What Christmas means to our Family

Our family is non-Christian but we celebrate Christmas. It all began when my mother observes the Yuletide season by assuming the role of a Santarina, giving out presents and watching the faces of little children light up as they receive their ribboned boxes. I remember how my Christmas tree is always taller than I am. My parents will buy a tree (artificial) slightly taller than I am and promised a bigger tree each time I ate more and grew in height. Opening presents were such joy! I remember my mother's strict rules about opening presents only on Christmas Day itself. That anticipation killed me! However, without that suspense, my experience of ripping off wrappers to my presents would have been less magical. Oh how I squealed with every spot-on present that I wished for all year long. How I treasure every new Barbie doll that added to my drawer of Barbie collection but funny, I never believed in Santa.

I was positively influenced by my mother and took on her role of gift-giving today. With the rapid changes of an era and easy access to the Internet, we can now own live Christmas trees (shipped from Germany mind you), shopping of presents can be settled with just a click of a mouse and which Asian knew about the history of an Advent Calendar? I didn't, until I googled.

An Advent Calendar counts down to Christmas Day, to celebrate the days in anticipation of the 25th of December. The history of this tradition came about like this:

In the late 19th century,  the mother of a child named Gerhard Lang made her son an Advent Calendar comprised of 24 tiny sweets stuck onto cardboard. Lang never forgot the excitement he felt when he was given his Advent calendar at the beginning of each December and how it reminded him every day that the greatest celebration of the whole year was approaching ever nearer. 

Christians believe that the true meaning of the Advent Calendar is to prepare us for the celebration of the advent of the Christ-child. There may be heads shaking right now as they read my version of What Christmas means to our Family and felt that I've taken the purpose of the Advent too lightly. I've created an Advent tradition at home for the children just to heighten their sense of expectation towards Christmas Day where Ewan can finally get his hands on his Hot Wheels and Faye, on that adorable baby doll. It is that simple to me and I hope my opinion of a Christmas can be respected as much as I respect my fellow Christian friends'. Looking at the build up of presents under our tree, the son had been asking me every other day if Christmas has arrived! The Advent Calendar served well its purpose of educating him when the 25th will finally come. This one, I didn't experience as a child. It is a lot more work than just buying gifts in a shopping mall. Well of course if we only placed a sweet or chocolate in each pocket, it wouldn't be such a difficult task to undertake.

I bought this Snowman Advent Calendar from Pottery Barn Kids and had it shipped over from the states. Coming up with 25 small (or sometimes rather big) activities or treats can be quite a pain in the butt. I scanned through last year's list and made sure I hadn't repeated them. Well, some repetition with a twist is acceptable still. So what have we got this year for the children?

My 2015 Advent Calendar List
1 Decorate the Tree 2 Set up the Train under the Tree 3 Bring Home a Dancing Tree 4 Make a Christmas Terrarium 5 Create a Christmas Wreath 6 Make a Gingerbread House 7 Meet Dear Santa 8 Make a Christmas Portrait for the Art Wall 9 Visit Universal Studio Singapore 10 Decorate Window with Snow Spray 11 Meet Sesame Street Characters 12 First Christmas Party 13 Watch The Good Dinosaur 14 Go for a Swim! 15 Drink a cuppa Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows and Candy Cane 16 Christmas with Old Folks 17 Ice-Cream Treat 18 Cycling at the Park 19 Wushu 20 Make a Snow Globe 21 Melt Chocolate into Gingerbread Man Moulds 22 Bowling 23 Bake Christmas Cookies 24 Make a Fruit Christmas Platter 25 Cable Car

1 Decorate the Tree || We bought a 6 feet Noble Fir tree from Cold Storage and it arrived on the first day of December. Who would have known? Cold Storage brings in live Christmas trees? I have a girlfriend who buys live trees for a few years now and she had tried Ikea's, Far East Flora's and Cold Storage's. Her verdict was, "Ikea's trees are too sparse. Far East Flora's trees have bugs. Cold Storage trees are full and tight." After my first live tree purchase from Cold Storage, I became their loyal customer. This year's tree costs $99 with an additional $60 delivery charge. We kept the tree stand from the previous year and reused it for this tree. Otherwise, a stand costs $39.99 and can hold up a tree up to 8 feet tall. As soon as the delivery guys left, we got down to decorating the tree and gave daddy a pleasant surprise when he came home!

