Are Your Christmas Traditions Outdated?

 

Did you realize that many families do the same thing, over and over, every Christmas? Sometimes “the same” thing they do is something that everyone actually dreads or just finds a little boring. This is often a sign that your Christmas traditions are a bit outdated. When do you know if your Christmas traditions are outdated?

 

One of the biggest challenges families face in trying to discover if their Christmas traditions are outdated is often family members will not tell the truth about how they feel about these traditions. They want to be kind and loving to their family, and not hurt anyone’s feelings. These family members may be a little bored on Christmas but they figure it is a small price to pay. They would rather be together – than by themselves on Christmas.

 

Often in families there are a few family members who are in charge, usually the eldest members. It typically falls to these family members to speak up in a nice way that it is time to make some changes to your Christmas traditions. A very important factor is letting every family member “have their say” about changing Christmas traditions. When changes are made to traditions without input from other family members, they can take this as a very hurtful action. Letting everyone participate is helpful in creating a new Christmas tradition that everyone enjoys.

 

In choosing a new Christmas tradition, take an honest look at the old Christmas tradition and see what about it each family member likes or does not like. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for everyone is traveling the far distance. Maybe they enjoy the tradition of coming together for a sumptuous holiday meal. Changing the location of the holidays could then be the best solution. But looking at the old Christmas tradition does help lead to the new Christmas tradition which makes everyone happy about the holidays.

 

Taming Your Kids’ Christmas “Gimmie” Monster

Kids count the days down until Christmas. It’s cute that kids get so excited about Christmas. But in some families, Christmas can cause a lot of frustration. When kids are constantly asking for toys – even if they’ve already requested a large number of toys – what is a parent to do? You need to tame the “Gimmie” monster.

Every kid’s personality is different. Some kids may simply be more materialistic than others. They may enjoy toys and objects more than other kids. Other kids may want to have the toys they see other kids have – as the result of peer pressure. So it is less that they actually want these toys and more their desire to fit in. Understanding your kid’s desire for the toys is important.

Teaching kids that Christmas is not simply about toys and getting more toys is important. It may take extra effort and work on the part of parents and families but it is worth it. Consider adding some wintertime activities such as Christmas crafts like making handmade ornaments or Christmas cards to your kid’s schedule. Once your kid starts to see that Christmas is not all about toys, this begins to change their perspective.

Kids can also learn that Christmas is about society. Teach kids that Christmas is about helping others in your community. Choose a charity in your community and help them in some way as a family. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen, bring pet food to the animal shelter, donate coats to the homeless or sing Christmas carols at the nursing home. There are many charities you can help.

Another suggestion to tame the “Gimmie” monster is to set some boundaries on what kids can ask for. They can ask for toys on a certain date and after that day the asking must stop. Kids can ask again for toys on their birthday.

Fun Christmas Activities for Kids

Christmas is a fun time for kids. There are so many activities that are ideal for kids during Christmastime. Try these fun activities with your kids to enjoy Christmas just a bit more. These activities can make your holidays even more special!

Make handmade Christmas ornaments with your kids. There are so many great Christmas ornaments you can make. “Google” salt dough ornaments and you’ll find an easy recipe to make lots of inexpensive ornaments that even young kids can make with a bit of supervision. Try making garlands of popcorn and alternating cranberries for an old fashioned touch. Handmade ornaments are wonderful for your Christmas tree as you can use them each year and remember the special times your kids made them.

Participate in the church’s Christmas pageant. This is a fun activity for many kids. The Christmas pageant is a kids activity that occurs in many churches and is a free activity. Quite often every child is “cast” in a part – no child is excluded from the pageant. You’ll get some beautiful pictures of your kid acting in the Christmas pageant and some happy memories for them. This also teaches them about the birth of baby Jesus and his mother Mary.

Choose a charity and do something good for others. This is an excellent choice during Christmastime to teach your kids compassion and goodwill for others in your community. Older kids can help choose a charity and be more involved – but even younger kids will enjoy knowing they are helping needy families, animals or another society concern. There are many charities looking for help. Try contacting your local United Way chapter or church for suggestions.