HELP! My toddlers don't "get" Christmas yet

[Abby Normal]

They are just about the age to start "getting" it.  But it won't likely hit until christmas day.  Just enjoy it.  Talk about it, read the stories then do the huge present reveal christmas morning and they'll get excited then.  Then next year they won't leave you alone asking when it is.

[Shooby]

Why do you need help? Just enjoy the fact that they DON'T get it yet!

[Tennesseer]

Putting up a Christmas tree with lots of lights and glitter will get the kids interested in what is going on around them and why.  Maybe ask them what type of cookies and drink they should put out by the Christmas tree and explain who they are for and why Santa just may be hungry for a snack.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 3, 2014 17:14:39 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

They are just about the age to start "getting" it.  But it won't likely hit until christmas day.  Just enjoy it.  Talk about it, read the stories then do the huge present reveal christmas morning and they'll get excited then.  Then next year they won't leave you alone asking when it is.

And next Christmas season, make sure the TV is off during Saturday morning kids shows. All those toy commercials.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Once the tree is up and lit, and twinkling away with ornaments and pretty packages underneath, and you read a few stories (Like Night Before Christmas, etc), they'll probably start to get into it and their excitement will build.

They're still pretty small. Don't rush them too much - once they DO start to understand, that's when the long list of what they want Santa to bring them will start.

[Pants]

I would take it easy. The most annoying thing at our Christmases is my SIL's INSISTENCE on her kids being so into the whole thing. They have to unwrap every present (despite losing interest quick) and there's forced ooh-ing and ahhh-ing and I just want to smack her. The kids have plenty of time to get into Christmas, just relax!

[Angel!]

My coworker is trying to get his 13 month old psyched about Christmas

At 2.5 they may not really get it this year, at least until Christmas morning.  They may then ask you if they can have Christmas again the next day.  But even if they don't really get it, next year they will.

[Abby Normal]

Dec 3, 2014 17:19:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Putting up a Christmas tree with lots of lights and glitter will get the kids interested in what is going on around them and why.  Maybe ask them what type of cookies and drink they should put out by the Christmas tree and explain who they are for and why Santa just may be hungry for a snack.

Oh that brings back a memory. We had made a big deal out of letting DS leave out the plate of cookies for santa when DS was 3.  DH and I were up late wrapping and had finished off a bottle of wine.  We had left the empty wine bottle by the cookie plate.  The following year,  DS said " santa likes wine with his cookies not milk" so for years we left out a bottle of wine for Santa.

[taz157]

My DD was 2.25 last year for Christmas, and she kinda got it. Keep in mind, our life was crazy with renovating a house during Christmas as it was. She was not a fan of Santa; however, she's not a fan of strangers anyway. Once the tree was up (which was put up on Christmas Eve), she had a ball decorating it. She LOVED opening the presents on Christmas Day!

She's 3.25 now and definitely gets Christmas! I'm not sure if your DDs' school talks about Christmas, but my DD's does. We haven't decorated yet as we are going on vacation next week for 5 days, but I'm sure she'll be into it once we decorate. She already asked me when we are decorating the outside of our house as several houses in our development, plus around town, are already decorated. I mentioned it to DH, we'll see what happens.

By the way, Disney Jr. does have commercials. They may too young to really understand commercials. My DD was and still somewhat is.

[gooddecisions]

My daughter turned 3 in October. We got a real tree and decorated it Friday, decorated the whole house, put lights outside and red ribbon around all the posts. When I picked her up from pre-school today, I told her a friend from the North Pole was going to come over and stay with us until Christmas. I put the elf on the shelf on the front porch, sneaked around, rang the doorbell and ran back. She answered the door and I said "It's Nelly and he's our guest!" Yeah, like last year, she still doesn't get it. That's okay, though. I'll move the elf around each night and I think she'll start to have fun with it. We'll go caroling, take pictures with Santa, see tacky lights, make Christmas cookies and salt dough ornaments. I know Christmas morning will be fun and this way, I can take it easy on how many gifts I get.

[thyme4change]

Christmas day will be awesome - until then - meh, whatever.  You have lots of Christmases ahead of you - don't feel like you have to force a special feeling.

[Works4me]

I agree with those that say relax and enjoy their low level of interest this year because by next year and for the next several years you are going to wish for less interest Santa and less Christmas obsession - YMMV.

