Holiday Traditions - Bordentown, NJ

Hello, my name is N. I am a mother of three beautiful children. One thing that my children and I do together is the christmas tree. I put the garland and the high ornaments on the tree and i let the kids put the non breakable ornaments on, wherever they like. I hope this helped, N.

My kids and I usually watch A Christmas Story on Christmas eve, and I let them open one small gift.That's my special time with them because they leave with thier dad on Christmas day at noon. Christmas morning is always a blur so I like the down time with them on Christmas eve.

Hi! I think it 's so nice and important that you want to create new traditions with your daughter. Here are some of the things that I do with my kids. We always bake something together on Christmas Eve, like cookies, cake or pies and eat some while we watch a Christmas movie, like How The Grinch Stole Christmas or whatever you like. I like to get the kids Christmas themed jammies to wear to bed that night. Read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas before bed. We always open one gift on Christmas Eve. We tell our kids that Santa brings some gifts, but others come from Mama and Daddy. This is fun and it builds up the excitement for the next day. :) Once she is sound asleep, set everything up for the morning. All the gifts, etc. Have your living room looking like a Christmas showroom, complete with the Christmas tree lit and play some Christmas music. Set the table with some holiday treats, like a slice of pie and a a cup of hot chocolate. Of course, not enough to make her sick! These are just some of the things I like to do that my parents did for me and my sisters. Oh, you can also have her string popcorn to decorate the tree. I think they sell large, plastic needles so she won't poke herself. Or, she can string Fruit Loops or Cheeries on yarn and decorate the tree. Have fun whatever you do and I'm sure your daughter will always remember these times. Happy Holidays!

Heather

It's a great idea to start some new traditions but don't forget that normalcy during a time of disruption can go alot farther. To much change for your daughter may make it more difficult. ( I am a child of divorce from early childhod ). Some ideas may be a paper chain, Write things to do, ie read stories, make cookies, decorate, donate a toy to toys for tots, on strips of colorful paper, loop them together to make a chain and open one every day in December unitl Christmas. Baking cookies is a wonderful pastime. Going to see the nutcracker balet is also a wonderful christmas tradition if she is old enough to sit through it. I think that just having special quality time with each of you will be priceless. She is also old enough to maybe come up with some suggestions herself. I wish you all the luck and love you need at this time of year.

Here are some ideas:

making cookies
making a tree ornament or picking out a new ornament
taking gifts to kids who are in the hospital
watching a favorite holiday movie
taking a drive to see holiday light displays
decorating the tree together

Have a wonderful holiday!

Well the first thing we look forward to, is going to cut down a fresh tree. Then we bring it home and decorate it together, while listening to christmas music. We usually start the decorating around Thanksgiving. We like to decorate the front yard with lights. We like to drive around to look at other peoples decorations. On Christmas we always open presents early in the morning while watching A Christmas Story. Then later my mother and I make dinner together. Family all gets together and has a feast. Then we sit around and talk. It's nice.

When my parents where sperated going threw the divorce. My mom and i would go out for a tree the weekened before christmmas. We also whould every year for christmas get one orntemnet. For dinner we would do a buffet stly and have close friends over to celebrate the time. The rest of the holidays where split between my parents. New life with your duaghter see what she would like to do. This is the time to use your imagantion. HAve fun and enjoy making new memories

I am also divorced. What my ex-husband and I do is... he has them the full day of Christmas Eve and he drops them off at bed time- a late bed time. That way they can open presents with Daddy at his house and open presents with Mommy at her house. They are very happy to do it this way beacuse they were yong enough to not get stuck on the whole "Christmas Morning" thing. They are now 9 and 7 and we have done this for well, 7 years. My ex and his wife are very happy woith this tradition as are my husband and I. Hope that helps a bit.

Hi! I'm in the process of a divorce too (been "in the process" for over 2 years now) and we have two young children. It's really kind of stressful to get used to all the changes, but we seem to have developed a groove. Typically we split the holiday. For example, the first year we were separated my ex got to have the kids from about 8pm Christmas Eve and then bring them back the following afternoon. The following year we switched and I got to keep them for Christmas Eve and into the afternoon on Christmas day. For Thanksgiving we also split the day so the kids get to spend time with both our families....I've mentioned this year that I wouldn't be apposed to having the later half of Thanksgiving day in most cases because I'd like to start a Thanksgiving Evening movie-going tradition and I think my ex's family usually likes to have them for the earlier part of the day anyway for their big dinner. Hopefully, you guys will be able to find a good compromise that will be healthy for all of you. From a personal standpoint...I hate being without my kids. period. so I find things to keep me busy until they'll be home again, like one year for Thanksgiving I volunteered serving dinner at a church with a friend. On the Christmas Eves that the kids aren't with me I go with friends to church service. It helps me to still enjoy the parts of the holidays that I might otherwise spend missing my babies! best wishes!

What my mom did with my two younger sisters was on mom would have them on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day they would spend half the day with us and mom's family and the other have the of the day with their dad and his family, and would normally spend the night with him that night. It always seem to work out really well. They were 3 and 6 when we started that tradition. They are not 16 and 19 and have their own things that they do, but it always seemed to work out really well when they were little.

Life all over again being a single mom is tough. New traditions are even tougher. But don't fret, these are the perfect bonding moments that you can enhance for years to come. If you live near colleges, most time they have a free concert or show-a ballet, musical, etc. Make it a point to see one. If you live somewhat near NYC, take a ride out to see the Christmas tree and celebrate by ice skating under the tree. Though it's NY, the prices for skating are reasonable. Also you could take a train ride somewhere.Or if there is a ceramic place where you can pick out an piece and paint it-buy it. It's really neat.
I would advise that you don't start something big-experiment while she is young, what ever seems to bring her joy, try to do again the following year. In these cases, most times-Less is More. Just a small visit to a little place or even just a special breakfast at a certain time may mean a lifetime to them.
Mother of 4.