Christmas is a magical time, but when you have kids, it becomes even more special. I remember the excitement of celebrating our daughter’s first Christmas like it was yesterday. We spent the holidays in Slovakia with all the family around and it really was special. Dressing her in a cute Christmas outfit, taking those beautiful photos next to Christmas tree, while she happily posed, it was such a joyous time.
And here we are one year on, celebrating our baby’s second Christmas. What can we expect this year? Without a doubt, this Christmas is going to be a lot different than the previous year. She is a lot more active. I’m pretty sure, she won’t have the patience to sit still this time around while we take the perfect photo next to the Christmas tree.
There are certainly some good but also not so good points about baby’s second Christmas. Find out more below.
She is too young to get it
While I’m looking forward to all the festivities, the excitement this year is still rather on parents’ side. Little E is too young to know what all the fuss is about. Too young to understand the true meaning of the celebration.
Don’t get me wrong. At 18 months, she can understand quite a lot. Oh, yes, my once little helpless baby is now a very opinionated toddler. She has her own mind and little personality that is starting to show more and more. She can be the best-behaved and loveable child one second, willing to share zillions of hugs and kisses, but she can also turn into a little monster, lashing out at everyone in her sight the very next second. Yes, tantrums are not uncommon when she doesn’t get her way.
But then, I remember she is still only a year and a half, still my little baby. So even though, she can understand a lot more than a year ago, she doesn’t quite understand the concept of Christmas just yet. Yes, she loves the Christmas lights and decorated Christmas trees but that’s about it.
There is no anticipation you might expect when your kids are older. I’m sure our Christmas will be magical, but for her, it will probably be the same as any other day. Only this time, there will be lots of wrapping paper around, and annoying parents trying to take millions of silly pictures of a cute toddler with a Santa hat or a reindeer headband on.
Creating some excitement
Even though she is too young to get it, there are still ways to make the Christmas an exciting time for your little one, and parents, for that matter. Let her ‘help’ you decorate a Christmas tree. Or maybe make a handcrafted tree ornament ‘together’. How about visiting Santa grotto?
Surely she will love meeting Santa. Or not. She may seem eager and watch happily from a distance but as soon as you put her on Santa’s lap, here comes the crying and wriggling, as she tries to find an escape route. But hey, you need that picture of your little one’s less than impressed face when she met Santa for the very first time. Ok, it might be the second time, but I bet she won’t remember last year’s encounter all that much.
Now, on a more serious note. It’s never too early to start creating new family traditions, starting with your baby’s very first Christmas. It’s still work in progress for us, but we already have a couple of traditions that we like to follow each year with our daughter. A photo with Santa, a tree ornament or a personalised photo calendar for grandparents.
Even though Little E doesn’t appreciate what Christmas is all about yet, there are many seasonal and festive activities that we can still participate in throughout Christmas period and winter in general to make this time of the year extra special. She may not know the meaning of Christmas, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a wonderful occasion.
Remember, safety comes first
If you think keeping the home environment safe for your toddler is a challenge, try adding some extra fancy and glittery stuff that will surely catch her attention. Safety during Christmas becomes even more important than usual. You need an extra set of eyes to keep her away from any potential hazards.
Being excited about our second Christmas together, I wanted to decorate our Christmas tree at the beginning of December, but that didn’t happen in the end. That would just be too many days for her trying to resist the temptation of grabbing and pulling the baubles and touching the shiny and sparkly Christmas tree. And potential accidents. So this year, we put the Christmas tree up a bit later.
We also wanted to buy a new big Christmas tree this year. But we decided to postpone buying it for later, hopefully, next year. This year, it’s going to be our small Christmas tree we’ve had for several years now. It stays on top of a small coffee table right behind our sofa, so it’s not in easy access for our curious toddler. Although, I’m not kidding myself. I know she will get to it in no time, if she sets her mind to it.
There are so many things you need to think about when decorating your home for Christmas. You don’t want anything breakable within your toddler’s reach. All this shine and sparkle is just too much of a temptation for them, so we’ll try to limit it as much as we can. Here are some brilliant tips for a toddler-friendly Christmas.
And here’s the good part, toddlers at this age are not picky about their presents
There you have it; the best bit about celebrating your baby’s second Christmas. You don’t need to worry that she will frown upon or be disappointed with the presents she receives. She’ll probably be happy with the wrapping paper itself and anything that’s inside will be a bonus.
I’m sure there will be many Christmases in the future where I will receive a long wish list from Little E, so I will just enjoy this year without any ridiculous demands and having to buy any expensive presents. If you need some last minute inspiration for your toddler’s presents, check out my perfect guide to Christmas gifts for 18-month-old. You may find a thing or two for your little darling.
How was your child’s second Christmas? I’d love to know the good and the bad.
Zuzana