Does anyone else find the Elf on the Shelf just a bit creepy? However, I must admit that I love the pix of the Nasty Elf - lol.

[swamp]

My kids were about 4 when they really "got it". 

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I told her a friend from the North Pole was going to come over and stay with us until Christmas. I put the elf on the shelf on the front porch, sneaked around, rang the doorbell and ran back. She answered the door and I said "It's Nelly and he's our guest!" Yeah, like last year, she still doesn't get it. That's okay, though. I'll move the elf around each night and I think she'll start to have fun with it

.


LOL - have fun with "Elf on the Shelf". I have one, so does my brother and one of my grown nieces.

At Christmastime we always pose our Elf getting into mischief somewhere in our houses - like posing with a liquor bottle, or inside the fridge, posing with a half-eaten cookie, hiding in the tree, etc - and we post/share our pics with each other on F/B and in e-mails.

This year, I've got a Christmas Penguin (Elf is getting old), so I'm going to pose the Penguin getting into trouble instead this year.



.

[taz157]

Dec 3, 2014 20:05:50 GMT -5 Works4me said:

Does anyone else find the Elf on the Shelf just a bit creepy?

Yes, I find it creepy! As far as I'm concerned, we won't have an Elf on the Shelf.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Sherriff Callie's Wild West

Off topic but my daughter watches that show too. Is it just me or does that stupid cardinal deputy remind you of Barney Pheif from The Andy Griffth Show?

Gwen was three when Christmas stuff besides opening presents started to click. This year it's really taken off.

Christmas is my favorite holiday so I get wanting to share but until the kids are older you're doing all this stuff for your own amusement. Don't take it personally or try to force the kids to "get it".

Enjoy the time you have before they figure out that they can ask Santa for stuff. Then you'll wish they'd never heard of Christmas.

[The Captain]

Dec 3, 2014 21:03:22 GMT -5 swamp said:

My kids were about 4 when they really "got it". 

.  And you have NO WAY of predicting what will do it for them.

DH and I decorate three trees every year for Christmas, lights and glitter everywhere.  Bake dozens of cookies and brightly wrap presents.  Did that do it for DD? Noooooooooooo....

It was that stupid animated movie - Frosty the Snowman.  When Santa came to save the day that's when she decided he was a righteous dude.

We had to sing that song to her to put her to bed every night for a.whole.year.

[NancysSummerSip]

Do not rush your kids into "getting" Christmas.
My brothers have teenagers. Talk about "getting" Christmas big time. -faint-Yikes. Everything they want is triple-digit priced.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

It was that stupid animated movie - Frosty the Snowman.

You take that back! Frosty is NOT stupid!

DH would kill me if I had three trees. I collect Christmas ornaments and I also receive them as presents since my birthday is in December. I have to sort thru them every year and decide which ones make it onto the tree because I have too many to fit on just one.

[billisonboard]

Certainly no need to move this "really getting Christmas" thread to the Religious Discussions board.

[gooddecisions]

Dec 3, 2014 19:00:08 GMT -5 alwaysbeoptimizing said:

Good call.

i'm taking Friday off work (have some use it or lose it days that expire dec 31), so i'll get the tree and hopefully decorate it so when they come home from school they'll notice it and we can do the reading/etc.

they don't watch much TV. Football on Sundays and their one show is Sherriff Callie's Wild West, which doesn't seem to have much in the way of commercials (maybe none? Does Disney Jr. have commercials?)

It would probably be more fun for them to help you decorate the tree. If you don't already have some unbreakable bulbs, pick up a set, wrap it and have the elf on the shelf give it to them with a note from Santa.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Gwen has her own tree. She kept undressing the big tree and we were concerned she might knock it down. So MIL gave us a tiny fake tree that we handed off to Gwen.

She gets unbreakable ornaments and she's free to decorate her tree as she pleases.

She still messes with the bigger tree, but I've trained her to take ornaments only from the bottom branches and I deliberately hang unbreakable ones/ones I don't care if I lose there. It's working out pretty well.

She cracked me up a couple of days ago. This year I have taken the time to explain to her why she can't play with certain ornaments.  She comes up to me carrying one of her ornaments and says 'Mommy I am going to put this on your tree, but it is breakable so you have to be very careful, understand?" 

Guess the information is sinking in.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Around 4 for mine.  They're 5 and 6+ now. 

