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Christmas traditions and a Santas Magical Kingdom giveaway

SantasKingdom-4-copyI know it has barely ticked over to November, but I am feeling that Christmas is well and truly jingling its stress  craziness  magic into our little worlds. There are some things I really love about Christmas. There are some things that I curse every year but find that very little changes.I shake my head at the amount of money spent. I wonder each Boxing Day about all that effort. All that wrapping paper. All that food. For one day! But I love the time with family. I love the festivity and the parties. I love Christmas carols and Christmas pudding. I love presents. I love the smell of a real Christmas tree. I love the looks on the kids faces when they get “just what they always wanted”. I love the memories from childhood that Christmas brings to me. The traditions that made it the most exciting time of the year.

One of those traditions for us was Christmas caroling in our street every Christmas Eve. All the kids would gather together, walk from house to house, belting out 3 of the households favourite carols and then finish off with a party before being tucked up in time for Santa to do his thing.

I often think about the traditions my kids will have and their memories of Christmas. Last year we went along to Santas Magical Kingdom in Melbourne and I’m thinking this could be one of those traditions, so we are heading off their again this year.

It was such a great way to get in to the spirit and there was plenty to see and do for the big kids and the little ones. The bigger boys loved the big slide and had many many turns and races with each other. They also loved the circus, particularly the motorbike riders spinning crazily around in a metal dome. There were rides for all ages, there was Santa and Mrs Claus, there was snow, there was Christmas trees, carols playing, and lots and lots of lights and beautiful decorations. Here are a few snapshots from our night there last year.

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This year I have a family pass to give away for November 30th starting 10am. So if you are in Melbourne and would love to make this part of your Christmas celebration, leave a comment telling me one of your favourite Christmas memories. And don’t forget to head over to Facebook and like my page and check out the Santa’s Magical Kingdom page too.

Competition closes 18th November 2013, 5pm aest.

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This Post Has 28 Comments

  1. Hello, I cant do the comp but wanted to report I have just bought my first Xmas pressie… online from the Uk and to be delivered to my sisters house as that’s where the kids and I will be. I seem to have stuffed up my UK debit card in the process and can’t log on to my account there. First Xmas disaster!!!

    The year is about to run away with itself… I’ve got a comp up today for a voucher for a fair trade artisan website, great way to but good pressies!

    1. Martine

      Well I was about to say well done for being so organised..but sorry about the credit card disaster….that could be tricky! Will head over to look at your comp too x

  2. Emily

    Christmas just keeps getting bigger and bigger! I loved seeing my entire family every Christmas. We’d wake at home, have immediate family time, then get in the car for the LOOOONG trip to my dad’s mum’s house, have Christmas lunch with Nan and all the aunts, uncles and cousins, then get back in the car for the not quite so long trip across to mum’s parents’ house, have Christmas dinner with Nana and Pa and all the aunts, uncles and cousins, then get back in the car for the LOOOONG trip home.

    You’d think we’d have gotten sick of the car, but we always had lots of new toys to play with, and inevitably fell asleep on that last leg anyway.

    Thanks for hosting the competition!

    1. Martine

      There is often a bit of driving on Christmas day, but yes it is usually worth it!Great memories x

  3. Suzi

    So many things that are fun to do with the kids, aside from the fun of decorations the tree, the annual trek into to city to queue for hours for Myer windows, and then to see Santa. My fav tradition would be the kids helping making and decorating the gingerbread house, with carols on in background and tree all lit up 🙂

    1. Martine

      i have only attempted a gingerbread house once but with limited success. Love some carols whilst decorating the tree x

  4. Clare Goodchild

    I love Christmas, especially now we have two beautiful daughters to share it with. Their excitement really is infectious! The best bit about Christmas Day is sharing it with the family and just having lots of fun. The kids opening their presents is always a wonderful sight, with wrapping paper strewn around the lounge! My favorite memories of Christmas in the past include stuffing out faces with a traditional turkey lunch, followed by a walk around the houses in the snow…then seeing all the oldies fall asleep in their chairs!

    1. Martine

      It really does bring back some of the magic when you have kids. And whilst I love a summer Christmas there is something special about a white christmas. Wonder if I’ll ever experience one!

