30 ideas for a quiet family Christmas

For this Christmas I propose 30 ideas to share with the family. Unpretentious ideas other than being able to be together, slow down and enjoy simple things. With printable so you can take it wherever you want and not have to think!

This Christmas, all I want is to disconnect, rest, leave behind my obligations and do things together that fill us up… I’m looking forward to vacation and the children’s are here and ours are about to arrive.

So I have made a list of very simple things that I want to share with my family these days. I’m a girl with lists… I have so many things on my mind that if I don’t write them down, they go away…

OH!!! And at the end I have a surprise for you!!

It is a list of ideas to do at Christmas with the family where the slow pace, not getting too complicated and enjoying is the keynote in all of them. I’m sharing it with you in case it works for you, in case you feel like not having to think too much and getting inspired so that later things flow by themselves… Here they go:

1- Sing Christmas songs. A few days ago we spent two nights singing Christmas carols and I realized that it was something that filled their spirits and made them happy… Something so simple that it brought them closer to the magic of Christmas… Something that we had not done for a long time and that this year we take it back! If you join the idea, I leave you information that may interest you:

2- Make some Christmas decorations to give away. Generally we make decorations for our tree, but what if we make some more to give away and take to a friend’s house or where we celebrate Christmas Eve or any other celebration that comes our way?

3- Prepare cookies. At home, our children enter the kitchen from when they are very young, as I told you in «Ages and tasks for cooking with children», and they enter because it is a game for them, it is a moment to share with us and it is the fact of preparing something together that we can savor later, but it is also a way of sharing what we like with other people. So we prepare little packages to give away… Let’s see who gets it this year!!

4- Create a Christmas lottery. This is an idea that my cousins used to do when I was little for Christmas Eve, and it was something so simple, but so fun as each one prepared something made by one: it could be Christmas decorations, an invented poem, a drawing… We would prepare tickets lottery and we sold it among the family, at a ridiculous price that for us was already a treasure that we distributed at the end of the night. Thus, at the end of dinner and while the older ones did the table top, the little ones took out balls and handed out the prizes we had made. I assure you that it is something that I remember with great affection today…

5- Dancing under the light of the Christmas tree. We love to see the Christmas tree lit so why not enjoy its dancing light? Christmas carols or whatever! And for those who don’t want to dance, play music with the panera de la música!

6- Visiting someone we haven’t seen for a long time. In this age where technology brings us closer to people we haven’t known about for a long time, why not use this medium to generate physical encounters and embrace those we haven’t embraced for a long time… Maintaining our friendships is a very good example for our children! !

7- Go to the movies. To the real cinema and enjoy the atmosphere that is generated. Now there are so many family movies to watch so there’s no excuse.

8- Select toys to donate. Solidarity is a very important value to transmit to our children and this date lends itself to putting it into practice. In «5 actions to educate solidarity» I explain how to accompany the child in this regard.

9- Visiting an exhibition, museum,… In short, bringing culture closer to children, at least these days when we have a little more time.

10- Wage a tickle «war.» You don’t need to come up with great games, just have quality time with them and a few tickles can be the best game in the world and remember: “Don’t underestimate the little moments. Great memories are based on them”

11- Enjoy some chat in bed. During the routine, this luxury is available to very few, so on vacation, a family gathering in bed can be the most rewarding…

12- Visit an artisan market. If we were talking about making ornaments with our hands and the value that this transmits, what better than to make them see the importance of all this with crafts and show them even more that each object has a history and a value behind it: the value of what is close.

13- Investigate how Christmas is celebrated in another part of the world. Another exciting thing is that they see that the world is not where we live but that there is much more beyond it and that they have very different customs from ours. For example, in my country it is summer right now and only this already makes life different.

14- Create your own version of Christmas carols. If at home we love looking for different versions of classic tales, why not have our version of Christmas carols?

15- Spend time reading as a family. They learn by our example…

16- Dinner is prepared by the children today! What if one night it is the children who give us a dinner? It’s just a matter of thinking of a good menu suited to their culinary skills and accompanying them in its preparation. I am sure that they even give us a beautiful table and excellent service. Try it it works!!

17- Stroll aimlessly and unhurriedly… Let yourself go and open your eyes wide, surely your gaze will find wonderful things that you had not stopped to look at…

18- Surprise them with a new park to play in. There is time to move, why not go to a different one and surprise them?

19- Write a postcard to someone dear. Let’s not lose the habit of correspondence, otherwise that term will disappear and we will not be reciprocated in the same way! Besides, it is a magnificent opportunity to exercise writing in children!

20- Spend a whole night telling stories from our childhood. The value of our essence… because we were children too and today we are what we are for a large part of what we live… It is a way for them to know us too!

21- Fill our hands with caresses, pampering… and not with technology. Some time ago I made a reflection that I share today and I invite you to read it, because these years pass and do not come back and because what they see of us will be what they do tomorrow… So let’s fill our hands with caresses more than others things that will not leave such a positive and important mark on their lives.

22- Look at the photos of when we were kids together.

23- Teach them to play something that you really liked and you will be transmitting the importance and values of traditional games.

24- Dedicate special time to each child separately. How we need it… because everyone is different and needs different things, so a unique moment is essential.

25- Let them decide what to do today. And relax…

26- Raise the resolutions of the new year together. We always make our own resolutions but… what if we do it as a family and make them common to all? Check out this idea here.

27- Take stock of the year and look for all the positives. Taking stock allows us to have quality time to talk about ourselves as a family and each one in particular. A moment to evaluate our progress and see what we could improve…

28- Grab a pencil, brush… and enjoy creating. Whether painting or whatever, do not forget or neglect what really makes you enjoy. For one, this is their time to play and transmitting this to our children is a way of telling them that we also need our moments to enjoy alone or with others. And why not, pass on a hobby.

29- Take a moment to enjoy the solitude. And continuing with the previous point… it is also very important to find moments to be alone, enjoy the silence and calm to recover energy for the rest of the year! Give yourself permission!

30- Look for a phrase that guides you during the year. Find and propose a phrase that motivates you and guides your resolutions for the coming year. Write it down and have it prominently displayed so everyone can see it. If you want, let the children decorate it so they will feel more theirs, but let it be your guide to achieve your dreams for 2016!

And if you liked these ideas and want to keep them more present this Christmas, print them and take them as a reminder: