Holiday Ready?

‘Tis the season to be……
How would you personalize this sentence?
Jolly? Stressed? Partied out? Busy? Worried?
Although the holidays are filled with gatherings and parties, many people find it to be a stressful time as well. For myself, I always host a Christmas Eve dinner at my house with my side of the family, my in-laws, and some close friends. I always have the best of intentions when I send the invites out, but ultimately make myself crazy trying to clean the whole house (honestly who in the world is going to look in my closet?) and shop for all the food (everyone asks what they can bring, so why can’t I delegate?) and then worry that it all is costing too much. Again, this is supposed to be a fun get together. So, why am I always so exhausted by Christmas?
No matter what holiday you celebrate, the same sentiment is often echoed by other parents.
So this year, I challenge myself and you to make a new tradition: make some time for FUN and FAMILY. I mean quality time every day for the 2 week vacation. I want to do something special with my daughter everyday where she and I spend time doing something together and I hope you will join me in this challenge. Some ideas that I have done and new ones I came up with include:

* Taking a walk/hike in a new area (I’m thinking parts of Tilden we have never explored)
* Having an old fashioned tea party
* Bake something from scratch (or semi-from scratch)
* Read a book then watch the movie (in Junior K we do this with the Polar Express)
* Go to Pump It Up during drop-in hours and Jump with your kid (Fun and a great calorie burn)
* Play a Game (Not an Electronic One): Chutes & Ladders, Checkers, Go Fish, the classics
* “Camp out” at home and pitch a tent in the living room
* Go to the park and do everything your kid does (great workout)
* Do a science or art project together (research something then do the project together)
* Do something out of season (go to the beach, bundle up and play in the sand or take a bike ride and get ice cream)

You may already do these things with your child or you may have been inspired to do something new, but the whole point is to make our time with our kids meaningful and intentional. I will still go crazy making my house “Holiday Ready” for my annual Christmas Eve party, but this year I may vacuum one less room so I can color a page out of my daughter’s Frozen coloring book with her.