A Holiday to Remember
Over-indulgence – it seems to begin around Thanksgiving and continues well through the New Year. We eat too much, drink too much, spend too much money, watch too much TV, we’re dashing around on sugar rushes and caffeine highs. We often have to pass on our exercise plans in order to get all the shopping done and the holiday meals made. We are sleep deprived and stressed to the max over money, family and in-law activities, not to mention the added expectations from work, clubs and church get-togethers. We find ourselves riding on this emotional roller coaster brought on by overindulgence. And guess who we take with us on this whirlwind of a trip…of course… it’s our children.
It doesn’t have to be that way you know. I hope I’m not too late…have your already worked yourself up into a frazzle? Are you already seeing your sweet little angels turn into wild banshees? Have they tossed their school work in the trash, and heaved themselves on the living room couch? It’s time to take charge and set limits, and to create a plan that will help our children get the most out of their holiday vacation. It’s a great opportunity for us to reinforce in our children the true meaning of Christmas and the value of family. It’s also a chance to reinforce what the kids are learning at school.
As always, it’s important to begin with a plan. That plan should include clear limits and boundaries for your children. How many hours of TV are you willing to let them watch, how many hours of game-boys and x-boxes and internet games are you willing to let them play, how many sodas can they drink each day, how much candy, cookies and other crap can they eat? There’s no reason to let your children have a ‘free for all’ just because it’s Christmas break. They don’t feel any better than we do after we overindulge.
So what will they do if they can’t watch TV? Well, depending on how innovative and creative you want to be, there are endless opportunities to integrate family time, values and your child’s learning at school into what’s happening around them at home.
Let’s begin with Math: Baking is a perfect opportunity for your child to use their math skills. Let them select the recipe they want to make, have them search for all the measurement tools they will need, and talk to them about all the numbers that go into making sugar cookies (temperature of oven, cups, teaspoons, time, etc.). Suggest that they try and come up with word problems as they bake. If I make 20 cookies and there are 6 of us here, how many cookies will we each get (if I feed one to the dog)? It’s a great time to share with them about your fond memories of Christmas. Have the children help you wrap the gifts. They can measure the wrapping paper to see how much is needed. What a perfect time to teach your children about money as they finish their Christmas shopping on a limited budget. You do have your kids on a budget right? (Sounds like an opportunity for another column.) And if you’re really brave and dedicated in having your kids relate to math, you can do weigh-ins before and after the holidays. A great ‘exercise’ in subtraction, or would it be addition?
History: How about working on a theme with your kids over the holidays such as the Christmas Past (sounds like we’re in a Scrooge movie). You can begin with a trip to the library or bookstore, research the internet, or better yet, schedule interviews with the ‘oldies’. Grandma and Grandpa or Tía would no doubt love to share their holiday memories with your kids. Suggest that the family try and find out about the traditions that go along with all the things that we take for granted over the holidays. You and your children can make up a list of why certain traditions began and search to find the answer. For example, why do we put up Christmas lights (besides the fact that the neighbors do)? Why do we eat candy canes at Christmas? Was Santa ever a real person? When did mistletoe enter the Christmas scene? What is the story behind the first Christmas tree? Did the gift-giving traditions really begin with the wise men on the first Christmas Day? What was life like in those days anyway? Talk about your own family traditions and how they compare with those of the past. Have your children look at the Christmas cards to think about other mysteries of history to solve regarding our Christmas celebration.
Geography: If you don’t already have one, I suggest that you buy a large World map and tape it up on the wall. (You can even put a sting of lights around it to make it festive.) Our local book stores sale them for under $10. Also, pick up some of the very small colorful post-it notes. Give each of your family members a different color of sticker. When you read in the newspaper or hear on the news about a different place in the world, have the person who first heard it, call it out and then claim it but finding its location and placing their sticker on the map. The person that has the most stickers at the end of the holiday break wins a prize. It’s a fun game for the whole family and it helps your kids learn about geography. No doubt Mom and Dad need the review as well?
Reading: No holiday is complete without a trip to the bookstore or the library to collect reading material for the break. I suggest you make the trip early so you can begin right away to do your history research or just find wonderful endearing stories about Christmas. Find one or two of your own favorite childhood books and read each night as a family as you gather around the tree. With a limited amount of TV and game time, you’ll find that your kids will enjoy the reading all the more.
Writing: Have your children make a holiday journal. You can suggest that your child write a Christmas journal for the future. Just like they’re learning about what past Christmas’ were like, have them imagine that one day, one of their grandchildren will pick up their journal and read about Christmas in 2008 (the old days). Don’t let them forget to include their current family traditions and things that they are most thankful for. Another great writing practice is having your children write thank-you cards for all the gifts they received (hopefully they will make the cards). How about you all sit down together so they can see you also writing your thank-you’s.
PE: Every day your children should be out enjoying our beautiful weather. Whether it’s riding bikes, playing on the swings, playing sports or playing make-believe while soaking up the sunshine. Our kids should be outside physically moving for several hours each day, and of course we will want to join in as well. Why not make a date each day for a family walk!
The Arts: The list is endless. Can you imagine celebrating Christmas without the beautiful traditional music? Baking, playing games or quiet conversations are more enjoyed as we enhance the ambiance with Christmas carols. I so hope that you have your children engaged daily in using their creative talents. Your kids can make gifts, gift-wrap, baked items, coupon books, Christmas ornaments. Give them a jump-start by pulling out the box of craft supplies.
Our lives are so busy and we’ve let the hustle and bustle of the holiday season sweep us up into a place most of us don’t want to be. So much of our focus nowadays is put on presents for Christmas. But, as I look back at my childhood Christmas’, the memories that stick out for me are not of the toys or gifts I received, but of the family moments. I treasure the times we sat together beside the fire, roasting marshmallows, and listening to my mom’s favorite Ray Coniff Christmas Album. I adored making sugar cookies with my sisters, drinking hot chocolate with my friends, and trekking out in the snow with Dad to find the perfect Christmas tree. I still remember the popcorn strings and cranberry wreaths that I attempted to make and the Christmas plays that my sisters, cousins and I annually wrote, produced, directed and starred in …and received standing ovations for! I can still hear and feel the wonderful Christmas hymns that reverberated throughout our old red bricked Church in the mountains. Although your children may not experience the snow, they will remember the times that they had as a family, the books and songs they enjoyed together and traditions that they will carry on to the next generation.
So breathe deeply and purposefully slow down the pace. Use this extra time with your children to teach them about traditions, share memories and pass on the hope, joy and thanksgiving of the holiday season.
