I started writing this intending to lay out a few good tips for holiday decorating to make your house feel magical around the holidays. While I do have some good tips I could share to make your home look like a magazine and your family feel the magic of the holidays…the reality is that, with kids around, the picture perfect holiday home will maybe last a day. Am I right or am I right??
Seriously, my kids recently made their room go from this…
To this…
…in the amount of time it took me to switch clothes from the washer to the dryer. What can I say? They’re talented!
They love the holidays and enjoy “helping” with the decorating. So, in the spirit of having fun and getting the kids involved, here are a few funny tips from my kids!
1. TREE
Whether you go to the tree farm and cut it down or just bring the fake one down from the attic, kids want to help set it up so they can drag the process out and make it take hours! They also want a sturdy tree that can handle being climbed for a few minutes before mom & dad walk into the room and make them get down! When decorating the tree they do not want to help but you better make sure all the good ornaments are on the bottom half so they can take them down and rearrange (or break them depending on their mood).
2. TRAINS
Do I really need to expand on this? What kid doesn’t like trains? I’m picturing a cute little Christmas train happily riding in circles around the bottom of the Christmas tree. BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH…the trains must cover the entire living room and stay there for days! If you accidentally trip over it and mess it up you are destroying their spirit.
3. FIRE
Kids don’t care how much time you spend on decorating your mantel. Or if the stockings are perfectly hung by the chimney with care. The fire must be going at all times so they can poke at the screen and have you remind them 100 times a day that the fire is hot and they need to stand back.
4. SNOW
If you could just make it snow, it won’t matter what the inside of the house looks like. All the Christmas videos that we watch at home include snow so if they can’t go outside and play in the white stuff then you are not doing your job properly!
5. PRESENTS
Don’t bother wrapping the presents under the tree. That just makes them more curious about what could be in the package. Gradually the wrapping paper will get picked off the corners and go unnoticed until one day you walk in and they’re playing with one of their presents before you wanted to give it to them.
6. DRESS-UP
In addition to decorating the house, kids want to decorate themselves. That could be in form of tinsel all over their hair or winter accessories worn inside. It’s necessary to be in the spirit of the season ALL. THE. TIME. no matter where they are or if it’s appropriate for the situation.
7. CRAFTS THAT CAN BE EATEN
Kids love to help make stuff but they don’t necessarily want it on display. They want to eat it! Afterwards they like to remind you all the time about that one time they made that thing and can they do it again????
In all seriousness, I’m really looking forward to the holidays and decorating my home even if my kids have their own ideas about what things should look like. The chaos is just part of the fun and it’s all about making memories with them while they’re young!
What holiday decorating tips do your kids have to share?