents as the important Christmas activity.
Do you think the statistics would be different if this survey was repeated in Australia or other countries?
*Infographic courtesy of Santa’s LaplandSanta has to cope with international rules…
Santa has a long way to travel on Christmas Eve, and he has to cope with different climates and rules along the way.
How often do you check under your car for sleeping children? Do you dress well to keep your license? Do you bother buying sprouts for Christmas dinner?
These and other interesting questions arise from the following infographic kindly shared by case luggage.
And as for me – I never check under my car or sleigh for sleeping children (I don’t think that makes me negligent!), I don’t dress nicely for the sake of my license and I don’t buy sprouts very often at all, and certainly not for Christmas!
Champagne Punch without a kick
There’s nothing like holding a glass of something sparkly while celebrating family at Christmas, a new year approaching or a beautiful summer evening. But not everyone is able or willing to drink alcohol (kids, pregnant women, drivers, etc).
S here is one solution – make a mock champagne punch without the alcohol!
Simply mix the following in a jug or carafe then pour into 16 (preferably chilled!) champagne flutes.
1.5 litre sparkling mineral water
1.5 litre dry ginger ale
1.2 litre white grape juice
Make sure everything is cold when you mix them and you get a refreshing cold drink that is perfect for a summer Christmas treat.
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