The holiday season is always full of excitement and what seems like endless activities. That’s why this year I’m going to actually stay “home” for the holidays. I’m not going to allow others, or myself to feel bad about missing out on this one, great get-together, extended family event, or light spectacular. Family is supposed to be your center during this time of year and I’m going to make that my main focus.
Now, before you go calling me a “grinch” hear me out. My family is HUGE. (Mainly because I married into a larger family.) The birth of my daughter and niece in the last year rounded the grandchild total to ten. Our annual holiday gathering at my mother in-law’s is intense, loud, and a bit crazy. Last year we tried out a new type of get-together and celebrated “Thanks-Mas”. We did a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and opened Christmas gifts afterwards. Combining these two events helped so much in the planning department for all of us “kids” that we’ve decided to do it each year moving forward on either Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day pending on when the out-of-town siblings can come into town. I love how something as simple as combining these things make the holiday season that much smoother.
Since adding “Thanks-Mas” to our itinerary I started thinking about how I can simplify the holidays in other areas. On top of a large family, we also have holiday birthdays. My husband and both my daughters have November and December birthdays. Just because they have holiday birthdays, doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate them like everyone else. Right now they are too small to understand why I would possibly combine their parties so we’ll continue to do them separately, but trust me when I say “Thanks-Mas” may become our catch-all for those holiday birthdays once the girls hit their teen years.
I’m also not going to get into the “hype” of holiday events. There are SO many things going on around Dayton in November and December it can make your head spin. This holiday season, I want to sit down with my husband and our kids and choose two things we’d like to do as a family. Doing this allows us to really think about which events are special and meaningful to us as a family. I think it will also set the tone for future holiday planning and make these events something to look forward to throughout the year.
Lastly, I will not go crazy trying to find a babysitter for holiday parties. Outside of my husband’s work Christmas Party, I won’t be out and about without my kiddos multiple days a week. I love getting together with my friends but there are less crazy times of the year we can plan something. I simply want to get back to the bare bones of the holidays and take that time to reflect on what we have and rejoice in that.
Now that I’ve presented myself as the biggest holiday “Debbie Downer” please hear me when I say this: I love the holidays, but I love my family MORE. My babies won’t be babies forever. Each year is unique and different and I want to experience that at it’s fullest. I want to simplify and make thoughtful decisions. I want the kids to remember the holidays fondly and remember that their parents were there and fully present. Moving forward, I’m going to try and stick to this plan to the best of my abilities and just stay “home” for the holidays every once in a while.
What are some ways you could simplify the holidays in your life?
Yes!! We also combine Thanksgiving and Christmas with my moms side of the family, and it reduces so much stress! (Though we don’t have a clever name like “Thanks-mas”!)
I’m pretty sure my husbands mom came up with the name, so I cannot take full credit. However, it was because of my due date last year that the two events were combined, so that I’ll take credit for! haha!
Yes! I’m actually really looking forward to this holiday season with a brand new baby as my excuse to not go anywhere or do anything! I think it will make it so much more chill!
When I was pregnant and due during the holidays last year is what set this plan into action! After the fact we all talked about how much we enjoyed it and how less stressful it was so it’s here to stay. Enjoy those baby cuddles all through the holidays this year mama!
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