Our Mommyhood

Finding time to relax around the holidays can be difficult. During Christmas we shop, cook, bake and clean, on top of our normal work schedules and errands. It’s important to slow down during the holiday season to avoid fatigue and general holiday burn-out. It’s also important to slow down to avoid having a house full of children who are bouncing off of the walls! Follow these tips and you’re sure to keep holiday stress for you and your children to a minimum.

1. Listen to Carols

Christmas songs are well-loved by millions. Before the holiday season officially begins you can tune in to any one of several radio stations to hear Christmas music coming through your speakers. After dinner, sit down with the kids and tune in to one of these stations or put on a favorite CD. Music sites like Pandora have stations that you can tailor make with your favorite tunes or style of holiday music. This can be a great way to unwind and will inevitably lead to a sing-along!

2. Read Books

While ‘The Night Before Christmas’ is a fantastic book, there are many more holiday themed books available at your local library. Grab an armful and read one to your children before bed each night. Better yet, read one to them while they take a warm bath and read another when they are tightly tucked in.

Christmas Story

3. Watch Movies

There is a virtually never-ending supply of holiday themed movies for you to choose from. Spend an evening camped in front of the television with a bowl of your favorite snack and mugs of hot chocolate. If you have time to watch several movies, let each child pick one. If you don’t, alternate weekends. Let one child pick the movie this Saturday and another child pick the movie for next weekend. From cartoons to Christmas comedies, there are movies appropriate for all age groups.

4. Make Cards

It’s easy to buy a box of Christmas cards but much more personal to make your own. Grab your craft supplies, sit down with your children and make Christmas cards to send to your family and friends. Your children will enjoy the chance to be creative and your friends and family will enjoy the personal touch. Construction paper, glue, scissors, markers and a variety of embellishments are all you need!

What comes next?

5. Bake

If you have a lot of baking to do, no doubt it can put you under a bit of a time crunch but if you take the time to slow it down, and let the kids help, you can turn this holiday chore into a relaxing time with the kids. Sit down with your children and let them look through a holiday cookbook. Let each child pick a cookie they’d like to bake, head to the store to purchase the ingredients and come home and spend a weekend baking. Your kids will love to help and you’ve gotten the task done without having to do it by yourself!

6. Get Crafty

There are all sorts of holiday decorations that lend themselves to small, crafty hands. Stockings, garlands and wreaths can all be made by children quite easily. Rather than spending a ton of money at the store and fighting through the throng of people, spend a day at the kitchen table creating holiday decorations with your kids. With a bit of felt, yarn, embellishments and even items from your backyard, you’re sure to create Christmas decorations that you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Christmas can be stressful for many and it’s easy to lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. This season should be a time to relax with your family and be thankful for the things and people that you have. Take the time to slow down; these years go by quickly!

Author Mary Thomas is a mother of three, and loves to use this Christmas Music site as a source for lyrics. Find everything from traditional hymns to multi-lingual and contemporary Christmas song lyrics.

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