This post about spreading holiday cheer with little ones was graciously sponsored by Crest, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Who is ready to spread a little holiday cheer? This time of year is seriously my favorite. I love the added compassion in my own heart, as well as the hearts of those around me. I am a gift-lover through and through. I spend SO MUCH time putting together gift guides, thinking about what I will get my loved ones and coordinating it all.
With 4 little ones at home, presents are of course all the rage in their little minds too. It is so important for me to teach them to be giving and have a heart for serving, especially during the holidays. This year, the kids and I sat down and watched a heartwarming story about Bertha Nunn, a woman who was granted a wish to fulfill her lifelong dream of acting in TV commercials, and let me tell you – her joy was contagious for both myself and my kids.
Creating Holiday Traditions
Every year we do the typical cookie baking and decorating as a family a few times during the holiday season. It is a favorite for the kids and myself, and I love watching the joy on their faces. Celebrating those little moments and turning them into traditions that I hope they remember for a lifetime is so important to me.
It has been fun to watch the older two really get “better” at making the cookies, and also just see how their little minds do things differently each year. I hope I never forget that Jack made all of his cookies Pokemon this year, and that Avé still called sprinkles ‘smarkles.’ And I don’t think I will ever forget the hilarity and MESS it was having Walker join us for the first time this year. I will probably be cleaning up sprinkles for the whole next year.
Let’s be honest – with the kids being 2, 5, and 7, there was A WHOLE LOT of cookie and icing consumption that went along with the process of decorating. (Walker’s cookies were reserved for him alone, and none of them made it past decorating with all limbs still in tact haha). Once the decorating (and eating) process was over, we got cleaned up and brushed all that sugar right off those teeth so we could get ready for phase two of the tradition. Thanks to Crest, we can bring on all the sweets this holiday season!!
Spreading Holiday Cheer with Little Ones
This year I decided to add a new aspect to our baking tradition and include the kids more than previously. I normally bring sweets and goodies to neighbors, but have previously done the “pretty ones” that I bake on my own. I decided that my kids could really embrace the season by taking some of their own masterpieces to neighbors this year.
Once we were all cleaned up and ready to go, the kids and I headed out to share these cookies (sans Walker’s haha). The kids found such joy in this process! I think sometimes on Christmas morning it’s hard to really see the true joy on other peoples faces due to the chaos, so watching the kids give away something they worked hard on and bring joy to our neighbors was so much fun. Their joy was contagious, and I could tell that they felt the joy of giving instead of receiving.
Bertha’s Story
As I stated as the top of this post, on a recent Saturday, we started our day by watching Bertha Nunn’s story. To celebrate the season of giving, Crest teamed up with Wish of a Lifetime, a non-profit that grants wishes for seniors, and fulfilled her dream of acting in TV commercials. This mother and grandmother was cast in its latest TV commercial, where she has a little fun with Santa himself.
https://youtu.be/1b_6BDGjvNk
Not only did it show the Christmas cheer, but watching someone fulfill their dream, and receive that as a gift brought such joy to our whole family. Watch Bertha’s story below and get into the holiday spirit with your family. Spread it across social media too! I venture to guess it will put you in the mood for spreading the holiday cheer with your own little ones this year too!
What Christmas traditions do you do yearly as a family? I’m always looking for new ways to make the holidays special and exciting for our family.
This looks like so much fun for your sweet family