The Importance of Creating Memories at Christmas

How are you going with Christmas festivities and planning,all organised? Just ONE sleep to go!
So exciting for most of us and especially our children. I know Maxwell is literally BURSTING! With so much attention on gift giving at this time of year, I thought it would be lovely to share the true heart of Christmas, the traditions, the creating memories at Christmas, and the experiences you have with your loved ones. That is the real beauty of Christmas.
It has been a mixed year for most of us, with tragic and terrible events in the world and personal difficulties. I know I have had my fair share of personal troubles. But at the same time there has been so much wonderful, far too much to even summarise.
Our community – you out there reading this – are the reason I get up every day with a spring in my step, the reason I spend so much time thinking about and creating content for you to create a happy healthy home and life. We have some great things planned in 2016 that I am very excited about and think you will enjoy too.

I asked over on our wonderful Facebook community, what some of your favourite Christmas traditions were. Here is what some of you said.
Tahn – My sister and I take our girls to a five star hotel, in our own city – no travel, no housework, no computers, no crowds and good rates (Brissy is not a Chrissy destination!) – heaven!
Reta – Our Christmas tree decorations have all been made by my children. Some as early as kindy & my youngest is now 18. Also the eldest has always put the same star on (even though he no longer lives at home, it won’t go on until he does it).
Alyson – Pj’s and a glass of Baileys while cooking the turkey Christmas Eve, the smell and warmth filling our home.
Debbie – A live tree with decorations passed on, handmade or collected over the years. We always have a letter decoration on the tree for all family members.
Bec  – I saw a beautiful pile of 25 books wrapped in Christmas paper to unwrap each night as an advent Calender that I will do this year. Just using books you already have but it will be a surprise to the little ones because they can’t see inside.
Jules – by 1st of December tree decorating day for the family.
Liz – Make Christmas shaped cookies as gifts. An activity where you can involve your little ones. Make Christmas wrapping and gift tags as a craft with your kids. And most importantly – tell the story of Christmas to them again and again….choose about 5 of your favourite Christmas picture storybooks and read them to your kids leading up to Christmas for about a month to get them excited and enthused about how special this time of year is.
Cheryl -My best friend and I have kept this tradition since just after college. We exchange gifts, but we can only spend $20 and it has to be homemade. It’s a lot of fun, and she has given me some truly lovely, thoughtful gifts over the years.
Sue – Gift tag making with the kids from last years cards x
Eclectic Wolf  – A lovely live tree is our tradition, grown in a pot with love every year.
What a lovely mix of traditions. Our traditions are a big extended family Christmas party the week before, putting out food and drinks for Father Christmas and the Reindeer, followed by the carols late on Christmas Eve, waiting up for the kids to go to sleep and sneaking all the gifts down under the tree. Waking up the next morning and eating chocolate for breakfast from their stockings, followed by my sister and her family, my oldest son and his partner, and my parents joining us for morning tea and my parents stay for a big lovely lunch. Then we have left over turkey and ham for days, and for Mr Recycled Interiors – the Boxing Day Test Match! This year we are also headed to our family beach shack on the 27th for a lazy week of seaside bliss to see in the New Year.
What will you be doing?
Merry Christmas from all of us here at Recycled Interiors. It has been an amazing year and we are overwhelmed with how our community and the blog is growing. We look forward to sharing more healthy planet, healthy people, healthy home with you in 2016. Big love.
xx
Helen