December is a hectic month for most people. If your kids are involved in activities outside the home, December is the month of parties, presentations, and awards. Then you may volunteer for some activities. Add in Christmas present buying and trying to squeeze in homeschooling, and you have a frantic month indeed!
How to Have a More Relaxing Holiday Season
If you want a more relaxing December, less is truly more. You and your kids do not enjoy the holiday season when it’s too busy and stressful. Instead, take these steps to slow down and enjoy the holidays.
Limit Outside Activities
Taking this step now may be too late for this December, but in the future, you may want to consider limiting your kids to just one or two outside activities.
We were forced to do this in 2020 because so many activities shut down during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, my kids were involved in American Heritage Girls (AHG), gymnastics, choir, and a co-op. Each of these activities had an event in December. AHG had an evening awards ceremony, gymnastics had a presentation, choir had an evening of singing, and the co-op had a presentation. All of these events made the month of December exhausting.
This year, the girls are only involved in circus, and they have one presentation in December. The month seems so much more open now!
Prioritize What You Want to Accomplish in December
What means the most to you this holiday season. Do you want to spend time with your family? Volunteer to help people in need? Travel?
There’s no right or wrong answer. Instead, realize that you can’t do everything. Pick one or two priorities for the holiday season.
Then, practice saying no to the rest of the opportunities that come your way. I find this especially true for volunteering. There are so many demands on your money and your time in December. You may feel bad saying no to a good cause. But remember, your community likely has needs all year long. You have 11 other months when you can volunteer. If you say no in December, you can always give of your time and your money later in the year when fewer people are volunteering.
Take a Longer Homeschool Break
A lot of homeschoolers take all of December off. That’s the beauty of homeschooling—you’re not tied to a calendar made by the school board.
If you don’t want to take the month off, you can switch to Christmas school and have a more relaxing homeschool during December.
Have Your Kids Help with Christmas Preparations
We parents sometimes think we’re the only ones who can do all the tasks that need to be done in December, but that’s not true. Your kids can help wrap presents, bake cookies, and clean the house. When the whole family is involved in the chores, you finish faster. Then, you have more time to relax and drive around to see the neighborhood Christmas decorations or watch a movie together.
Get Active
December is often a cold, snowy month. With the cold weather and so many other things to do, we may neglect our health by eating too many treats and not exercising. Meanwhile, kids tend to be wound up and extra energetic this time of year. Why not find activities to do with the kids? If you live in a snowy area, go sledding with the kids. Or go out and build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Take a break one afternoon and take the kids roller skating or indoor rock climbing. You’ll be creating memories and burning off the extra energy the holidays bring.
Final Thoughts
December is often a hectic month, but it doesn’t have to be. With a conscious effort, you can slow down, enjoy and savor the season, and spend more time with your family.
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