A favorite
Christmas song has a line that describes Christmas
as 'the most wonderful time of the year.' While
giving and receiving gifts is something that is
highly anticipated and remembered at Christmas time,
there are also many more activities that make
Christmas memorable and wonderful.
One of these activities is decorating the Christmas
tree. The Christmas
tree occupies a central spot and is the most visible
display of Christmas in most homes. Unlike in other
countries, most American homes do not have a
representation of the Nativity scene, which is more
likely to be located at churches.
As soon as the Christmas season begins on the day
after Thanksgiving,
families will begin their search for the perfect
Christmas tree. This in itself can become a
memorable activity as children may accompany family
members to places like a Christmas tree farm to
select a tree.
Once a real or artificial tree is selected, then
it's an exciting activity
for the entire family to play a part in decorating
the tree.
Manufactured
decorations come in many shapes and forms. But a
special memory is created when family members make a
special ornament for the Christmas tree, or
contribute one or more keepsake items to decorate
the Christmas tree. It then becomes a ritual each
year for those particular items to be placed on the
Christmas tree although other decorations may change
in coming years.
Another activity that can help to create special
memories at Christmas is baking cookies. Along with
popular gingerbread cookies, using cookie cutters to
make special holiday-shaped cookies is also
practiced a lot in households. Based on the ages of
children, they can help in the actual baking
activity by measuring and mixing some ingredients,
or, younger children can sprinkle sugar on the
cookies or decorate them with icing when they are
finished. Helping in this activity can also be
educational as parents can use the activity of
measuring and figuring out equivalent measures to
teach fractions and other mathematical elements.
An activity that is related to food which also helps
to create memories
during the Christmas season is making fruit and
goody baskets, which are filled with candies, baked
items and other treats for loved ones, their special
friends, neighbors, teachers or for charity. Items
such as goody baskets make especially wonderful
Christmas gifts because they are home-made. That
quality often makes them more treasured than a
Christmas present that is bought at the store.
Because Christmas is the season of goodwill and good
cheer, it is very
important to reach out to family, loved ones and
friends during the season. The busy lives that many
people lead today often leaves them little or no
time during the year to be in frequent contact with
family and friends who are located far away, or even
others who live within a reasonable distance in the
same or a neighboring state, for example.
It is therefore very common during Christmas to send
a Christmas or holiday greeting card to those
individuals. Along with the pleasant memory of
receiving the card, there may be a short letter
included that gives a brief account of any
significant event in the individual's life or with
members of the family. That makes sending and
receiving Christmas greeting cards more memorable.
Then there's probably the most anticipated activity
of Christmas - finding out what Christmas gift Santa
brought on Christmas Eve. While adults also look
forward with much anticipation to see what Christmas
gifts they will get, it's really the children who
get the most delight from receiving presents at
Christmas. The carefully planned actions to hide
Christmas presents from children and then to
magically place them under the Christmas tree to be
found on Christmas morning is one of the most
wonderful ways to create unforgettable memories for
children at Christmas.