The holidays have snuck up on us, and there's no question that this year is different than all the others. It's arguably been one of the most stressful times of our lives, and it's not letting up yet. We've had a global health crisis that threw our plans and schedules for a loop, many of us are working from home, a good portion of us are also helping our kids with their remote schooling, and on top of this, there's civil unrest and an election that was stranger than any other in memory. All we want is the holiday season to take our brains away from all this for a little while.
In order to do this we need to simplify the holiday season. We can do a lot to keep this fun for our kids and help take the level of stress way down for ourselves and fellow parents. Let's all agree to make a plan to finish off this year with less stress and more happy memories.
Have a Zoom Get-Together
One of the best — and most stressful — parts about the holidays is being able to get together with our families. Although it's amazing to make those memories, it's often hard for parents with young kids, so simplify this year and stay home. Everyone knows how to use Zoom or even Facebook Messenger to do a video gathering with the family. It can be for a few hours or just a couple of minutes — and it'll be the only year you can get away with it, so take advantage!
Have a Movie Marathon
Instead of seeing a movie in a theater or going to the community theater production of "The Nutcracker," plan a stay-at-home holiday movie night. Embrace how there will be less stress trying to get everyone out the door at the right time and trying to keep the kids on their best behavior.
Slim Down the Baking Plans
A long-standing tradition for many families is to spend lots of time (plus money and energy) baking cookies, and every family seems to have the favorites they make every year. But with fewer people we can share the cookies with this year, stick to one cookie recipe and spend the extra time having fun decorating them. Sugar cookies make good holiday cookies, and kids of all ages can have fun with the icing.
The Elf on the Shelf
Every year parents put so much pressure on themselves to make the most outrageous, memorable, and fun setups for their elf to land itself in. Instead of doing that this year, use the global health crisis to advantage and have the elf in quarantine, isolating and staying put. There's still loads of things to add to it and make it different each year, but keep it simple and avoid the drama.
Book a Mini Photo Session With Little Stress
The holiday season is often one of the best times to get a professional photo of the family. Instead of going all out this year, try a mini photo session instead. There will be way less time spent looking for a photographer who has availability and is within the budget, but great shots will are possible. Companies such as Shoott even let families book a mini photo session with local photographers online. The session is free, and families simply pay for each photo they want to buy. The company is even teaming up with eco-friendly card company Paper Culture to get families affordable photos and discounted holiday cards all at once! Crossing off one more thing on our to-do list is a huge win in our book.
Put the Tree Up Early
Yes, some people have rules for not putting the holiday tree up before Thanksgiving has taken place, but we're team "do whatever makes the family smile this year." If that means the tree goes up before mid-November, that's just more fun to be had.
Let Go of the Dinner Pressure
Given this Thanksgiving is likely to be less family-filled, don't put so much pressure on the meal. Suppose the kids don't like the turkey dinner with all the fixings? In that case, there's no strict rulebook that says the family can't enjoy chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Christmas Light Drive
There are so many neighborhoods that like to go really big for holiday lights, and this year, we're guessing that's going to be a big thing to bring joy to neighbors. Instead of going caroling door-to-door or hosting a holiday open house, go for a relaxing drive and see all the lights. Alternatively, to keep it even more low-key, check out some videos on the best holiday light shows on YouTube.
Cut Down on the Decoration Pressure
Suppose decorations are something that causes more anxiety trying to plan out and finish this year. In that case, it's totally OK to let them go. Either trim down what's typically done or disregard it completely. Many people work from home right now, so having more clutter around, though joyful, may overcomplicate things. This year, we don't need more complications.
Leave the Politics Alone
One of the running jokes of Thanksgiving is the family getting into political discussions during the dinner table. This year, given that many families will be virtually getting together, really make an effort to keep the political talk to a minimum and focus on things that bring joy. If that's a challenge for some families, try and keep these get-togethers to a minimum.
Say "No" to Complicated Plans
If there's ever been a year that families need more grace and understanding, it's this one. There has been so much extra added stress that the last thing we need for the holiday season is more of it. Simplify things this year and say "no" to whatever isn't going to work for the family overall.
Don't Stress the Finances
The holiday season is a hard time financially for many families. With this year being more stressful moneywise for many people worldwide, focus on homemade gifts such as cookies, cute coupons, or pictures drawn by the kids, and send cards to family who live further away. The holidays are really about love and togetherness, and no one wants their loved ones to stress out financially, so we say ease up on the pressure.
Start Early
Sometimes all we can do is what we have time for and we're left freaking out at the end that we've don't have enough time to get everything done. Simplify that this year by starting early. We don't have to get a lot done in one sitting if we slowly chip away at projects with loads of time in advance. Make a list, get the whole family involved, and build in plenty of time to get things done so there's less stress near the end.
Focus on Being Present
We often do our best to stuff so many memories into the holiday season so our kids can have a great time. In doing so, we often end up missing out on a lot of it ourselves, and that's not really what our kids want. Think less quantity and more quality in how to spend time with the family this holiday season. Take advantage of the fact that everyone is home together more than ever before.
Find a Multi-Use Gift
We often stress out during the holiday season trying to find the best gift for everyone on our list. This year, make an effort to let go of that pressure and find one gift that can work for several people. Perhaps choose to go with a cute professional photograph of the family in a frame that the kids decorate and a batch of cookies they helped make. That could work for grandma, the in-laws, aunts, and uncles — and it simplifies the whole gift-giving process.
Let Go of the Pressure to Document it All
One of the things parents do when these big holidays come around is to document everything. We take photos and videos, share them on social media, and worry about having enough captured memories for the kids when they're older. The biggest way to simplify the holiday is to let go of all the pressure — all of it. Put down the phone, have fun, and don't worry about capturing the perfect shot of the kids in their Christmas PJs. If there's any season we need to disconnect from our devices, it's this one.
