The Holiday Season, it’s a time of family, friends and fun, but often mixed with a little sprinkle of disruption and too much excitement! Here’s our top parenting tips for the holiday season.
Do what works for you
Don’t feel under pressure to travel to see everybody. It might seem like your time off work and the school holidays stretch on forever but these couple of weeks will soon fill up fast. Fix dates in your diary that are family days, time to spend together as a family unit. Make them lazy days, a trip to the local park or simply a day at home with board games. You could be surprised how much your young ones enjoy the simple pleasure of a good game!
If you’re a family who loves getting around seeing everybody, do that, but don’t exhaust yourselves. It might seem like simple advice but don’t overlook the importance of going back to work and school in the New Year properly rested. If you have a new baby you might not be going back to work in January but your partner probably is, so use this time for some relaxation.
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Invite people over and ask them to bring supplies
Be selfish with your time, especially if you have a new baby this holiday season. If getting everyone and all the things you need out of the house fills you with dread, invite friends and family to you instead.
Invite groups of people at once, it might seem like a chore but in one go, hey presto, all done! Send out a group email invite, and list all the things you think you’ll need; snacks, food that can be easily reheated, drinks, deserts, and ask everyone to choose from the list and (most importantly) reply to everyone in the group so that you don’t end up with five quiches and nothing to drink. Say that you’ll supply a warm environment for everyone to catch up, they just all need to bring one thing. You could even ask someone in the group to forgo bringing anything but promises to do the washing up!
Involve everybody
The holiday season is a time for everyone to build memories. It could be very tempting to lock the doors and stay in your lovely family bubble for the duration but don’t lose sight that friends and family will want to enjoy and take part in the memory building too.
Don’t build the excitement too soon
With the holiday season seemingly starting earlier each year in the shops and on the television, it can be hard not to bow down to the pressure and begin it early in your home too. Have a rule that you stick to, it could be that decorations and the Christmas tree go up on the evening that the children finish school or nursery, or on a set weekend in December. Starting too soon dilutes the message of the holiday season; that it’s about love and family and giving thought to those less fortunate, not prolonged excesses.
Embrace your inner child, and enjoy!
When the time comes, indulge yourself in the excitement of the children and if you have a small baby, get excited about each Christmas to come. Remember what excited you as a child during the holiday season and re-live it!
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