Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year, and in this video I’m sharing the family traditions we’ve built in our home here in Dubai with Laurent and our two girls. I also share an important note up front: we don’t do Santa, reindeer, or Elf on the Shelf. Instead, I focus our Christmas on the true meaning of the season—Christ—and I still make it really magical for little ones through simple, cosy, repeatable traditions. I walk you through what we put in our “1st of December box” (which works so much better than a Christmas Eve box for us): Christmas mugs for hot chocolate, blankets, a special outfit or PJs, our Melissa & Doug nativity set, a nativity sticker book, and a new Christmas story. I also share our advent approach (this year it’s a Disney princess storybook advent with an added activity each day), decorating on the 1st of December with Michael Bublé, handmade ornaments, choosing one new tree decoration each year, gingerbread house decorating, and baking a birthday cake for Jesus. Finally, I share faith-centred traditions I really love: the Giving Manger, a Jesse Tree, a thankfulness garland, and a new-to-us advent called Shepherd’s Treasure—an “Elf on the Shelf” style idea, but focused on kindness, scripture, and giving.