Dana Gutkowski
Latest posts by Dana Gutkowski (see all)
- How can I be a good aunt? - May 19, 2021
- Aunt Quotes - March 19, 2021
- End Your Silence. Support Black Lives Matter - June 29, 2020
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Ah, Christmastime is finally here! The magical time of the year where families and friends gather together, create memories, share laughs, and follow traditions passed down from previous generations.
Oh, but what if you don’t have kids?
Children breathe new life into the holidays. Having them around during Christmas (my favorite holiday) makes it the best time of year. However, some Aunts, like myself, don’t have children. So we can’t follow in the footsteps of our parents (not exactly anyway). But, that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on all the fun either.
How about starting Christmas traditions with your nieces and nephews? Pass down the traditions shared with you from when you were a child and build upon them!
Here are some fun traditions you might enjoy doing with your nieces and nephews during Christmas time:
1.) Christmas Pajamas
Kids love their pajamas. Heck, I do too. You can never have enough of a variety of clothing that no one else will see. So stock up!
My Mom used to get us all matching Christmas pajamas that we were only allowed to open on Christmas Eve. My sister now buys several pairs of Christmas pajamas so her kids can wear them before Christmas – but still setting one pair aside designated for Christmas morning.
Since it’s all about growing upon tradition, why not add a pair of Christmas pj’s from their favorite Aunt?
Here are a few that are available on Amazon. They come in adult sizes too – in case you want to match with your niece or nephew.
Check them out on Amazon:
2.) Decorate Your Christmas Tree Together With Special Ornaments
When we were growing up, it was a tradition of ours to buy one “special ornament” per year. Each year we’d decorate with our old ornaments, add in the new one and mix in traditional Christmas balls. Our trees never looked like it belonged in a catalog, but it was special to us.
You can do something similar with your nieces and nephews. Mine have their special ornaments with me because they always spent Christmas in New York (they lived in Maryland for 9 years) so the tree was on me.
You can let them pick their’s out, but to start off the tradition, it might be fun to have personalized ornaments made for them! Here are some of my favorite ones on Zazzle.
Santa Christmas Name and Photo Green Sparkle Ceramic Ornament
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
Santa Christmas Name and Photo Ceramic Ornament
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
Check them out on Zazzle:
3.) Bake Christmas Cookies and Dog Biscuits
My Mom and I ALWAYS baked together when Christmas rolled around. I loved picking out which cookies we’d bake and was very proud of myself when dessert was served and she’d say, “Dana made those!”
Not much has changed in that department. I still love baking during the holidays, but I introduced another cookie into the mix – the dog biscuit.
I take care of other people’s dogs so as a treat for my clients, I bake their dogs’ homemade biscuits. My niece Layla loved this idea so much that she now bakes my dog, Newman some of his own treats.
If you have a dog in your home, I highly recommend adding this tradition into the mix. The kids are so happy to do something for their fur cousin.
Here’s the recipe we use for dog treats courtesy of The Cookie Rookie:
4.) Introduce A New Christmas Movie
As the kids get older they can be introduced to movies outside of cartoons like the Grinch. Though I love those movies, I also like adding in ones from my childhood, like Home Alone and A Christmas Story!
Just last year, I introduced them to Elf and The Santa Claus. It’s so much fun to be able to laugh with them. Laughter is a great way to bond!
They’re not quite ready for Christmas Vacation… we’ve still got a few more years to go, but I’m looking forward to it!
What Christmas movies did you love growing up? Plan a movie night to binge-watch Christmas themed movies.
5.) Christmas Party At Auntie’s House (Babysitting so parents can shop for them)
A great way to bond with your nieces and nephews is to be their babysitter. I’ve said it time and time again, and I’ll say it again! Volunteer to babysit!
Their parents probably have plenty of shopping or wrapping to do! So get the kids out of their house and invite them to yours for a sleepover. You can get some quality Aunt time in and their parents can complete their much needed Christmas errands.
