Sometimes Pinterest inspires me and other times it crushes my spirit. We are a mere eleven days away from Christmas Eve: the holiday cards are not addressed yet, there is still shopping to be done, and the laundry pile continues to grow.
Enter "Mommy Guilt."
I mean LOOK at all the amazing things these moms are doing with their kids this month. I want to dig a hole in the snow and bury my head. This year the girls and I have done ONE holiday craft. Yep, count it. Just one. Why did we pick this one craft? It only required paper and scissors. Ha. It is time to let go of perfection this Christmas.
Below are two SUPER SIMPLE ways to connect with your family during dinner this holiday season. No glitter, glue, or tutorials required.
The holidays are a perfect time of year to focus on friends & family, and bring back the tradition of storytelling.
I love snail mail. Despite being a complete tech geek, there is something magical about getting traditional Christmas cards. This year I gave my two girls each a small package of holiday cards in their stocking.
Over the weekend, I stumbled upon this quiet scene. Rose had grabbed the rainbow Sharpies and set-up a little card writing station all by herself. She wrote notes in each card, decorated the envelopes, and then asked me to address them.
I paused for a moment. Last year, I managed to turn sending holiday cards into a horrible chore. Has this ever happened to you? Something about the way Rose diligently put care into each piece of mail was beyond inspiring.
Each year children give parents the opportunity to remember the pure joy of the holiday season.
Soon holiday cards will be flooding your mailbox. Instead of opening the mail straight away, make it a family affair.
Stack all the holiday cards from the mail in the center of the kitchen table each day. Then take turns opening them during dinner.
A little disclosure here... this was my husband's idea. I take no credit for his simple brilliance. When he saw how much effort Rose had put into her cards, he thought it was fitting that she also experienced the joy of OPENING holiday cards.
I shared his idea with my good friend Tiffany Dahle from Peanut Blossom this morning. She's going to try the tradition with her family. She replied:
As a kid I was always enamored with the growing pile of holiday cards my family received each year. My mom chose to take that holiday shortcut to save her sanity and never sent them, but we always remained on everyone else's list. I read every single letter and looked at every single card that was displayed on our buffet table.
I see the same curiosity growing in my own children as the mail comes in each day. I'm so excited to share the tradition of keeping up with far flung family & friends! It's become all the more special to me now that we live across the country from "home."
It is the perfect opportunity to share stories about friends and family with your children. We've had so much fun with this simple tradition this year. I strongly believe setting family dinner standards when our kids are young is important.
I want to set a foundation of openness and communications early. One of our everyday traditions is to grab a question from the Melissa & Doug’s Family Dinner Box of Questions at the start of dinner. We were so excited to get the special holiday version this year! Would you like to play along, too?
Each night read a question together and chat. It is the perfect holiday conversation starter.
Below are 5 sample questions from the set for you to use with your family this week:
- You know it's Christmas when __________? [Fill in the blank]
- What was the most memorable Christmas present you ever received? Given?
- If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- If you could be an elf for a day, is there something special you would like to do for a friend or family member?
- What small step can we take toward "Peace on Earth"?
SooooOoooooOoo. What are you making for dinner tonight? Yeah, I am not sure yet either. I do know our family will be sharing stories together and for this moment, that's enough to make me smile.
Do you have a simple holiday tradition or favorite family dinner idea you'd like to share? Let's chat in the comments.
PS: If you can't resist the temptation of Pinterest (like me) and you are looking for a family-friendly recipe board, be sure to check out Bring Back the Family Meal. The focus of the collection is sharing everyday family recipes, not magazine-worthy imagery that makes you feel bad when you look at your version of the recipe. Tiffany explains in her board description...
We've all seen the studies on how important it is for a family to bond over a shared meal at the dinner table. We also know how challenging fitting in that event can be for today's crazy busy modern family. Join us in the discussion on how we can bring the family together for dinner, or any other meal.
You can thank me later. {winks}
Melissa & Doug Blog Ambassador | Let's Lasso the Moon is proud to be part of the 2013 Blog Ambassador program. We worked hard alongside Melissa & Doug to explore fun ways to keep children inquisitive and to promote classic creative play. Click here to read our full sponsorship disclosure.
See all Blog Ambassador posts by Zina on Melissa & Doug's blog Playtime Press.
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