Christmas is a magical time of the year at our house. Everything is decorated with sparkles, and the sound of carols fill the air majority of the day. As a mom, I feel like I should help to make this a special season for my daughters. This holiday is a great reminder for us to celebrate Jesus and to be compassionate towards others and I try hard to incorporate the importance of the real reason for the season with the fun commercial side of Christmas. But, let’s be honest…. It’s easy for my kids to get wrapped up in the presents and the sweet treats. And if I’m being really honest…. it’s easy for me too. By the time December 26th rolls around, I’m ready to wrap up the holiday and get our lives re-focused and ready for a new year.
How do I plan to help us detox from the gingerbread houses, stockings, christmas lights, wrapping paper, and ribbon?
Pack away Christmas. Every year, I love getting out our treasured decorations, but putting them away as soon we get the chance after the 25th helps us to relax. The tree doesn’t stay up for weeks on end (even though I love it!) because seeing it daily is a constant reminder to my kids to get hyped up with holiday merriment. Clearing our house from the Christmas clutter is a visual reminder that the holiday is over and we can mentally take a deep breath and move towards the new year.
Clear out the sweets. My sweet tooth is the size of a mountain. I love the snacks and sweets that are special for this time of year, and so do my kids. My husband and I get extra lenient during the month of December regarding how many candy canes the kids can consume, so once our home is cleared from the extra treats, we are all better off! The sugar highs go away and we all get a better nights sleep.
Find a place for all of the gifts. I’m a junkie when it comes to organizing. I love the thrill of finding a place for everything. Once the wrapping paper is trashed, and reusable boxes are neatly folded and put away, I usually start brainstorming where the new toys and gadgets will go. Past experience has taught me that if I leave a pile of new toys out for my kids to dig through, their energy level goes through the roof. They get greedier when they see their gifts laying there and don’t feel like they have enough, or the right stuff. By strategically sorting through our unused toys prior to Christmas, we’ve opened up space for the new things to go. Everything quickly finds a home, and my girls (and myself!) are less overwhelmed with their new prized possessions.
Thank you cards. The art of sending thank you cards is not easy for me. I make sure that my girls genuinely say thanks during the gift opening process, but once a day or so has passed, and we’ve returned from our holiday travels, we quickly forget. This year, I’m planning ahead of time to have thank you cards ready for my girls to color and send to our family who have generously loved on them over Christmas. Reminding my kids that Christmas gifts are not a requirement of Christmas, but a true blessing, is important to me. Our Christmas detox needs to be filled with love and thankfulness if we want to move past the holiday hustle and bustle.
Chill out. January is warmly welcomed into my life because it’s the start of a new year. It’s a chance to take a deep breath and just chill. After the holiday parties, school activities, shopping, baking, and all of the other fun that was scheduled during December has passed…. we owe it to ourselves and our families to stop. I don’t fill my planner with much during the first couple of weeks because intentionally teaching my kids to relax and enjoy the calmness with our family is important to me.
How do you get your home back to “normal” after the holiday hustle?
