The year my son first understood and anticipated Christmas was a year full of delight…. and a whole lot of stress.
His excitement that year was almost unbearable. One minute he was hugging me and telling me how much he loved me… and Santa Claus. The next moment he was having a full meltdown. I tried to be consistent in my parenting. I tried to be calm, collected and firm. But the excitement seemed to be building day after day regardless of what I did to prevent it. I even resorted to the time honored threat that “Santa is watching.”
As it approached my husband and I were sure that we were in for a truly long night on Christmas Eve. We were both certain that our little 4 year old wasn’t going to sleep a wink.
The day before Christmas Eve my husband said. “We’ve pretty much finished up our Christmas shopping. Let’s do something tomorrow that is going to wear Ben out.”
So we formulated a plan.
On Christmas Eve we didn’t run around shopping or finishing last minute anything. The time for that was done. Instead we packed up the car and took the kids up the canyon by our home.
We were loaded down with sleds and hot chocolate and HOPE.
Hope that our children would be so worn out by the end of our outing that they would sleep like babies on Christmas Eve.
We had a wonderful time. Time and again we flew down the hill. Time and again we climbed to the top again. By the end of the afternoon we drank our hot chocolate to warm up and headed home. My children’s frenetic energy of the morning was gone and my hope rose a little.
When we got home we gathered round the table and decorated cookies for Santa.
Instead of the big family Christmas party that was almost two hours round trip away, we opted to stay home that year. We made a simple but lovely dinner at home complete with our favorite British tradition of Christmas Crackers
By time we were done with our day something truly magical had happened. While our children were excited. They were calm. They were happy. They fell right asleep and they even slept until 7:00 am. The parents were up before the kids and waiting for them.
We loved that year so much, we’ve continued the tradition each Christmas Eve since. Each year we go sledding and stay home on Christmas Eve with just our family. I guess it goes to show sometimes the best traditions begins out of necessity.
That is a great story–thanks for sharing that. As our family grows it seems like the excitement at Christmas grows too. I love how you can celebrate the magic of the holiday and maintain some sanity–maybe we can achieve that too…here’s to hoping anyway :)
Thank you for this story. We have 4 kiddos under 6 and this is such a great plan. What I want for them is exactly this: knowing holidays are about family, not about being stressed. Thanks you again! Merry Christmas!
what a lovely story!
I decided this year that what I don’t get done by the 1st week before Christmas wasn’t getting done. I wasn’t going to stress myself out. And, I’ve done it! and I didn’t stress myself out! It’s really a time to reflect on the past year (at least for me), to be grateful for what I have, to connect with others and enjoy myself.
I’m really glad I’ve done this. I feel very satisfied with the gifts I’m giving (at least half I’ve made or someone else has) and looking forward to a peaceful Christmas.
Have enjoyed your blog! thanks so much for all your posts!
Thank you for providing your kids with peace and joy — a tough combination for little ones! My mom always said the X in Xmas was for cross, overstimulated kids. She truly felt for them, knowing that they could not control themselves amidst so much excitement, so adults had to purposefully create a calm atmosphere for them. You have achieved that so beautifully. Thank you for sharing your story!