6.) Hide The Pickle
Even if you don’t decorate your tree with your nieces and nephews, hide the pickle is still a fun game for the holidays. The setup takes but a second, but the game could go one for a while (depending on how sneaky you are).
You buy a pickle ornament and hide it in the tree. It’s camouflaged because of its green color and the kids are distracted because of the lights and other ornaments. While the kids are over for one of your other Christmas traditions, tell them to find the pickle. You don’t even have to tell them it’s on the tree. Just tell them to find it. Whoever finds the pickle first wins!
Somehow I’ve acquired more than one pickle ornament, so I hide multiple ones. It takes them a while to find them, but they’re always excited when they do! If you don’t have one, they’re pretty easy to get.
Check it out on Amazon:
7.) Build A “Gingerbread” House With Graham Crackers
This is a pretty simple and fun craft to do with kids. The hardest part is setting up the house, but even that is pretty easy.
Just like any other gingerbread house, you’ll be making a structure using royal icing (powdered sugar and water). For the house to set completely, you’ll need to let them rest overnight. So you’ll want to get the houses built before they come over. If they’re spending the weekend and they have the finger dexterity, they can do this on their own. Otherwise, Auntie needs to be hands-on!
Follow this tutorial for building the structure. Other than that, you can allow the kids to decorate their houses with whatever candy they want! Encourage their little creative minds sore! It’s so much fun!
8.) Make Ornaments
If you’re looking for a cute craft for the holidays, I suggest making an ornament. They can put this on your tree, or take it home with them. Either way, it’s a fun project.
Depending on how messy you’re willing to get, you can make Christmas ornaments with mess-free glitter sticker decorations or draw and paint on wooden ornaments. Have fun and get creative! That’s the most important part.
Check them out on Amazon:
mess-free glitter sticker decorations
9.) Send Letters To Them As Santa
Create lasting memories for your nieces and nephews. The best gifts we can give are not the ones that take up room on our shelves, but the ones that take up room in our hearts. Memories can’t be outgrown, played out, or broken. They will last a lifetime.
This tradition started back when I was a long-distance Aunt. I’ve been sending letters to my niece and nephews as Santa for not one particular reason, but for 13 and counting. I go into more detail in my post, 13 Reasons Why I Play Santa For My Niece & Nephews.
Each card comes with a prewritten poem from Santa and coloring page. However, the templates are editable, so you can write your very own message and get really specific like I did! It’s so much fun!
Use Santa’s voice any time of year to capture the imagination of a child you love. Send a letter from Santa to create memories, encourage healthy habits, and inspire them to always do their best!
Check out the complete collection of Santa items in my Zazzle store.
Letters From Santa
by Dana Gutkowski
Santa Claus Postcards
by Dana Gutkowski
10.) Make Them Their Own Stockings
Your nieces and nephews probably have stockings at their house, but who says they can’t have more than one? It adds to your Christmas decorations and shows them just how special they are to you.
My Mom is the sewer in the family, so growing up we all had matching handmade stockings. I’m not that talented. However, I did buy stockings for my nieces and nephews in their favorite colors, decorated them, and painted on their names. They love them. It’s a quick craft that doesn’t cost much, but the effort goes a long way – straight to their heart!
11.) Scrapbook Your Memories and Write Letters
Scrapbook your adventures and traditions, take pictures, write captions, save mementos. Also, try writing them letters.
Even if you don’t give them your letter, write it away. Get in the habit of making memories for yourself because as the years go by, you’ll forget some things.
Keep it all in a personalized notebook with their name on it. One day you might give it to them as a gift that they can hold on to forever. Loving words live forever!
Check out my personalized notebook designs on Zazzle.
Letters To My Nephew Notebooks
If you need help writing a letter:
I hope that you found this post helpful and that you start creating Christmas traditions with your family this year! Have fun, get creative, and make the most of your time with your nieces and nephews. You’ll enjoy looking back on these days when they get older!
Merry Christmas!
Is there a Christmas tradition that you have with your nieces and nephews that I left out? Let me know in the comments below!!
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