5 Myths of a Magical Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. No doubt about it! I love the festive spirit and having taught in Primary Schools for many years, I can categorically say that the magic of Christmas never grows old. BUT ... I've noticed that over the last decade (since I had Miss Scribbler), parents are squeezing in more and more through December to maximise the Christmas 'experience'. To be honest, I wonder how much of it is for us as parents as it is for our children? Was Christmas any less magical for us when we were children? There was no elf that visited, no afternoon teas with Santa and no phone calls and videos from him either, and yet Christmas was full of magic and wonder. In fact, I think we are in danger of reducing the magic in our attempts to make Santa tangible. Perhaps there is more magic when he's left in our children's imagination?

Since becoming a mother myself, I've noticed that although I love Christmas there comes pressure. On reflection though, it's self imposed and unnecessary. The expectation I set myself to make Christmas magical for my children is almost always going to lead to disappointment, guilt or self criticism. Let's take the darn elf as an example. It all started well and was fun, but by the second year of our elf's arrival the novelty had worn off for us but not for Miss Scribbler! There have been many a night where the elf was lazy and stayed put or didn't get up to anything wild. The stress of panic story telling to counter the disappointment on our daughter's face! Every year I dream up ways we can be done with elf's visits. 

There's other self inflicted pressures too. The perfect table spread on Christmas Day, the co ordinated tree decorating to match this years interior design trend, the hunt for the best toy of the year, the urge to give that goes beyond generosity and into excess. 

These are the 5 myths of a magical Christmas:

1. I need to style my decorations to make them instagram worthy.                                            UNTRUE. Co-ordinated or on trend Christmas decorations won't make your kids Christmas perfect. You could go retro and hang 80's tactic foil garlands from your ceiling and your kids won't care. If you want to decorate your house beautifully, go for it, but don't use it as a measure of how good a Christmas your kids will have.
2. I need to spend equal amounts on my children.                                                                           UNTRUE. Your children will not count up how much you spend on each of them. They'll focus on the item itself not it's monetary value. We don't need to panic buy items to make up numbers. For older children you might want to work towards the same number of items, but the planet will thank us for shopping intentionally.
3. I need to make Christmas Eve magical.                                                                                               UNTRUE. Christmas Eve IS inherently magical. You could do nothing and the kids would still be deliriously happy. A Christmas Eve box is a nice thing, but it's not what makes Christmas Eve magical. Your kids will love Christmas Eve even if you put the carrots and mince pies on a dinner plate and not a specially made 'For Santa and Rudolph'  plate.
4. I need to make advent exciting and unique.                                                                                      UNTRUE. Advent has never felt to pressured! From the elf to alternative advent calendars, we're spending more and creating overwhelm for ourselves by trying to do it all. Remember when you used to open an advent calendar with a picture behind the door. That's it ... just a picture! If the only thing your elf does is appear in different places each morning, that's more than enough. 
5. I need to plan a December full of memory making activities and experiences.                           UNTRUE. Kids love the little things. If life is busy and the most you can squeeze in is a visit to Santa's Grotto, the kids will still enjoy December. Christmas movies, baking, writing Christmas cards and a walk around the neighbourhood to see the lights are all things that make Christmas magical.

It's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the festive season, but it's important to remember that the quiet moments are memorable. The magic lies in the atmosphere you create, the time spent together and in the imagination.