2 Set up the Train under the Tree || We have many train sets at home but none like this steam train. We've deliberately kept it away until Christmas because it is more of an adult toy. With rough and clumsy hands, this train will lose a wheel or break a carriage connector. Ewan and Faye are still too young to handle this handsome fellow without adult supervision. Squirt in some oil in the chimney and you'll see steam coming out as it choo choo away on the track! The whole family had a great time watching it chug away into imaginary tunnels. Unfortunately, there are too little tracks to go around the tree. We had to make do with it being next to the it instead, going around my clock and hounds.

3 Bring Home a Dancing Tree || Oh I am so giving this dancing Christmas tree the Dance Award of the Year! It sings well, spins well and shakes even better! We all had a good laugh watching it twist and turn to Jingle Bell Rock. The only problem is that it sheds "needles" while shaking its tail feathers! *hahha* Hilarious but it's nothing a quick vacuum cannot handle. We sat and watched for a long while. Then decided that sitting was too boring. How about dance the afternoon away together? This dancing tree is redeemable from Marina Square as part of its Christmas Spending Rewards. Spend $200 and above with three combined receipts to bring home this hoofer, while stocks last! Ends 3rd January 2016.

4 Make a Christmas Terrarium || I got inspired from an Instagram feed I saw one day and decided to make my own Christmas terrarium with the children. One that is only decorative without soil or real plants. I am super proud of the end product and placed it as a centrepiece for the dining room. Oh it kept the children interested only for five minutes, dropping acorns and gold stars into the jar. I would say, this is more of a craft activity for the mommy! Read more about how this terrarium costs us only $15.50 here.

5 Create a Christmas Wreath || We went down to Poppy Flora Studio with two other mommy bloggers to hand-make our own Christmas wreath for the front door. I was looking forward to this because the workshop welcomes children! I was excited to see what Ewan can come up with and a wreath he did! A blue shiny wreath that he named, "Captain America". We've got more pictures of our wreaths here with a story to tell. There is a second Christmas wreath making workshop coming up this Saturday, 19th of December 2015 at 1600 hours and there are still slots available! Sign up with poppy@poppy.com.sg.

6 Make a Gingerbread House || Oh I am, we are, totally familiar with the Gingerbread Man and can recite every page of the story by heart. We read it almost every night and even came up with our own jingle to "Run Run As Fast As You Can, You Can't Catch Me, I'm The Gingerbread Man!" However, I had no idea that there is a Christmas tradition to make Gingerbread Houses until recently! It is a kid-friendly project which involves the parents (my kind of activity) and one that can fill the tummy with sweet delight at the end of the day. Read more here on the Gingerbread House Making Workshop at Shangri-la Hotel. They've got four more sessions of workshop before they close for Christmas this weekend - 19th and 20th December 2015!

7 Meet Dear Santa || Ho Ho Ho! We were privileged to meet a singing Santa Clause and his casts who gave us a preview of the Dear Santa musical that was going to be staged at SOTA. They've got beautiful voices and the children had a magical moment as they watched Santa dance right before their eyes. Is Santa Claus real? I haven't been asked this question yet! Ewan and Faye were just contented to be entertained by Santa. I was told that I've got to be a good girl for Santa to send presents my way when I was a little girl. However, something about being that practical only child me knew that it's all just a gimmick. A publicity device or not, I cannot deny that Santa brings hope and hoy to every child. I haven't quite decided what I'd say to Ewan and Faye - Is Santa real?

