Here are some fun ideas for the Christmas season that Kidspot mums have shared with us.

Christmas Eve

• Reindeer food – make small bags of rolled oats, small seeds (optional) and edible glitter. Sprinkle on the lawn for the reindeer – and by morning they will have all gone (thanks to the birds). Try this magic reindeer food idea.
• Sprouting lollies – plant mints in the garden, then once the kids are in bed, replace with a large lollipop on a stick.

Christmas Decorations & Crafts

• Make your own balloon Pinata – blow up the balloon and liberally papier mache (buy the glue powder that you mix with water from craft stores). You will need to do this prior to Christmas day. Once dry, cut a hole, fill with goodies, then mend the hole again with papier mache. On Christmas Day the kids can paint the piñata – then when it’s dry, set to work smashing it!
• Advent Calendar – make your own with an activity for each day. Once the activity is complete, stick a Christmas sticker on. Activity suggestions include writing Christmas cards, making and decorating biscuits, making decorations, putting up the tree, reading Christmas stories, going to the Santa parade, going out to see the lights.
• Pine Cones – Collect pine cones then paint and decorate with glitter.
• Baubles – you can buy boxes or tubes of plain baubles and glitter glue. Let the kids decorate and then hang from the edge of an overhanging bench with sellotape until dry (this may take a few days if the glue is thick).
• Make you own clay decorations: Craft Clay

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups water
• Combine cornstarch and baking soda in a pot. Mix in water stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until consistency is dough like. After cooled, knead. Mold the clay into desired shapes (I used cookie cutters and we rolled balls etc to make beads) Remember to put a hole in if you want to thread or hang. When the dough is dried you can paint. Store any remaining dough in an airtight container for later use. This dough is a lovely white colour, is air dried and doesn’t attract the moisture like salt dough does.
• This activity provides limitless creativity with art, and boundless ways to express yourselves, and the finished product makes great gifts for grandparents, friends etc.

Gift ideas

• Baking Pack – Ideal for children. Put together all the dry ingredients plus print out a recipe. Include a small apron and some baking utensils. Try this cookie idea.
• Second Hand – save your money and set yourself a challenge that at least some of the gifts you give this year are second hand. If you keep an eye out in garage sales, second hand shops and on Trade Me you can get some great stuff at fantastic prices.
• Herb Pot – buy a cheap terracotta pot and paint / decorate it. If the children are old enough they can help. Plant with a herb.

Traditions

• Make your child’s favourite painting into Christmas cards (you can either have this done professionally or scan it in yourself, and then print out 4 to an A4 page then stick onto card. Keep one each year in a folder and you will be able to look back on them in the future.
• Each year buy a special decoration for each child. Once they are over toddler age they can choose the decoration themselves. When they grow up and leave home they can take the decorations, and their memories, with them. If you have more than one child, each year store each child’s decorations in a resealable bag or box so you don’t get them mixed up.
• Print off a photo of each child, glue onto cardboard and cut into a pretty shape. Cut a hole in the top and put the year and the child’s name on it and hang in the tree. Photo – take a photo of each family member in front of the tree, or any place that you can try and use every year. A great way to see how the kids grow.

Recipes

• Home-made Icecream – This incredibly easy recipes is also incredibly yummy! Whip 250ml bottle of cream, add one tin of lite condensed milk and 2 crushed Crunchies. Freeze for at least 12 hours – 24 is better.
• Truffles – 2 packests of biscuits (your choice – try mint biscuits, TimTams, Oreo cookies, Toffee Pops, or just plain). Crush, mix in a 250gm tub of cream cheese, roll into balls and pop in to the freezer for 15 minutes, Melt chocolate melts and cover each ball in chocolate. Leave to set.
• Choc Chip Log – take a packet of chocolate chippie biscuits and dunk each biscuit in something like kahlua, sherry, baileys, lemonade or raspberry fizzy  and then join them together with cream in a long log. Sprinkle with crushed Flake or chocolate chips.