Give your kids a Christmas that’s intentionally different this year with a (free) family night featuring Christmas around the world.
So, did you know traditions would be a locked-in-forever, death-first kind of deal before you had kids?
I didn’t. [Picture me playing Fiddler on the Roof’s “Tradition” in the background as I write this post, okay?]
This one year my daughter was having a rough time so I wanted to go all out for her birthday decorations – streamers on the bedroom door, hanging down at the bottom of the stairs, looping across the roof. Swimming through balloons. Never mind setting up the table.
It was a great success, but you can imagine what happened for the next 4 kiddo’s birthdays…equal rights, of course! It’s been years since that first decorating to the max…and it’s still fully expected to continue until the day I die…possibly after, I dunno.
I believe kids looooove tradition because it’s a form of safety and stability in life. Things might not always go their way, but they know at Christmas, you’re going to make gingerbread, they have their school Christmas concert, they head to Grandma’s house, etc.
With that in mind, now that the pandemic has thrown our world upside down, let’s plan some new memories, shall we?
This post will show you how to give your kids a boost of Christmas spirit in 1 magical family night (while not depleting the straggling remnants of your own energy).
how can you support your kids this covid christmas?
What can you do to revive your kids’ Christmas spirits?
Why not intentionally make this Christmas so different, it becomes an adventure? A very easy way to do this is through experiencing other cultures’ traditional Christmasses.
I’ve already put together my Cultural Family Night pack – 1 night a month featuring 12 countries – my kids have so much fun, they’ve asked to have these weekly, and I don’t mind skipping out on the mundane family movie night.
Similarly, now that it’s Christmas, I just couldn’t pick 1 country to focus on, so I mix and matched and had such a blast putting it together.
What does a Christmas Cultural Family Night consist of? Read on for the details.
PART 1: hungry tummies try out new christmas dishes
Possibly the best part? My kids get most excited about the cooking together and (of course) trying out this scrumptious new meal.
This Christmas, you’ll be trying a new appetizer from Russia called Olivier salad. Delicious but simple to make, this salad is made every Christmas by Russian families. [Update: we loved this salad so much, I’ve added it to my potluck recipes and now have it each Christmas Eve.]
The main event hails from Italy where they celebrate the Feast of the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve. Old tradition dictates Roman Catholics abstain from meat on the eve of a Feastday (but with fish, you’re good to go!).
Different areas in Italy feature different seafood dishes, and I made sure to keep it kid-friendly (while making it a little new) by choosing a not-quite-typical pasta. For some reason, when I asked who wanted to try octopus or anchovies, it didn’t get a lot of enthusiasm…huh…
Most popular of all, the dessert! I can’t tell you how hard it was to choose, but my kiddos opted to try a Buche de Noel (or Yule Log) from France because of our French roots (don’t worry, mama, I found an easy recipe). And oh, it was a good choice.
Finally, I added in a kid-friendly Christmas drink for the special event from Finland. Also a huge hit…
What a yummy way to expand our curious tastebuds, eh?
part 2: curious minds discover unique christmas traditions
As we sit down to eat together, we read through the Fact Sheet and have great conversations.
I know the kids love the food – however, I treasure their questions and our discussion about how life can be so different for another kid their age across the world.
For this Christmas edition, there will be a sheet about unique traditions (ie: did you know the Japanese celebrate Christmas with a bucket from KFC?!), a special Irish holiday blessing to use to bless your meal, as well as a quick sheet to practice saying “Merry Christmas” in many languages.
part 3: adventurous spirits experience DIVERSITY
Well, you’ve had the food. Learned a bit about other countries. Now it’s time to wrap up the evening playing together.
Normally I just have 3 different activities, but there were so many fun traditions to choose from, I opted for a few different themes like music, stories, and crafts. You can pick your faves or try them all throughout the week.
Want a sneak peek? One theme involves catchy Christmas carols around the world (that are already stuck in my head) that you can all listen to as you’re cooking or cleaning up.
Sounds pretty fun, right?
Give your kids a Christmas that’s intentionally different this year, a new adventure, something to look forward to. Who knows? You might have a few new traditions to add to your own in the future.
Download the new Christmas Cultural Family Night today to make this Christmas a great memory.
read more:
- Want more info on Cultural Family Nights? Read the full post
- Outside-the-box gift guide this Christmas (themed gift baskets, long-distance, and charity ideas!)
- Kids struggling with COVID? Check out these Christian time capsule ideas
looking for more sparkling kid’s activities this christmas?
Every year I go searching for holiday activities for my kids to give them some great memories (and ease up on the sibling fighting, cuz busy kids = happy kids, am I right?). Since I don’t have a boatload of time this year to spend hours on Pinterest finding the perfect gift ideas and games, I joined forces with some of my fellow bloggers to bring you some super fun Christmas Activities for Kids.
🎄My kids wish they could be mad scientists when they grow up…since that’s (hopefully) not going to happen, we’re SO excited to try out these Holiday-Themed Science Projects from Homeschool On the Range
🎄 You may have also noticed from this post that we love food. So Christmas Cakes One More One Less Printable Worksheet from The Art Kit is a fun way to learn…maybe the younger kiddos can work on this sheet while the older kids and I whip up our Buche de Noel from Cultural Night 😋
🎄Christmas-Twisted Classic Board Games from The WOLFe Pack is going to be perfect for those mid-afternoon “no-you-can’t-have-a-screen” moments during school break. I’m getting the free Pictionary download and am hoping my kids won’t laugh at my drawing skills this round…
🎄I wish I had thought of this idea: Gingerbread Nativities from Hess Un-Academy is such a great, fun twist. I can already imagine us around the kitchen table, “sampling” the decorations (quality control, you know), with my Christmas records playing in the background.
🎄Making Room 4 One More has a great idea for us to add to our Christmas gift baskets this year, so excited for this: DIY Firestarter Gifts – absolutely perfect for the long Canadian winters. I can add a puzzle or book, a mug, and hot chocolate and the basket will be complete!
🎄Every year in our family, St. Nicholas comes early in December and stuffs the kid’s boots with chocolate and a Christmas ornament – so wouldn’t it be cool if he added the supplies for them to make their own? Woohoo! I’m not an artsy person at all so any ideas and how-tos I can get save me a ton of energy.
- Handprint Candy Cane Ornament from Homegrown Motherhood
- Woodland Birds Ornament from Heart and Soul Homeschooling
- Scrabble Tile Christmas Ornament from I Choose Joy!
🎄 Easy, Cheap, Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids from Julie Naturally is going to be such a timesaver, especially with the extra social distancing our family needs to do. These little goodies are enjoyed throughout the whole rest of Christmas break.
🎄 Simple Christmas Family Traditions: An Advent Tree from Whole Child Homeschool is a great way to inspire your kids to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. When we’re inundated with Santa, material possessions, and whatnot, this can be an easy, fun reminder.
🎄As we’re starting to sympathize a bit too much with sardines in our little isolated home these days, these Outdoor Christmas Activities for the Whole Family from An Off Grid Life sound like a breath of fresh air (bad pun, I know)
🎄Nativity Set for Kids to Make and Play With from Orison Orchards would be a perfect addition for those kids who have outgrown the Little People or VeggieTales sets, but still want a kid-friendly one around the house.
🎄What a Fall it has been for us moms. These simple activities sound like just what we need to come up for air and connect as a family again: Simple Christmas Activities for Busy Working Homeschool Moms from Thrive at Home.
🎄Last, but not least, don’t forget to book in some art days! How to make a fork painted manger set from Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland sounds super doable for the art-loving and art-challenged alike.
Enjoy!!
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