Where do you hide the toys? 5 Christmas tips from some fave Insta mums
If you’re anything like me, you’re nosy! Ha.
Which is why I love knowing how other families spend Christmas day, the traditions they’ve committed to over the years and of course, what they love to eat.
To get us in the festive mood, and maybe inspire a few ideas in those of us who are running a bit late with our ideas, here’s what some of our favourite Instagram mums are doing on Christmas Day.
Ho, ho, ho!
Olivia White from House of White, mum of 2 girls
Where will we find you on Christmas day?
We always do it at our house or in-laws around the corner. Lunch, low fuss and just hang with family all day 🙂
Favourite Christmas food (Do you make it?)
My Father-in-law always does the best roast potatoes, haha!
Best hiding place for toys?
We don’t bring toys out till Xmas day, nothing lives under the tree till then 😉 They’re hidden in the garage.
Favourite family tradition?
Tree day is always a fave, so on Dec 1 we go pick a tree from the farm. Also Xmas eve, we watch movies and wear matching PJ’s. Xmas morning the kids bring all their pressies into our bed and open them!
Are your kids still believers in Santa? What do you tell them to help keep the dream alive?
Not much really, they pick it all up from peers and TV I think! But we do use Santa as a threat all December long.
Barbara O’Reilly from Patchwork Cactus, mum of 2 ages 5 and 7
Where will we find you on Christmas day?
We alternate Christmas days between my hubby’s family and mine. This year we are in Sydney with his giant crazy family and our million kids. Being with someone who is one of six kids is especially fun during this time of year. Then we will head to Port Stephens on Boxing Day and relax at my parents’ place before ringing in the new year camping in Jindy.
Favourite Christmas food (Do you make it?)
My favourite Christmas food (apart from Champagne) is my mango tart. I only make it at Christmas time because I’m a HUGE believer in ‘diamond food’. Things need to be restricted to stay special. I mean, we don’t just cook up October hams, and that is literally the only reason it’s a novelty!
Best hiding spot for toys?
My hubby’s giant man shed. Once a year I should get some use out of that monstrosity.
Favourite family tradition?
Putting up lights, decorating the tree while listening to carols and spiked eggnog. We also have a rule that we watch only Christmas movies for the whole of December, and that’s pretty fun too. My kids are seven and five, so we are smack bang in the Christmas-magic-sweet-spot. There have been some interesting questions out of the big one lately, but she is still very accepting of our whimsical responses.
Lauren DuBois, The Thud, mum of 2 ages 2 and 5
Where will we find you on Christmas day?
On Christmas morning, we’ll probably be woken before the sleigh even leaves our roof! After spending an hour or so trying to convince the kids we can’t go downstairs in case we interrupt Santa, we’ll give up and let them drag us down to tear open some presents.
Favourite Christmas food (Do you make it?)
We’ll have some pancakes for breakfast and laze about in our PJs for far too long before putting on our Christmas best and heading to my parents’ house. We’ll have a huge roast lunch, cooked by my dad for about 20 family members.
Favourite family tradition?
We’ll wrap up the day with some overly competitive Christmas games and we’ll cool off with a swim in the pool. It’s my favourite day of the year.
Susie Burrell, mum of twin boys, Harry and Gus, 3
Where will we find you on Christmas day?
We wake up at my mums after Christmas Eve dinner and Santa visits us all there. Then we head into my place in the city to enjoy seafood and salad through the afternoon.
Favourite Christmas food (Do you make it?)
I love a turkey roast, and the cheese and chocolate board after lunch is pretty special.
Best hiding spot for toys?
Lots of issues with that as our house is not so big so between my shoe cupboard and in the garage covered with sheets. And I’ve already been caught out a few times!
Favourite family tradition?
Hot Christmas dinner and Christmas movies on Christmas Eve.
What do you tell your kids about Santa? Do you keep the dream alive?
Definitely! We started with Elf on the Shelf and read Christmas stories every day.
Michaela Fox, Not Another Slippery Dip, mum to four daughters, 2, 6, 9 and 12.
Where will we find you on Christmas day?
We rotate the Christmas hosting on both sides of the family. This year we are spending Christmas day at my cousin’s house, but we are hosting my husband’s family a few days before Christmas. Fortunately, it’s a relatively small number this year. A couple of years ago I hosted Christmas (a sit-down lunch) for 45 people! This year it’s only 15 of us so it *should* be a piece of cake!
Favourite Christmas food (Do you make it?)
George Colombaris’ Cyrpriot grain salad is always a crowd pleaser. But my guilty pleasure is my mother-in-law’s rocky road ice-cream. It’s ludicrously sweet, and meant to be for the kids, but I can never resist it.
Best hiding spot for toys?
In every cupboard of the house … up high, VERY high!! Which reminds me, I ought to retrieve all the presents and do a stocktake to make sure I haven’t forgotten anyone! I forgot how old my youngest turned last week, so anything is possible. For the record, she turned two (but in my defence, I haven’t slept much in that time!)
Favourite family tradition?
We love baking home-made treats for family and friends. But we had a rather unfortunate incident last year when the Christmas slice we gave our wonderful crossing supervisor resulted in an emergency trip to the dentist and a rather expensive bill. It was the crushed candy cane on top that dislodged his crown. We are making something soft this year!
What do you tell your kids about Santa? As in, do you keep the dream alive?
All my girls believe in Santa and we see no reason to dispel the dream. We will keep the magic alive until for as long as possible. Besides, even if they do have their suspicions, they’re not brave or foolish enough to voice them aloud.
