Keep the Holiday Magic Alive for Older Kids


This is a sponsored post. I received compensation from Visa/Gymboree to buy my products and use its Visa Checkout online payment service, but all opinions reflected here are my own.

It may only be November but we’re already getting ready for Santa in my house! My son actually started his wish list back in, oh, February? At 9, his list is getting more and more elaborate, so he likes to give me plenty of notice. He’s growing up so fast. Sometimes I’m a bigger kid about the holidays than he is!

Now that he’s reaching the point where he thinks he’s too grown up to believe in certain parts of the holiday, I feel like I have to work overtime to make it fun for him. Take a look at a few ideas to keep the holiday magic alive for older kids.

Make the Holidays Fun for Kids of All Ages

· Let them in on a secret: Now that they’ve figured out the biggest secret of all, let them in on some of your family’s other holiday secrets. Tell them how to make their favorite cookies or how you put Santa’s footprints on the roof. Make them a part of keeping the magic alive for younger kids.

· Keep them on their toes with a surprise: Even though my son gives me a pretty detailed list these days, I still make sure to get him something that isn’t on it. I also don’t tell him which of the wish list gifts he’s getting. I just say “maybe Santa will bring it.” Yes, I still say “Santa.” Hey, I can still believe!

· Let them play Santa: Funny story, even though I stopped believing when I was about 7, I still left cookies out for Santa until I was…well, until I had a child of my own. When my little brother stopped believing, my mom let him eat the cookies. I believe her exact words were “make sure you eat the cookies so your sister doesn’t have a fit in the morning.” If you have younger kids (or even older kids who want to hold on to the magic), let your older children play “Santa” and take a bite out of those cookies.

· Keep your family traditions going: Even if you think your older kids have outgrown them, keep those beloved family traditions alive. You’re never too old to watch your favorite holiday specials, make ornaments for the tree together or snuggle up in a comfy new pair of jammies and fall asleep listening to your favorite holiday music!

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No matter how old Jacob gets, he still loves his comfy jammies! Our family has a long-standing tradition. Every Christmas Eve, the kids get a new pair of pajamas to wear to bed. I’m pretty sure it started because my grandmother wanted her kids to look good in the holiday pictures. My grandfather was a shutterbug long before the camera was a household fixture.

This year, I got him this super cute pair of holiday pajamas from Gymboree:

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I can’t wait to see him in them on Christmas Eve! I’ve always loved shopping at Gymboree. Their clothes really stand up to everything my son dishes out and they have the cutest styles. This time it was even easier thanks to Visa Checkout!

Visa Checkout makes paying for your purchases a breeze. Just sign up, add your basic info such as your shipping address and phone number, and then add any major credit or debit card. Then, when you’re shopping, look for the Visa Checkout option. Sign in and pay! No need to type your shipping address over and over. It’s completely secure and easy. Visa Checkout brings us closer to the simplicity and speed of a “swipe” in the online world.

With Gymboree and Visa Checkout, I was able to get my son’s holiday pajamas ordered, delivered and put away until the big night. I also got him several other fun pairs of jammies, super soft comfy pants and more! Be sure to check out Visa Checkout this holiday season!

Visa

What are your favorite ways to keep the holiday magic alive for older kids?

37 thoughts on “Keep the Holiday Magic Alive for Older Kids”

  1. Elizabeth Matthiesen

    My kids are all adults now and some have kids of their own. It was always a case of the older kids kept the belief going for the younger ones, which was rather sweet I thought. :-)

  2. We try and do a lot of special things during the holidays including singing Christmas carols. Gymboree also has the cutest clothing for kids. Gotta love them.

  3. Gymboree is one of the favorite outlet for kids. I think we all should keep the holiday magic for kids. All these are great ideas to keep magic alive. Thanks for these wonderful tips.

  4. Gymboree has some of the cutest clothes! I have a gift card from there collecting dust. I think I’ll head over and see what cute pj’s they have for my daughter!

  5. Jennifer Williams

    I hope this works better than other things I have done to do this. I have one company that always selects the wrong address and there is no way to change it. I will have to try this.

  6. We bake, read stories and do Christmas crafts when they are out of school for the holidays! We have such a great time coulnting down, following apps and tracking Santa! My oldest knows but he’s the only one I was so crushed when he found out!

  7. My oldest son is 10 and figured out the real story a few years ago.. He has helped me the past Christmas in getting all the Santa stuff set up. He thought it was so cool to eat the cookies.

  8. The heck with the kids… LOL I want to keep the magic alive for myself.
    I can remember when my Daughter was smaller, we each got a new pair of matching red pajamas.

  9. Cute ideas. I’ve never done Santa just because I like to take credit for my gifts.. ha ha Bad mom award goes to.. I think these are all adorable ideas. Kudos to you mommy.

  10. My oldest son is now 10, and he is on the fence about believing. He says he believes, but I’m not convinced :-)

  11. Love the comfy jammies!
    One of our favourite traditions is to give the kids a new book and a new pair of pajamas that they open on Christmas eve.
    We also have advent calendars but this year we surprised them with a lego one!

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