Involve Your Kids
The holidays are a huge amount of work for everyone, so bring your kids into the mix to help out and learn how it works. Talk them through a holiday budget and show how you afford presents for other family members. Bring them into the big holiday party you’re throwing at the house and have them help plan, decorate, and cook. If you’re putting together a big meal, they can help you pick recipes, plan the grocery shopping, or otherwise get involved. Have a present-wrapping party where you watch holiday movies and get gifts wrapped. The kids can even make holiday cards for close family members. It’s a fun way to both lighten the workload and spend time together.
Have A Family-Only Holiday
Part of the reason the holidays are stressful is that they’re so busy. We’re gathering presents, planning out meals, and driving mile after mile to get to family. So, a bit before the holidays, take a moment and have a family-only gathering. It could be a white elephant or a Yankee swap, or simply a day set aside entirely for the family to spend together. Step away from the stress, bring the family together, and just enjoy each other’s company for a while.
Go Outside
The weather outside, so the jingle goes, is frightful over the holidays. But just because it’s cold or occasionally rainy doesn’t mean every day means being cooped up. When a sunny day is coming up, make a point of doing something outside, whether you’re playing in the snow, going to a park in places that are more temperate, or even just catching a movie or having a lunch away from the house together as a family, going outside will relieve cabin fever and ensure some family time together.
Make Gifts
Increasingly, we’re finding that we, as a society, are tired of buying things we don’t need. So handmade gifts of all sorts are becoming more and more popular, from knit sweaters to homemade sweets. A great family project would be to work out who would enjoy what, whether it’s a jar of handmade pickles or a handbuilt “cookie kit.” And then, you and the kids work together to assemble these gifts. It’s not only educational, it’s fun, and it makes the gifts you give a bit more personal.
Shut Off the Screens
Finally, limit screen time during the holidays. Especially for kids who can have entire weeks off from school, the temptation to just stare at a phone or an iPad all day can be enormous. Setting rules for, and strictly enforcing, screen limits with parental control software will ensure families spend time together, instead of just next to each other.
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