Everyone seems to resent the busyness of the Christmas season - too many parties, cleaning, cards, baking, shopping, cleaning, church programs, feasting, did I mention cleaning?? One friend I recently talked with expressed a desire for PEACE for the season. A worthy goal, but how does one rest in peace with so much activity and little ones scurrying around?
I brainstormed a few ideas for a quick, quiet family time to be worked into each day. With so many "after 5:00" events, perhaps breakfast or another day-time would be best to share some quiet moments with the kids remembering the real meaning of Christmas. These may not all foster peace and quiet, but could become a new family tradition!
1. read a few pages of a book together over popcorn and apples (we are enjoying "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls)
2. sing a few Christmas carols together
3. add an ornament to the tree each day
4. Write a note to a relative or neighbor (or draw a picture for the really wee ones)
5. read the day's delivery of Christmas cards while munching homemade cookies (Oreos work, too) - remember to pray for the folks you received cards from, too
6. play a game together, like Pin the Nose on the Snowman or toss giant marshmallows into bowls (who says you can't play with your food?)
7. get a large Mary and Joseph and move them closer and closer to a Nativiy scene each day, arriving on Christmas
8. Use those fire-roasted chestnuts and a rubber band to "shoot" down paper cutouts of Santa and his reindeer (parental supervision suggested)
9. have an indoor snowball fight with styrofoam balls (good for snow-challenged regions)
10. work on memorizing Luke 2 as a family - see how many hand motions you can add to aid in remembering it.
NIce quiet time that we've picked up in our household this year.
ReplyDelete17 month old boy.
We found a sticker advent calendar for cheap! Discovered that our boyo likes to put the stickers on the sheet. It's a nice 5 minute family time, and gives us a start on teaching him that holidays can mean more than gifts and parties. :)