[Green Eyed Lady]

I think I can remember about age 4 when my parents started threatening me with no presents if I didn't behave.  I don't remember much before that, so I'm not sure when I "got it".  Can you threaten them yet? 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Dec 3, 2014 17:26:16 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

Dec 3, 2014 17:19:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Putting up a Christmas tree with lots of lights and glitter will get the kids interested in what is going on around them and why.  Maybe ask them what type of cookies and drink they should put out by the Christmas tree and explain who they are for and why Santa just may be hungry for a snack.

Oh that brings back a memory. We had made a big deal out of letting DS leave out the plate of cookies for santa when DS was 3.  DH and I were up late wrapping and had finished off a bottle of wine.  We had left the empty wine bottle by the cookie plate.  The following year,  DS said " santa likes wine with his cookies not milk" so for years we left out a bottle of wine for Santa.

We always left beer and cookies for Santa when I was growing up.  And sometimes carrots for the reindeer. 

[wyouser]

Just remember they may be more overjoyed with a box or a bow that was on the box than the gifts themselves. They'll figure it out.

[CarolinaKat]

Dec 4, 2014 10:56:43 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Gwen has her own tree. She kept undressing the big tree and we were concerned she might knock it down. So MIL gave us a tiny fake tree that we handed off to Gwen.

She gets unbreakable ornaments and she's free to decorate her tree as she pleases.

She still messes with the bigger tree, but I've trained her to take ornaments only from the bottom branches and I deliberately hang unbreakable ones/ones I don't care if I lose there. It's working out pretty well.

She cracked me up a couple of days ago. This year I have taken the time to explain to her why she can't play with certain ornaments.  She comes up to me carrying one of her ornaments and says 'Mommy I am going to put this on your tree, but it is breakable so you have to be very careful, understand?" 

Guess the information is sinking in.

I had a plush tree as a toddler. Love that thing still. Mom made it from a pattern and sewed jingle bells on it for ornaments. The fabric has patterns with candles and garland and all kinds ornaments. It's about 18 inches tall and 8 inches around. I had an angel i could sit on the top. Sometimes i stuck her on a branch though....

[CarolinaKat]

Dec 4, 2014 11:44:00 GMT -5 wyouser said:

Just remember they may be more overjoyed with a box or a bow that was on the box than the gifts themselves. They'll figure it out.

I spent one Christmas inside my new toy box. I was not interested in other toys or putting anything other than myself in the box.

My 4yo niece ran around wearing her doll box as a skirt last Christmas. Apparently that makes one a mermaid somehow...

[Deleted]

Dec 4, 2014 12:06:43 GMT -5 CarolinaKat said:

Dec 4, 2014 11:44:00 GMT -5 wyouser said:

Just remember they may be more overjoyed with a box or a bow that was on the box than the gifts themselves. They'll figure it out.

I spent one Christmas inside my new toy box. I was not interested in other toys or putting anything other than myself in the box.

My 4yo niece ran around wearing her doll box as a skirt last Christmas. Apparently that makes one a mermaid somehow...

Yeah, at that age they're a lot like cats. Just wrap some empty boxes, or put some previously forbidden old pots and pans in them and spend the money on some good ones for yourself. Win win!
Put the money in a good index fund and save it for when they're 15 and their Christmas list runs into 6 figures. If they are past the age of swallowing everything that doesn't fight back, I can also recommend double sided tape. Keeps them amused for hours. Or so I've heard..

[Tennesseer]

Dec 3, 2014 21:09:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

I told her a friend from the North Pole was going to come over and stay with us until Christmas. I put the elf on the shelf on the front porch, sneaked around, rang the doorbell and ran back. She answered the door and I said "It's Nelly and he's our guest!" Yeah, like last year, she still doesn't get it. That's okay, though. I'll move the elf around each night and I think she'll start to have fun with it

.


LOL - have fun with "Elf on the Shelf". I have one, so does my brother and one of my grown nieces.

At Christmastime we always pose our Elf getting into mischief somewhere in our houses - like posing with a liquor bottle, or inside the fridge, posing with a half-eaten cookie, hiding in the tree, etc - and we post/share our pics with each other on F/B and in e-mails.

This year, I've got a Christmas Penguin (Elf is getting old), so I'm going to pose the Penguin getting into trouble instead this year.