8 Make a Christmas Portrait for the Art Wall || We've got a wall in the house filled with the children's latest artworks. I decided to turn add a little festive joy to it by hanging up Ewan's Christmas wreath and adding on a Christmas Portrait to it. Painting isn't my favourite activity simply because I have a lot to clean up after. Then again, the children love messing around with paint. They'd paint every single day if they could! So here we are, making memories with Paints and Crayons. I placed their feet and hands into squishy wet paint and had them make their marks on a drawing paper. We had to let them dry overnight and I filled in the picture by making Reindeers and Christmas trees out of them. Find out more here on how they were done.

9 Visit Universal Studio Singapore || Wow Wow Wee! I love my job as a Stay At Home Mommy Blogger! We got invited to the coolest theme park in town and being a SAHM, I get to choose a weekday to conquer USS with the children. It is the school holidays and although it might get crowded too on a weekday, it isn't going to be as pack as it might be on a weekend. I was determined to arrive at opening so that we can fill in as many rides and shows as we possibly could. We braved the morning on our own, just Ewan, Faye and I. Mommy has to admit, it was really tiring! We skimmed through the whole park on our own until more family members arrived to join us for lunch. Why of course it is a lot more fun playing having the cousins around to play with! From now till 3rd January 2016, the theme park is opened from 1000 to 2100 hours and you've got to read about the 13 Things You Shouldn't Miss at USS Santa's All-Star Christmas!

10 Decorate Window with Snow Spray || Why not? It can turn an empty window into a beautiful backdrop for photo-taking at parties! Oh the length I had to take to get me those cans of snow spray and stencils. It was almost torturous! I went to Giant, Cold Storage, Daiso, Tangs, Toys R Us and Provision Shops. Yet none carried them or even if they did, they were all sold out. To a point, I just tried my luck walking into every unlikely store just to enquire. Now if you are looking for the same thing, I am eager to tell you, "EVERGREEN BOOKSHOP has them!" A pack of Christmas stencil with seven templates (three small and four large) is available at S$4.95 and each can of Snow Spray was priced at S$2. I didn't know how many cans to purchase but was kindly advised from the sales assistant that their customers kept coming back for more cans *hahah* So I took six off the shelf and kid you not, six cans could only handle seven small stencils. If you are looking at a big project, buy more to avoid going back to the shops again and probably face a sold-out situation. Ewan and Faye were both fascinated as we work on this activity together. Obviously Ewan needs help and Faye could hardly press on the nozzle. Nevertheless, they had their fair share of fun watching pictures come to live as we remove the stencils from the windows.

11 Meet Sesame Street Characters || We didn't get to meet any of the Sesame Street characters in USS two days ago. They were out on the streets at time slots that we weren't available. Lucky for us, we were going to Plaza Singapura for the Sesame Street show! Even luckier when we got to greet Abby, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Count up on stage. The show was entertaining but we had to watch from level two because even though we were right on time, the area in front of the stage was packed like sardines. We have to remember that mall shows do not work like that - arriving on time that is. You've got to claim your spot half an hour (or maybe an hour) if you want a "Category A" seats *hahah* but really, I'm quite happy to get the "Balcony" if that means I do not have to sit and wait. They will be there only until 20th of December 2015 so don't miss it! Find out more on the show times and requirements to redeem the Meet & Greet passes here.

12 First Christmas Party || We welcomed our first batch of guests for a breakfast Christmas party! It was a cosy get-together with girlfriends and their family. Who would have thought a breakfast feast of You Tiao, Fried Carrot Cake and Prata could satisfy our guests (and ourselves) this much. We used to hold the American kind of Christmas dinners with menus, table settings, turkeys and honey-baked ham. Big hearty meals with alcohol to last the nights. After the children came along, parties centre around quick meals and fun play! The children had a blast playing together and Christmas gift exchanges rounded up the morning's celebrations.

