The run up to Christmas is busy but I found this year that everything was been done by the weekend which meant we were able to slow down and relax. With school finished we could enjoy the end of Advent with our Advent calendars, and actually read our Advent books and enjoy the stories.

It felt good to have a slower Christmas this year. I even found we were able to drop some of our family traditions, such as making reindeer food, without the children noticing. Sometimes it feels like there are so many things you have to do to have a ‘proper’ Christmas. This year it felt like we were able to concentrate on fewer things and have just as much fun.

How to spend Boxing Day?

Do you make plans on how to spend Boxing Day? We don’t have a huge family so spent Christmas at home. We always save a few presents to open on Boxing Day but don’t really make any other plans, apart from the meals.

We started off the day by looking at all the gifts we received yesterday. The children opened lots of lovely craft supplies and toys which kept them busy all morning. This is almost the perfect way to spend Boxing Day – plus its nice to see that the gifts you bought are enjoyed.

The weather was amazing yesterday which meant we were able to have a quick walk after lunch. Only one of the children wanted to come out but at least we got some fresh air. The weather for Boxing Day was completely different which made it a bit harder to get out. We had planned to visit a local cafe at Rickmansworth Aquadrome but the weather was too wet, so we opted for a cafe on the high street instead.

After a quick lunch of leftovers and Christmas cake we stayed around the dining room table to play some family board games. We love playing games and our game of choice was Pokemon Monopoly which Little Sis asked for. Our PlayStation also got a bit of use since we discovered Uno on PlayLink!

We watch tv on Boxing Day. It seems wrong to say this but we love to sit and watch tv and it’s a great way to have some quiet time and relax. We caught up with the Christmas Bake Off which was great entertainment, although there were plenty of Christmas films we all would have enjoyed.

I remember entertaining the family when I was little and this tradition seems to continue with my own children. This year Little Sis decided to put on a special show for us all, she even designed a poster and tickets! Her show turned out to be a festive art class around the dining room table, with her telling everyone what to draw and the colours to use. It was quite fun and good to do something together.

I hope you’ve all had a lovely few days, however you’ve spent it.