KC Parent magazine December 2020

Page 34

Bringing Joy to the Holidays

If you are able to take the “musts” of the season and turn them into a family activity, you’ll feel the pressure on you ease a bit.

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kcparent.com december 2020

D

o you remember the days when the thought of Christmas filled you with such an excited expectation that you could barely sleep? Now that I’m responsible for making those memories for my children, I’ve found the holidays have more stress, pressure and cost than I’d ever imagined. Still, my heart is to enjoy the holidays with my family. The question is how to do that. Bringing joy back to your holidays takes a little self-examination to determine what takes joy from your holidays. Everyone is different, but the main points of stress in most people’s lives seem to be busyness, finances and family.

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize To begin to declutter your schedule, make a list of what is most important for you to accomplish this season. What do you want to do? What matters most to you? What are your traditions? Pull out your calendar and mark down the nonnegotiables like work parties, children’s events and family obligations. Next, take a look at the things you need to do and schedule them. Baking, cleaning, shopping. Make it fun. Involve your kids in the baking. Get the entire family to spend three hours on a Saturday morning to get the house clean then go out and have a


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