6 Low-Key Ways My Family Enjoys the Holiday Season
In a world where it feels like you should constantly be doing more, sometimes it is really nice to just do less.( a lot less) This time of year is stressful. There are so many commitments to honor, traditions to uphold and appearances to keep that it is no wonder Christmastime can feel overwhelming. I’ve learned that if I feel overwhelmed with it all chances are my kids do too. Keep in mind that they are going to school 5 days a week, they have concerts and sometimes sports or other after school activities and then we spend much of their free time cramming in as much Christmas as possible. Yes it is magical, but its A LOT and my kids sometimes would rather just spend their weekends in December hanging out in a much more low-key way. We’ve done a Polar Express shindig that ended up costing me too much money, and being a big miss with the kids (and adults). We’ve done the long lines to see the perfect mall Santa. I’ve baked dozens of cookies just to have them frost 3 each and leave the rest to me. The thing about it is, non of that matters to them this time of year. They really do just crave quality time with their family because guess what? Their little lives are stressful and overwhelming sometimes too. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have fun holiday traditions that my kids enjoy. It just means that I’ve learned to try to keep them small scale so that we actually enjoy them! Here are 6 of my favorite low-key Christmas activities that take very little effort from Mom.
The boys set-up our Christmas train that I keep hidden the rest of the year. For whatever reason, that little train by the Christmas tree is always a hit. I literally bought it at TJ Maxx years ago and every year, they enjoy setting it up and playing with it. My oldest is outgrowing it a little, but he still will make sure it is on the tracks and working properly for his younger brothers to play with.
I keep hot cocoa, marshmallows, and whipped cream on hand this time of year as an incentive to go outside and play in the snow. My kids actually really enjoy playing outside, but sometimes the thought of getting all bundled up and ending up cold is enough to make them fight me on it. We all need fresh air especially when the holiday craziness hits so I always push for some outdoor playtime and hot chocolate is usually a good enough bribe to make it happen. I serve it in festive mugs, let them top it how they want and we drink it while listening to Christmas music. Just a small way to fairly ordinary activity a bit more festive.
We pick a night to go drive around and look at Christmas lights. This isn’t inventive at all, but we also go get tacos to eat while we drive. I like it because it gets me off the hook for dinner one night, and the kids like it because it has become a bit of a tradition and who doesn’t like to eat tacos while counting how many baby Jesuses they can spot?
I buy a box of Christmas cards for my kids. They use them to write a note to put with teacher’s gifts, to mail out to family members or just to draw and color in for fun. I send out Christmas cards every year, but sometimes its nice to have something from the kids to go with it. This way they can partake in that tradition in an easy way.
I keep all their Christmas books in storage until December. Then I pick a night to get them all out and we go through them together. It’s fun for them to remember past favorites or to flip through the ones they forgot about. We pick a few to read and then spend the rest of the month reading Christmas books before bed. (clearly I am a big fan of storing seasonal books and toys so that they seem new again a year later)
Lastly we do store bought Christmas crafts. One of our favorites in gingerbread houses. Last year was so busy that I got the houses on clearance because it was so close to Christmas and we decorated them over break. (after Christmas Day) The weeks leading up to Christmas go so fast that you can’t always fit everything in but guess what? Your kids are home after Christmas so go ahead and do the things you didn’t get to then. Bake cookies for New Years. Make ornaments that never actually make it on the tree. Watch Christmas movies the day after Christmas.
Those days between Christmas and New Years are the best for low-key activities which make them some of my favorite days of the year! Zero pressure to be anywhere or do anything. Play cards in your pajamas. Build Lego sets. Turn the family room into a giant fort. Those are the days my homebody heart lives for, and my kids appreaciate them as well. Most importantly take time to be together even if it is just in small ways, and your kids will certainly remember the holidays fondly.
