Ideas for a (free) fun-but-relaxed December
A sudden drop in temp and immediate shift into the holiday season has my head spinning! I’m thinking a lot about how to parse out genuine holiday merriment and the forced, guilt-inducing pressure to provide my kids with a “magical” holiday. I truly love all the twinkling lights and peppermint treats that this season brings, and always have. But now, as a mom, behind every cozy cuddle hangs the invisible mental load that comes with making sure there’s a twinkle in my children’s eyes, too. “He’s so happy!” quickly turns to “Did I do enough?” which spirals into, “What about all the people who can’t do this?” and finally moves on to “What awaits us in 2025?”
So at the risk of sounding overly moralistic, I encourage everyone to remain in the present, and focus on what is within your control. It doesn’t mean ignore the world, it doesn’t mean buy another wreath, it just means consider how we all fit in it together and what really brings joy to your home.
A little comic I drew in 2021 that I like to call Holiday Seasonal Depression!
Each year there seem to be new “traditions” that keep us buying (and fretting). Are advent calendars suddenly everywhere? And elves of shelves? These were not things that were part of my childhood Christmas celebrations but now I see them everywhere I turn. In my effort to resist spending so much money and still keep up daily fun, I made my own advent calendar this year that wasn’t focused on little gifts or steady sugar intake. It’s pretty lo-fi and I used a template from Canva, making small adjustments to the suggested activities before printing it out. I’m sharing it here in case it removes just one thing from your to-do list.
If you want to use this for your family HERE are the instructions:
Download and print the file out on two separate pages.
Use an exact-o knife to cut little flaps on each number on page 1 so your little one can lift it up to see underneath.
Paste the edges of page 1 on top of page 2! Voila!
The ideas on the calendar include things like “do something kind for a neighbor” and “spend the day showing gratitude for the things you have.” Each suggestion is just about doing something together so even if the prompt says make a gingerbread house, you can do that with cardboard or legos - here’s your chance to get creative!
I should mention, you can always save activities for different days - don’t feel pressure to make hot chocolate on a rushed Monday night! Look at a calendar with your kid and decide when you’ll do it, build the anticipation and even combine activities!
One more idea in case hot chocolate and snowflakes aren’t your thing
Have a kid obsessed with a topic? Dinosaurs? Rabbits? Mummies? Look up some facts about the topic and write them on strips of paper. Fold up the paper and number them. Just like that you’ve got the most interesting advent calendar around - your kid can unfold and discover a new fun fact about something they love each day! (If you want, you can place them along a strip of painters tape to be pulled off in order.)
Wishing you a fun-filled and relaxed December,
Molly
