The holidays can be of the best times and worst of times for families. There are many things Bay Area families must jiggle that can tend to have major stressors on family life. Traffic, child care holiday closures, and gift shopping just to name a few things that can impact your enjoyment of this holiday season. Here are some suggestions made simple in acronyms to ease into the holiday spirit Bay Area parent-style.
DIT– Do It Together
Of course, we all love to DIY, (Do-It-Yourself), but during the holiday season we need to do things together. Use this time to make new family memories cleaning, decorating, and prepping. Delegating tasks to the little ones, spouses, and other family members can reduce the workload. Make a list of things that need to be completed. Then make a visual chart and let others sign up for what they can commit to. Use whatever is leftover as your personal workload. You can even do this for the holiday cooking. Make it a potluck! “Teamwork makes the Dreamwork”
TECH– Trust Everyone’s Choice Honey
We live in the Information Technology age where information and opinions are everywhere! Take the time to see what others are doing so that you don’t reinvent the wheel. There are mommy playgroups, local meetups, and even COCOKIDS Resource and Referral line. Find out how other moms are planning and prepping for the holidays. Maybe you will get some helpful advice from seasoned professional holiday entertainers. Check out Pinterest and YouTube for holiday survival tips. Remember, you are not alone. Someone somewhere has dealt with similar, if not the same situation. Think #TECH!
KISS– Keep It Simple Sweetie
Don’t fall for the hype or over the top traditions. Keep it simple and fun! Instead of going to both sides of the family, invite everyone to one location. Use the DIT system and maybe make a raffle gift giveaway instead of Secret Santa. Or, you can take it a step further and have crafts that everyone will hand make cards to gift to others. Using these simple suggestions will help you save time and money. You can create new holiday traditions and memories that last a lifetime.
Happy Holidays from COCOKIDS!