All I Want for Christmas Is...

I love Christmas. We are a few days into December already and Christmas decorations are showing in shops and window displays. So what is a better time than now to introduce some Christmas vocabulary to your child?

This blog post comes a little later than usual because it took me a longer time to prepare the Christmas theme this year. My eldest is almost 4 this year so there comes the question - do I want to help my child believe in Santa? As a Dutch kid living in the Netherlands, she already believes in Sinterklaas (it's non negotiable really). In a nutshell, for three weeks long, Dutch kids lay out their shoes (along with a carrot) and sing a song or two before bedtime in a hope that a small gift will be left in their shoe in the morning. Then on pakjesavond (present evening), Sinterklaas drops off a sack of presents before heading back to Spain. So I wonder if there's a little too much excitement to introduce her to Santa Claus too. And let's be honest, it's a lot of work for the parent (aka me) to keep two jolly old fellows' spirit alive for about six weeks long.

I had been debating in my head what to do with the subject of Santa Claus for a few weeks. But the answer was so clear when my daughter pointed at a Christmas book and asked me who the old man in the red suit is. Without second thoughts, I caught myself telling her about the reindeers, the good/bad list...so there you go, we are putting out millk and cookies this Christmas Eve. There's no Christmas like one when a child believes in Santa, right?

Anyways, let's go back to the subject of Christmas vocabulary. I have created this A3 poster that includes some popular Christmas related vocabulary. As usual, have it laminated and go through those new words with your child over and over again. If you have those decorations at your home, send your child on a treasure hunt to find all those items while you're going through the words.

The easiest way to get a child into the spirit of Christmas is through their hands and stomach. So get them to help decorate the Christmas tree, to do some Christmas crafts, to make some Christmas cookies and to eat some yummy Christmas treats. For inspirations on Christmas activities and treats, feel free to check out my "Event: Christmas 聖誕" Pinterest board.