Christmas fairy tales with your child as the hero

Published · Written by the Flipr editorial team

It is December 1st. Candles are lit in the windows, and your child has already asked three times if it's Christmas yet. Tonight they want a Christmas story, but not just any story. They want to be part of it themselves.

A personalized Christmas fairy tale is a holiday story where your own child, your family, and perhaps your pets are the main characters. With Flipr, you simply write a theme — a lost elf, a missing Christmas decoration — and get a finished story with illustrations and narration in under 2 minutes, set in the same universe as all your other stories.

Most Christmas stories are about other children, in another town, with a name that isn't their own. They are sweet enough, but they don't quite hit home. Your child listens politely, but they don't look up with those same eyes as when the story is actually about them.

Why does a personalized Christmas fairy tale work so well?

Christmas is filled with waiting, anticipation, and a very special kind of magic that children are extremely receptive to. When your child is the hero of the story, experiencing Christmas Eve, the elf, or the lost Christmas decorations through their own eyes, the story isn't just heard. It is experienced.

It becomes even more powerful when the story doesn't stand alone. When it's the same family, the same siblings, and the same pet that appear again in the new story, just like in all the other stories you've read throughout the year, your child already knows the universe. They don't have to get to know new characters in the middle of the Christmas coziness. They recognize themselves and their loved ones, just in a new context. We have written more about why children love hearing their own name in a story.

Which Christmas themes can Flipr tell stories about?

You just write what your child wants to hear about, and Flipr creates an entire story based on that, with illustrations and narration, ready in under 2 minutes. If you need help formulating the theme, you can use our guide to a good bedtime story prompt.

How do you use it specifically in December?

  1. Tell Flipr what your child is dreaming about this year — an elf, a reindeer, a mysterious package, anything
  2. Include the family and possibly the pet as characters, just like in your other stories
  3. Read it together, or let Flipr read aloud while you snuggle up with cocoa and cookies

If you haven't created the family yet, you can follow the guide on how to create your family's avatars. And if you want a story every day in December, you can read our guide to your own Christmas calendar with stories.

What is the best part of a Christmas with your own fairy tale?

It's not the story itself that makes December magical. It's the moment your child hears their own name in a story about Christmas Eve and looks up at you with that look that says: that's me, I'm part of this.

Can siblings and grandparents also be in the Christmas story?

Yes. All characters you have already added in Flipr — family, friends, and pets — can be part of the Christmas story, just like in all your other stories.

Does the story have to be about Santa for it to be a Christmas fairy tale?

No. A Christmas story can just as easily be about the waiting time, the snow, family coziness, or a completely different winter atmosphere. You decide the theme, Flipr creates the story.

Is it too late to start if it's already mid-December?

No. A story is ready in under 2 minutes, so you can easily fit in many more Christmas adventures, right up until Christmas Eve.

Create your own Christmas fairy tale

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