How to Survive the Holiday Season - Finale

How to Survive the Holiday Season

Finale

     I've talked about a lot of different topics, but it's time to close this for now.  There are a few more topics I want to talk about.

1.  Company parties - Depending on the company, they tend to be mandatory.  Check the notes.  What's the dress code?  Are kids welcome?  As I know from personal experience, if your kids are there, keep an eye out for spiked punch.  Kids don't know the difference.

2.  Christmas photos - I touched on this briefly earlier.  With changing technology a trip to the local kids photo shop is not necessary.  You can still do something like that if you want a professional photo shoot.  I'm personally not a fan of the mall photo shops.  Hire a pro you trust and choose your own setting.  Your kids will be happier.  Especially if they don't have to be bored for two hours waiting.  Technology has changed so much of how this can be done now.  Use photos from events during the year in your holiday letter or email.  Be creative!

3.  Holiday food and drink - From Thanksgiving through New Years is the season for amazing food and drink.  Think about it - turkey, ham, crown roast, cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, Grandma's homemade candy, tamales, specialty breads, the list goes on.  Diet before Thanksgiving.  Don't even think about dieting during the holiday season.  And don't be the person asking for no-sugar, soy, lactose free dishes.  I just heard a nightmare story about the Aunt who brought pumpkin pies with sugar substitute to the family dinner, because she was cutting out the sugars.  

   There are people who need specialty diets.  Plan for it.  You know what you can eat.  Stick to that.  Make sure your kids stick to what they can eat.  Bring food you can trust.  Just don't force your needs on everyone.

   There can be a lot of alcoholic drinks available during the holiday season.  Know your limits.  If you do plan to drink, do just that, plan for it.  NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!  The same goes for other intoxicants.  Don't put others at risk so you can have fun.  On the positive side, there are a lot of drinks, alcoholic and not, that are only available during the holiday season.  Eggnog comes to mind.  Enjoy!

4.  Holiday travel - With or without kids

Without kids is simpler.  A whole lot less stuff to bring with.  Can be last minute.

With kids takes planning.  You can't drive 14 hours straight.  You will all be crazy unless your family is trained to survive this.  Traveling with kids takes practice.  They have to be taught how to behave, whether it's in a car for longer than 30 minutes, or in an airport or plane.

   Quick tips:  Babies don't understand about swallowing to handle air pressure.  That's why they start crying at take off and landings.  Have something for them to swallow or eat.  Everyone around you will thank you.

   One of the things we did for long car rides was to have at least 1 new small toy for each kid.  They knew about it, but they could not have it until the car was out of the driveway.  I would also bring a new book or two, and coloring books and crayons.  And snacks.  A bored kid is a cranky kid.  But you don't have to entertain them every moment.  It's a family experience, they can be part of it.  That's where the training comes in.  But something new to distract them occasionally is a good thing.

5.  Guests and relations in general - During the holidays, if you're not traveling, sometimes others are traveling ad staying with you.  Plan for it.  Be gracious, but don't let yourself be stepped on.  If you have kids, involve them in the planning.  If Uncle Fred and Aunt Rose are staying in your kids room, he ought to be involved in those discussions.  Your child needs to learn to be gracious about this, and some positive reinforcement wouldn't hurt.

Lots more I could talk about, but it's getting late.  Have fun with your holiday season.

And when it's all done, take note of what worked and what didn't so you can make changes for next year.