The magic of Christmas needn't cost a fortune...

(An edited version of the column appears in the December 2015 edition of Good Taste Magazine, Dubai.)

To be fair, this is rather gorgeous....

The other afternoon I found myself surfing eBay for Christmas-themed duvet covers. The selection on offer was impressive; from tacky Santa designs to tasteful Nordic patterns, there was something for everyone and I started busily loading up my virtual shopping cart with one for every member of the family – me included – smug in the idea that I was making Christmas magical for the children. But as my mouse hovered above the ‘commit to buy’ button and I fantasised about tucking the children in to their Christmas-themed beds on Christmas eve, full of excitement on that most magical of nights, I paused for a moment and asked myself the question I often ask myself while shopping on eBay – ‘what on EARTH am I doing?’

You see, I am victim of an ever growing obsession among modern parents of trying to make every moment magical for my children, particularly at Christmas, where it’s not enough to put up a few decorations and some gifts under the tree anymore, now we have trips to Lapland and personalised video messages from Santa, and yes, Christmas-themed duvet covers! We’ve become a generation of parents devoted to making every waking moment a memorable one for our little darlings, and we seem to be under the impression that without our intervention – and money – Christmas simply won’t be as magical as it was for us when we were kids.

The pressure these days to provide a perfect, Kodak-moment childhood for our children is immense, from the Frozen-themed birthday party – complete with Elsa party host and matching fairy cakes – to the miniature castle fort built at great expense at the end of the garden (which they never play in), we’re simply trying too hard. And what’s more, the kids don’t want it.

Overdoing it a tad?

A story went viral last week about a mother of three who instagrammed a photo of her Christmas tree with what can only be described as an obscene amount of gifts underneath it. The woman was widely criticised for spoiling her children although she staunchly defended herself by claiming she was a savvy shopper and actually runs a blog on money saving tips.

To be kind to the woman I would say that she is a product of a generation of over-consumers who are encouraged on a minute by minute basis via the media to buy, buy, buy! From the tacky looking (and rather sinister in my view) Apple iWatch to the bombardment of Christmas ads by the big supermarkets and department stores, we are constantly reminded that the true Christmas message is to spend as much cash as possible - and in a world where credit is freely available, whether we have it or not!

I know from experience that if you spend too much the children simply won't appreciate your efforts - there's usually a couple of toys they were hoping for and they will probably devote most of their day to playing with those - unless of course there is a large box about, in which case they will spend the day in that - and so apart from a couple of very much wanted gifts, in our house everything else comes from the Pound Shop or similar, just for the joy of unwrapping them. I've even been known - rather cruelly - to wrap school books and put them under the tree, although my son specifically wrote on his Christmas list this year, 'and please Santa, no grammar books thank you.'

Last year IKEA Spain made a Christmas advertisement which demonstrated this point beautifully. They asked a group of children to write two Christmas letters – one to the three kings (the Spanish version of writing to Santa) and one to their parents. Without fail the children asked the three kings for expensive toys, while asking their parents to spend more time with them and when told they could send only one letter, chose to send their parents’ letters (check out the ad below and have a tissue handy).

The happiest memories from my childhood are of exploring castle ruins with my father or curling up on the sofa to watch old Hollywood musicals on the TV with my mum. In short, spending time with them. Sadly time is a luxury many modern parents juggling busy careers and work commutes don’t have, which is why they understandably try to overcompensate by spending large amounts of money.

But we don’t need to because Christmas IS magic for kids and a reindeer-themed duvet cover won’t enhance that magic one jot. The magic comes from snuggling under the covers, confident that Santa Claus is in his sleigh at that very moment, flying through the night’s sky drawn by nine flying reindeer.

The magic is the twinkling lights in town, your mother stringing paper chains from one side of the living room to the other. It’s the smell of cinnamon and ginger from the Christmas cake or the mulled wine on the stove - all to the dulcet tones of Bing Crosby on the sound system. It’s seeing family members you haven’t seen in months, or everyone putting on their best clothes and paying visits to friends. It’s a million different things but rarely anything to do with how much money is spent.

With all this in mind, and unsure of what response I might get, I asked my eight-year-old what made Christmas magical for him. Without hesitation he said ‘having dad home all the time and seeing our relatives’. I was rather taken aback by the simplicity of his answer, and resolved to let myself off the hook a little this year, at least financially (which to be fair, with another baby on the way isn't entirely optional!).

So rather than stressing in long queues to visit contrived ‘Winter Wonderlands’, or spending several hundred pounds on duvet covers which are only appropriate for three or four weeks in the year, I shall curl up on the sofa with my kids, put Miracle on 34^th Street on the DVD, and just enjoy the fact that I’m creating magic memories for them without even trying.

Happy Christmas everyone!