Looking for some tips on making special days even more special? I can help!

I'm a mom of six kids, and over the years I have come across or dreamed up some pretty cool ideas that my kids really enjoy.

Here are some of the ideas that I have incorporated into our family traditions.

Birthdays:

• Waking up with a present on the bed. I started this when my oldest child started school. Her birthday was on a school day and it was ME that was sad about her having to wait until that evening to open her gifts. I later developed the tradition a little further, telling the kids they didn't have to wait to open it if Dad and I weren't awake. This tradition has lived on in our household for over 10 years now. My youngest three kids even had presents in their cribs the mornings of their first birthday!
• They get to decide what/where we have dinner. We are all so busy now-a-days. The kids have school, homework, chores ~ even on their birthdays. So I make sure they get a special meal on their special day. My kids are allowed to pick out what meal (whether I cook it or we eat out) they want.
• You don't have to share on your birthday. Now those of you with only 1 child, or children that are well-spaced apart may not appreciate this on as much... With so many children in our home (and each has at least one sibbling within 2 years of age), you learn very quickly how to share ~ some learn more easily than others, but that's a different guide. So we made birthdays a special time when, for 24 hours, you don't have to share.
• Dinner and shopping with Grandma. My mother-in-law started this one. She's not one to shop ahead, and I often wonder if this came about in last-minute desperation - but it works and the kids love it. During the week of their birthday, we pick a night when Grandma picks up the birthday kid, takes them whereever they want to eat and shopping for their gifts. She has a set price for the gift to avoid getting suckered into buying more. This is a great time for the kids to get one-on-one time with grandma, which is rare.

Thanksgiving:

• Christmas ornaments. Each year at Thanksgiving super, we give each child a Christmas ornament. The ornaments are theirs to take when they move out on their own.
• The kids draw names. It is far too easy for children to become selfish at Christmas. So we have ours draw names for gift giving to each other, have them earn their own money for the present, and the older ones do not get reminded that they need to purchase or make their gift for their sibblings. It completely becomes their responsibility. Fortunately, no one has gone giftless yet! Doing this at Thanksgiving gives them just enough time to get it done without so much time that they forget about it. (This could also be used for cousins, etc.)

Christmas:

• A KIDS Advent calendar and nativity scene. A seperate calendar for the children to count down to Christmas and nativity set to explore, without me having to worry that they are breaking mine.
• Sleeping uder the Christmas tree lights on the eve of Christmas Eve. This is really fun!

These have become wonderful traditions in our home. I hope you found some of these tips helpful in making Special days even more special for your child(ren)!