If I told you that I spent half of Christmas Day, December 25, sewing and doing the laundry, would you believe me?

Yes, I did. Honest. The Christmas dinner had been eaten the night before (as German tradition goes), my husband was napping, while the kids were happily playing with their new toys. So I decided to catch up with the housework.

Of course, while working, I made phone calls to family and friends scattered around the globe – gosh, keeping track of those time zones can be tiring – to greet them a very Merry Christmas.

And in between, I reflected back to Christmases of childhood past. Of a large chaotic family. Of large feasts or simple fares depending on the finances of the season. Of fun, laughter, and Christmas carols. Of Christmas dinners on the terrace and Christmas lunches on the beach. Sorry for being so nostalgic but how I wish my kids could experience the kind of Christmas I had as a child.

When I moved to another country on another continent with another climate and culture, I then had to resign myself to a different way of celebrating Christmas, one that is quite, calm, and well – cold.

I am not complaining. I have many things to be grateful for. A happy home, a wonderful family, a warm house, a full pantry – and an afternoon walk around the lake with the whole family. My cup runs over (almost).

So how did you spend your Christmas?

It?s beach season! Cue the beach music, pack the van, gas up the vehicle and we’re off!

We live about 20 minutes from the beach and spend a lot of time there during the summer. Last year, when I gave birth to my youngest child, I wondered how or if we?d have to stop our regular beach trips. I?ve found that, with a few modifications, my older children can still have some time at the beach.

We now arrive at the beach either very early in the morning, or later in the day. This is to avoid the heat of the day. We stay for a few hours, or until it?s apparent that my baby has had enough. I also scan the weather reports and try to pick a ?cooler? day of the week if possible. The best days are the ones which are slightly overcast. The sun isn?t so bright, the heat and humidity are quite so overpowering, and the beach seems to be less crowded too.

I realized that most sunscreen products are intended for babies over the age of 6 months. Therefore, it?s important to keep your baby out of the sun before you can use sunscreen products. Even though my son is now old enough technically to use sunscreen, I still prefer to keep him out of the sun rather than put chemicals on his skin. That is just my preference though.

While searching the baby store, I found a baby sun tent which I purchased. The tent is also a great place to nurse your baby when you are on the beach! If I set up the tent in just the right way, I found that I could get some air flow going through the tent which made it cooler for my son during our beach trips. He would also nap in the tent as well! The particular tent I have sets up and tears down very easily. The tent is also small enough to store in the trunk area of the van.

I also found swim shirts at many stores that sell infant clothing. These shirts cover up your child?s torso and are very lightweight. This reduces the area exposed to the sun, which helps ward off sunburn. I also use these for my girls even though they are older. They just wear the swim shirts over their swimsuit.

A wide brim hat with a chin strap is also important. These hats can be found in the clothing section of many stores and are a necessity for beach attire in my opinion. The hat helps keep sun off of baby?s head, which may or may not be covered with hair! The wide brim provides a little shade for the eyes and also protects the back of the neck from sun exposure.

I have never used sunglasses with my children when they were very young, because it seemed that they were all too eager to take them off and play with them more than they wanted to keep them on. Either they got lost, or somebody was getting poked in the eye. I have seen babies that really do like to wear the sunglasses though. If your child is one of these, by all means take advantage of this opportunity!

Babies love going to the beach. I was lucky enough to live by the ocean when my son was born, and now I live near a lake with a pretty man-made beach, but he loves that just as much!

Babies love the sound of the ocean waves, and they adore sand.

Tiny babies will love looking at and listening to the waves, and like to feel the sand with their hands and feet. Try filling a container with sand and water – make damp sand, or really wet sand – and let baby squish and feel the texture of the wet sand.

Older babies like to dig with their hands or a shovel, and might even be able to fill a bucket. Playing in the sand with a shovel is great practice for using a spoon, it’s essentially the same skill, and there’s no cleanup, like there can be with a spoon and food! Crawling over sand is a new kind of workout, and all the pebbles, shells and driftwood are very interesting. Just watch out none of it is mistaken for food!

Toddlers love sand toys too, and paddling in the sea, and exploring rock pools – closely supervised, of course. A pair of water shoes, jelly shoes, or crocs, or other non-slip shoes are a must to avoid slips and cuts on sharp stones.

Toddlers also like to find things buried in the sand – bury a small toy just below the surface for them to dig up. Build a sandcastle for them to decorate with stones, shells or seaweed. And sandcastles are just as fun to stomp on!

Eating sand happens – a little sand is generally not harmful, and will come out the other end. And whether baby eats sand or not, sand will get into diapers. Using a baby wipe on a sandy bottom will feel like sandpaper, so clean baby’s bum in the bath or sink.

Always protect baby from the sun. A sun hat, sunscreen (for babies over 6 months – never expose younger babies to direct sun), and an inexpensive beach umbrella will keep baby safe in the sun. Light, long-sleeved clothing is best, but not always practical, so make sure baby is well coated with sunscreen.

Visiting on a warm, but not a hot day, can be the most fun. The beach won’t be too busy, baby won’t get too hot, and babies don’t care about sunbathing anyway. There’s too much to explore!

So if you are near a beach, or visiting one on vacation, take advantage of a nice spring day, and head to the shore!