  5. Michelle V

    One of my favourite Christmas memories is actually a tradition I started a few years back.
    I wanted to show my three young children that Christmas isn’t just about receiving, but about giving too.
    So I decided that I’d get my girls to each choose an item out of the World Vision Smiles catalogue (a chicken, a mosquito net, some school supplies, etc), then we ‘buy’ the item and that money goes to underprivileged communities. In return, the girls each receive a Christmas card which they proudly display in the bedrooms.
    This year will be our fifth year of the tradition, and the girls can’t wait!
    Many thanks for the opportunity to win; our fingers are crossed!! 🙂

    1. Martine

      What a great tradition. It is so important to teach kids that not everyone is as privileged as they are.

  6. One of favourite traditions is decorating the tree with with the kids, Christmas carols blaring and me trying to subtlely direct the placement of decorations to create an aesthetically pleasing result. We often invite the Grandparents to share in this pleasure. We also love to go to Walk To Bethlehem, and I cry every time I see baby Jesus, even though I know that’s the ending!

    1. Martine

      great traditions. Don’t worry I sometimes cry just watching the carols on the TV. Christmas can also be a very emotional time for people for all sorts of reasons.

  7. Nicole

    My favourite memory would be on Christmas eve making homemade chocolate chip cookies with Mum and my sister to leave out on the plate for Santa to taste, and then waking up the next morning to see nothing but crumbs on the plate. Ahh the magic of Christmas is there anything else like it!

    1. Martine

      There is nothing like it I remember my friends mum putting out cotton balls so she thought some of Santas beard had been left behind.

  8. Lorna

    The excitement that December would bring as a child, I remember when 1 December would roll around every year the Christmas Tree would come out of storage, and my sister and I would clamber to put up all of our favourite decorations, and try to remember who put the star on last year. I can’t wait to start building my sons memories of this time now that he is 13 months and starting to get into things a little more!

    1. Martine

      How gorgeous, so much excitement to come for you and your little boy.

  9. Ricky

    my first Christmas with my in laws, they do a massive traditional lunch with all the trimmings, very different from our quiet unimportant Christmas’ that I was previously used to.

    1. Martine

      Well I hope you enjoy all the trimmings!

  10. Rebecca Andrew

    A favourite Christmas memory of mine, is my sons 1st Christmas which was 11 years ago!
    You truly don’t know how much fun Christmas can be until you have kids to create magic for.

    1. Martine

      Absolutely there is something special about your first christmas with kids.

  11. Darren Lester

    every Christmas with my kids is special

  12. Kim Featherstone

    My first Christmas this year in my own house.. I don’t have to travel, which will be fantastic for the kids, cause they can stay and play with all their new toys..! Can’t wait to make our own special memories..

  13. Di

    My eleventh Christmas, my uncle being fidgety but overly happy during Christmas lunch. Then after we’d eaten and opened our presents we knew why, he dropped to bended knee and proposed to his long time girlfriend, my now aunt. It was so romantic, and really set the bar for what I expected in years to come!!

  14. Fran

    My favourite memory about Christmas is how my brother would come into my room in the early hours of the morning and start unwrapping all my presents. I would wake up to wrapping paper, and presents all over my bed, and my brother having a merry time.

  15. Kirsten

    I love Xmas, it might all get a bit crazy and stressful in the lead up but Xmas Eve is all about watching the Carols on TV, preparing the food and wrapping presses. Now with 3 little ones it becomes even more fun, watching their faces as they unwrap their presents and this year is going to be watching my 4 year old get very excited as he is understanding about Santa, and already talking about Christmas. What also makes this year super special is that I will have my sister and her 2 children and a very special Aunty here on Xmas day and that makes the day for me!

    As kids we used to have a pillow case at the end of the bed (no fancy sacks!!) and we would wake up to it with little gifts inside, utter joy!

  16. Andrea

    When I was a kid we always went out in the woods as a family to get the tree a week before Christmas. As this was in Russia, there was always snow on the ground. My father would cut down the tree and bring it home and make a stand for it. We would then decorate the tree. Instead of only ornaments we used to hang lollies and chocolates on it as well. It was tons of fun…

  17. Sasha

    My favorite Christmas memory is on Christmas Eve my mother would cook Christmas dinner and our next door neighbors would come over; then we’d go into the living room and open gifts then on Christmas morning after my parents and I were awake, we’d go into the living room and I’d pass out the gifts that were under the tree and we’d take turns saying who it was from and then opening a gift and showing it to the others. Sweet!

  18. Tanya Clarke

    My favourite Christmas memories were going to my nana’s house when she was alive and having the big Christmas dinner with the family. She’d have a place set up for everyone at the table and the Christmas tree and lots and lots of spoils.

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