Creative Christmas Tree Activities For Happy Family Fun

[Marlon Christian]

A familiar family tradition everyone looks forward to is decorating
the Christmas tree. It is a contemplative time to remember and reflect
as your look at each ornament and talk about where it came from.
Decorating the Christmas tree really brings the holiday spirit into
your home.
Oh Christmas Tree
Decorating is just one of the many activities that bring the festivity
of the Christmas tree to your family. Caroling is a another timeless
Christmas tradition. As the Christmas tree is carried into the house,
many families sing "Oh Christmas Tree". Because few folks remember all
the words of this song, make it fun by asking everyone to come up with
their own original verse. While a couple of people work to get the
Christmas tree to stand up straight, everyone else will have fun
making up verses to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree".
Crafty Christmas Memories
Now that you have the Christmas tree securely in a stand, it's time to
play games while you gather the ornaments. Start by putting all the
crafty homemade ornaments aside to work with first. Ask the first
family member who made the ornament. Once everyone knows where the
ornament came from, ask the crafter if they remember making it. If a
kid made it, the parents of the artistic child can share their
feelings then they first saw the ornament. This ornament game is
especially fun for children because it shows their crafts have meaning
when their parents proudly save and remember them.
Christmas Hot Potato
Regardless of how many times you clean out your Christmas ornament
collection, there is always one oddball. Find the silly or
unattractive ornament in the bunch and use it to play hot potato. The
person who gets stuck holding the ornament must say something nice
about it, such as, "I like the ornament because it is red and green."
This amusing game reminds children to find something good about
everything. It also reminds children these items are simply things.
Teaching two good lessons to the kids while you play this Christmas
game is an added bonus.
Christmas Gifts That Keep On Giving
Why should gifts be given only on Christmas Day? Consider a gift-
giving activity that will be a definite hit with the kids. Many people
count down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar, a concept
that originated in Germany. Another holiday tradition in Germany is
giving a small gift to children every day until Christmas for several
days. A fun variation of these ideas is giving a small gift to your
children for each of the 24 days until Christmas.
Buy very small gift bags with handles at a craft store or dollar
store. Have 1 bag for each child for 24 days. The children can
decorate the bags and number them from 1 through 24. Decorate the tree
with the tiny bags, hanging them from the branches by the handles. For
a graceful swing, tie the bags to the branches with ribbon through the
handles. Every night, fill the bag for the next day with a small gift
such as an eraser or toy ring. Your children will run to the Christmas
tree first thing in the morning to discover their gifts. Imagine how
exciting it will be for your child to get a little treat everyday,
building up to the ultimate excitement on Christmas morning.