Making Christmas fun for Willow- by Vikki Pritchard

Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year.

There’s just something magical about the season—spending time with family and friends, attending festive events, and getting involved in as many activities as possible. Now that I have children, I love bringing them along for every moment of the excitement and watching the holidays come alive through their eyes.

This year feels extra special because Willow has started to really understand what Christmas is all about. Seeing her curiosity grow has made me even more excited to make the season fun, meaningful, and full of new traditions we can carry forward year after year.

One of the first traditions we’ve started is a tactile Advent calendar. It has 25 little pockets that we can fill with our own treats and surprises, and each number is a felt present that Willow can explore with her hands. There’s also a candy cane attached to a ribbon that she can move from pocket to pocket each day, helping her follow along in a way that’s both interactive and sensory-friendly.

Decorating our Christmas tree has always been a family affair, and this year we’ve made sure Willow can join in as much as possible. We chose a real tree so she could enjoy the smell and texture, and we’ve collected baubles made from different materials and patterns to make the experience more engaging for her. And just for a bit of extra fun, Willow has her very own felt Christmas tree with Velcro decorations that she can arrange—and rearrange—however she likes. With any luck, it will keep her happily occupied and leave our main tree mostly untouched!

One of our recent highlights was visiting Willows Activity Farm to meet Santa. It was such a fantastic day, full of hands-on activities and lovely interactions with the elves. Willow decorated her own gingerbread man, helped build a wooden gingerbread house that we brought home to finish, and even got to stuff her own cuddly toy. The experience ended in Santa’s toy shop, where there were endless treasures for little ones to choose from—it was pure Christmas magic.

We’ve also officially welcomed back Dash, our mischievous little elf. Making his antics accessible and enjoyable for Willow is a bit of a challenge, but we’re learning as we go and hoping to create plenty of giggles (and maybe a few new traditions) along the way.

If you’d like to follow along with all our festive fun, come join us over on Instagram at @willows_world2023. We can’t wait to share our Christmas adventures with you!