13 Watch The Good Dinosaur || I've held back taking Ewan to the cinemas for a very long time. I didn't think he was ready before three years of age. In any case, what pleasure does it bring to a little boy who can hardly grasp the moral of any story told in a movie. I contemplated about putting this into our Advent Calendar but gave in after thinking how much he'd enjoyed his Inside Out movie excursion with the school a few months back. Also, I took this opportunity to spend some special quality time out with him without having Faye around. There is great importance in spending quality time with our children individually. It not only strengthens our bond, it cuts back on attention-getting behaviours as well. Since his little sister's birth, he hadn't spent alone time with only us. She's always around and this outing will be our first of many daddy-Ewan-mommy date. I promise. So how did Ewan enjoy his movie? I still think he isn't quite ready for a movie yet. He said he had fun but he was pleading with "I want to go home." when the storm came and washed daddy Apatosarus away and again when the thunder sounded fiercely. Oh but he had great fun munching on a bottomless pit of a Popcorn box!

14 Go for a Swim || I think it must have been six months since we last hit the pool! Ewan had been sickly since the month of May which last through till August. Then the haze came and polluted our air. With the rainy season in place, we hardly have any opportunity to go for a swim. I've optimistically put this swim session on the Advent and hoped for the best. It has been raining every single day in the late afternoon and it looked like it was going to rain again. Thankfully, the skies held up and we went for an amazing water play session at the pool with our neighbours!

15 Drink a cuppa Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows and Candy Cane || Chocolate! Marshmallows! Candy Canes! Today is definitely a big treat for the kids. I do not even indulge them with snacks on a regular day so you can imagine how elated they were, jumping up and down like kangaroos when I presented them a big mug of hot cocoa to share. At the end of this sitting, I had a teary boy. He wanted more marshmallows but don't you think six giant sized ones are more than enough for a before-nap snack?

16 Christmas with Old Folks || This is Ewan's third year visiting the Kreta Ayer Seniors Activity Center over Christmas. I first brought him when he was six months old and his presence lit up the faces of many old folks. They say children are natural catalysts to bringing joy in any parties and I guess there's truth to that looking at how happy the folks were! Some seniors were eager to speak to Ewan and some offered to carry Faye on their laps. With every year, I'll tell Ewan the same thing, "We are going to celebrate Christmas with some old grandma and grandpa. They will be very happy to see Faye and you because they love children. They miss their own children too so let us make them happy by talking to them and giving them presents ok? Oh do you remember that old uncle that always open sweets for you? He will be there!" Ewan remembers. I do not know what other way to preach about kindness other than showing him what kindness meant by way of volunteering. Faye went as a baby Santa last year and everyone remembered her fondly. She was great with then, allowing everyone to carry her. This year though, being older and more wary, she chose her senior. She cringed and bowed her head when some old folks touched her. *hhaha* My little mimosa.

17 Ice-Cream Treat || It isn't everyday that the kids get ice-cream so when they do, it is really something! We went for a simple 50c ice-cream at Ikea because really, they wouldn't know how to appreciate an eight-dollar soft-serve from Sunday Folks. Ewan insisted on holding onto the cone and shared the ice-cream with Faye and I with every two big licks. I am totally amused when he went, "Ok Ok. Enough. Don't finish all! Ahhhh Mommy! You took such a big bite!" It is probably the best activity on the advent calendar for these two.

18 Cycling at the Park || Which child doesn't love an outing to a park? This is going to make them both very happy. West Coast Park was the perfect place to fulfil this activity on the advent calendar since it is near to home. Ewan's really good with his bicycle now and doesn't need help to cycle off. So we added a bell to his bicycle that day for him to warn pedestrian off his tracks as he wanders off from sight. Faye was contended with drinking Iced Milo and dumped her kick-scooter as soon as I said, "Ok you can drink!"

19 Wushu || This Wushu trial was organised for Ewan to give Kung Fu a shot. Most importantly, I'd like him to take home discipline, self-esteem, courtesy, respect and concentration. He is very much into weapons now, as boys are. He would go, "If you are naughty, I will biang-biang you ah!" or "Come! Let's Fight!". Either which, we didn't like it. We thought it is important for him to know the importance of escaping or avoiding dangerous situation more than fighting to hurt others. It will also benefit him with strength, flexibility, body awareness, coordination and balance. By the end of his class, he requested to stay behind to watch the big boys do their thing. Faye was equally intrigued and joined the class from start to finish. She didn't do her 马步 or punches but followed close instructions to do warm-ups. This 19-month old was so attentive, the teacher offered to teach her even though their minimum age is three! I've got to share the video some time soon!

