![\"close-up](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/wooden-advent-christmas.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChristmas has not been cancelled, but it will certainly be significantly different this year. We don\u2019t know what restrictions will be in place during the festive period, but it\u2019s safe to say that very few of the traditional Christmas events, such as Santa visits, nativity plays, and Christmas markets, will be going ahead. It\u2019s also likely that traditional visits to grandparents and other family members will be off the table for those who are concerned about potentially passing the virus onto someone vulnerable.<\/p>\n
However, that doesn\u2019t mean that the season has to be all doom and gloom. There are plenty of ways that you can make the festive season extra special this year for your child and your family, despite the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One way that you can make Christmas special is to have an activity advent calendar, where you do a festive themed activity each day in December in the run up to Christmas. We have some ideas for you below, but you can also come up with your own:<\/p>\n
![\"Little](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/little-girl-with-present.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Now more than ever it\u2019s important to look after those in our community who need support. Model kind behaviour to your children by doing something for charity this Christmas. You might do a food bank donation, create a hamper for a shielding neighbour, or donating to a local toy or book appeal.<\/p>\n
![\"Santa](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/santa-checking-his-list.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Sadly, it seems most Santa grottos won\u2019t be operating this year, and those that are operating will be very different, with social distancing and enforced mask usage, which might put some children off the experience. However, a number of organisations have come up with a very 2020 solution, providing video conferencing sessions with Santa.<\/p>\n
Santa can beam live into your living room from Lapland to have a chat with your children. Some include story telling sessions, or the option to receive a gift in advance of the call, and most include the option to provide information in advance to Santa to add to the magical illusion<\/p>\n
![\"house](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/house-decorated-for-christmas.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
If you can afford to spend a little more money this year, then consider setting up your own winter wonderland at home. Twinkly lights give a room a cosy appeal, and you could even give each child their own mini Christmas tree in their bedroom. Outside, string some outdoor lights on your garden fence, hedge, or trees if you have any. Set up a nativity scene in the window, or if you prefer, a mini Christmas village made from painted wooden bird houses.<\/p>\n
![\"Mom](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mom-and-daughter-reading-book-together.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
There are loads of Christmas stories available, including classics such as The Night Before Christmas<\/i>\u00a0 and The Jolly Christmas Postman<\/i>\u00a0 as well as a range of modern tales, such as The Christmasaurus,<\/i> that are ideal for sharing with your child in the run up to Christmas. Perfect for whiling away the hours during those darker evenings.<\/p>\nMake Use of Elf On The Shelf<\/h2>\n
![\"Elf](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/elf-on-the-shelf.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t already joined in with the Elf On The Shelf fun, then why not make 2020 the year that you invite the little trouble maker into your home? It\u2019s certainly one way to make every day in the run up to Christmas a little bit more special for your children. Since you may not be able to visit Santa in person, perhaps the Elf could arrive with a letter from the man himself, reassuring your child that his special magic gives him the ability to visit every home, even during Coronavirus.<\/p>\n
Normally, the Elf gets up to mischief each evening, but if you want to give yourself a little break, remember, this is 2020, the year of the quarantine, so it would make sense if your Elf had to quarantine in a box for a few days after arrival\u2026<\/p>\n
![\"Large](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/christmas-presents.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the season of giving and since this year has been especially tough on those who are clinically vulnerable, you could consider sending a family member or friend who is shielding a care package. It could include items such as their favourite foods, books, craft kits, hand cream (to counteract all the sanitiser, warm socks, etc.<\/p>\n
![\"Table](\"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/christmas-table-dinner.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
You might be used to travelling and having to endure your mother-in-law\u2019s terrible cooking, or you might be the usual Christmas host and have to spend hours creating various side dishes to suit everyone\u2019s tastes. Whatever your normal role is during the Christmas feast, if you are staying at home this year then it\u2019s your opportunity to do it your way. Cook all your favourite foods, even if they aren\u2019t normally included in Christmas dinner.<\/p>\n
In fact, if a traditional roast dinner isn\u2019t even your thing, then let it go all together and cook one of your favourite meals instead. Alternatively, you could do a Christmas day buffet with various party style foods that everyone in your household can simply pick at during the day, leaving you to relax with a glass or two of wine. Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Christmas has not been cancelled, but it will certainly be significantly different this year. We don\u2019t know what restrictions will be in place during the festive period, but it\u2019s safe to say that very few of the traditional Christmas events, such as Santa visits, nativity plays, and Christmas markets, will be going ahead. It\u2019s also likely that traditional visits to grandparents and other family members will be off the table for those who are concerned about potentially passing the virus onto someone vulnerable. However, that doesn\u2019t mean that the season has to be all doom and gloom. There are plenty <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2947"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3232,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions\/3232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}