Starting traditions with my little family was so important to me right from the off and so even though Archie is only be eight months old this Christmas, I wanted to make his very first festive season a special one.
My mam has always made a big deal of Christmas Eve with me. It also happens to be my Granda’s birthday so although I like to keep his birthday separate to Christmas so that he can enjoy both, it’s a wonderful time of the year for spending quality time with family.
I’d always have fresh sheets and new pyjamas ready for santa coming, we’d make a start on the prep for Christmas dinner and sit down once it was all done as a family and watch films. These are the traditions I want to continue with my son. I want him to be as excited as I was as a child and to really feel the magic of Christmas in his own home.
Blanket | I picked up this fleecy blanket back in September or October because I simply can’t resist anything that makes a big deal of the fact it’ll be Archie’s first Christmas. I just LOVE the little Santa motif on it, and it’ll be perfect for tucking my baby up in bed with.
Book | I spent forever searching for this book – and of course as soon as I bought it, it then appeared everywhere. But I was so pleased I managed to pick up a copy AND it came with the cutest little reindeer teddy too. I just love reading with Archie and these touch and feel stories are perfect for him to get involved with.
Plate for Santa | This was one of the items I was most excited about purchasing for Archie’s Christmas Eve box. I know he has no idea of the magic of it all at the moment but I can’t wait for the day he gets excited about leaving a mince pie and milk out for Santa – although Father Christmas may prefer a cheeky beer or glass of wine instead hehe!
Harrods teddy | When I was younger, collecting the Christmas teddies from stores was kind of a thing, so I couldn’t resist this my first Harrods puppy as it has Archie’s birth year on it too. It’s definitely going to become a keepsake teddy that we can bring out each year for him.
Pyjamas | What’s Christmas without some fresh pj’s ready for Santa? I still to this day get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve and therefore I wanted to make sure I do the same for Archie. This year, I bought Chris, Archie and I matching ones (because well there’s not many years I’ll be able to get away with this either hehe).
DVD | Is there anything more festive than sitting down together watching a movie? Peter Rabbit is Archie’s favourite so when I saw this Christmas tale for only £3.99 in Home Bargains I just had to buy it. It’s perfect for his very first Christmas Eve box.
Box | Of course, a Christmas Eve box wouldn’t be complete without a container to put everything in. I wanted something sturdy, something traditional looking and of course something personalised! I had been searching for a long time for the perfect one and to be honest I was soon about to give up until I stumbled across this one from Etsy. I am so pleased with the way it turned out – it’s exactly what I wanted. It could have perhaps been a little bit bigger – only because I end up buying lots more things than I first expect to – but that’s a me problem!
Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?