21 Melt Chocolate into Gingerbread Man Moulds || Chocolate and Gingerbread Man - what a combination to make the children super high! It took only thirty minute to get our treat out of the fridge and into ur mouths. I did not have time to purchase cooking chocolate and made do with a bar of chocolate I had in the refrigerator. Popped it into the rice cooker (because I didn't want to burn it over the stove) and borrowed the heat from the stem to melt the chocolate. We poured the melted chocolate into the moulds and placed it in the freezer. Before you know it, we've got a Christmas lemongrass chocolate Gingerbread Man ready to be bitten into! I was surprised that Faye did not want to try her piece of chocolate just because it melted between her index finger and thumb. The slime put her off immediately and she requested that I washed her hands. Ohhh baby girl, you missed out on a good piece of cocoa!

22 Bowling || Ewan enjoys all kinds of sports and since we haven't been bowling for some time now, I thought it'd be nice to spend some time at the alley. Between our last bowl and today, he had grown so much in terms of strength that he could handle a six-pound ball all to himself! We usually help him carry the ball to the foul line where he will give it a hard push to send it rolling down the aisle. This time, Ewan surprised us by playing two consecutive games all by himself. We weren't even required to change into our bowling shoes but sat and cheered for him instead. He was beaming and grinning the whole while. I bet he's looking forward to our next bowl!

23 Bake Christmas Cookies || I am not a kitchen mom. *sigh* I do not enjoy cooking fullstop. So when I put this as an activity on the Advent Calendar, I was really challenging myself to make it happen. It'd be a fun afternoon spent breaking eggs and kneading the dough but I just dread the time needed to make something which will be gone in just one second. I nearly call it off the night before when I do not have any ingredients. Aha! But my sister-in-law had everything and offered to pack (and weigh) them all of me. So all I had to do was Get Down To Baking! No excuses. So, we made it without any mixer because I do not own one. Whisking the butter, sugar and flour by hand is no joke! *haha* I got Faye to help me with the batter preparations and popped it into the fridge for 30 minutes as the recipe suggested. We took a quick drive to Ewan's school to pick him up and came home to punch the Christmas cookie moulds into the dough. I burnt the first batch of cookies because I did not know how to operate the oven *gasps* Thankfully, the second and final batch of butter cookies turned out crumbly and beautiful. There were eight successful cookies at the end of the bake and we ate every single one of them, sharing some with our party guests on Christmas Eve.

24 Make a Fruit Christmas Platter || This was inspired by Sakura Haruka's 20 X'mas Tree Festive Food Ideas. I chose the simplest Christmas Fruit Tree design I could manage with two young ones. Grapes, Raspberries, Blueberries, a Pear for the star and a Stolen biscuit for its trunk. It was a very quick put-together but remember to half your grapes so that they sit nicely without rolling over one another!

25 Cable Car || We haven't gone on a cable car ride for a very long while and how perfect an outing this would be with the grandparents on Christmas Day! We drive past Vivo City all the time and Ewan will always go, "When are we taking the cable car again?" Guilty that we haven't made time for this joyride even though he'd asked for it every single time. The cable cars were decorated beautifully for Christmas and I couldn't stop taking photographs. Merry Christmas everyone! Cheers to a weekend of partying!

So what is Christmas to our family? It is purely about the spirit of giving and making the receiver uncommonly happy.

 This post is part of the "What Christmas Means To Our Family" blog train by A Prayerfull Mum.

Next on the blog sharing what Christmas means to them is Kids R Simple.

Christy has 3 young lovely children and she loves to share her parenting challenges, lessons and new found kids friendly activities and places so that others can find inspiration and ideas too. She focuses greatly on teaching values and thinks that family love is what holds everything and everyone together. Stay tune to what Christy does during Christmas with her family at Kids 'R' Simple!

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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life. 
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