I have been particularly out of sorts these past weeks coming up to the holidays. I don’t know why specifically, but I just couldn’t get into the Holiday spirit. But Christmas eve is here, and I’m finally in the mood to relax and enjoy the holidays.
I’ve been on staycation all week. It has been a much-needed relaxing experience, especially since for the past few months it has been madness everywhere – work, school, Micah, my mom, life in general. I have had many sleepless nights, and just completely stressed out most of the time.
I eagerly awaited the chance to take off these past few days, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I sent Micah to school each day, I got my Christmas shopping completed, I got a large majority of my homework completed, and I have even penciled in some time for me to get a message. It is extremely difficult to find time just for you, and I’m taking full advantage of it.
Now that I’ve finally found my Christmas spirit (mostly because I’ve found the time to enjoy it), I am going to implement some new easy & simple Christmas eve traditions that Micah and I can enjoy together, and I wanted to share them with all of you.
Remember: This does not have to be done on Christmas Eve, but anytime around the holidays. I know that sharing custody means sharing the holidays, so be sure to implement these ideas when you have your children.
- Pajama party. One of the things that I’ve always wanted to do is have a pajama party with Micah. We can relax, play games, and just all around have some fun in our pajamas.This will be the first year that I truly make it happen. It’s not necessary to buy new pajamas every year, but it would be cool to see the pictures for years to come of every set of pajamas we’ve worn every Christmas eve, don’t you think?
- Movie Night. Christmas Eve is a great night to watch some great Holiday movies. Be sure to check out the movies on Netflix; I’m sure you will not be disappointed. Plus, it’s a good time to enjoy some classic Holiday movies!
- Bake some goodies. Micah LOVES baking! And Christmas Eve is definitely a great time to bake some of your favorite goodies and much all night. Spend some time planning what you’re going to bake, grab the ingredients from the store, and get to baking.
- Read Christmas stories before bedtime. Consider your child’s favorite characters or books, and try to locate the Christmas versions of them. For instance, Micah really likes Pete the Cat books, so I tracked down Pete the Cat Saves Christmas. I found the Kindle version of the book (I rarely do this, but sometimes it’s cool to have the books read to us or hear the accompanying music). Also, consider locating some of the classic books that share those timeless Christmas tales.
- Track Santa down. Micah is really starting to understand the concept of Santa, and is excited about the “special present” that he’ll get from Santa this Christmas. Now that we have a fireplace in our apartment, he keeps looking up the chimney periodically, and he keeps wondering when Santa will come. Just like when we track orders for pizza, we can now track Santa’s whereabouts. The NORAD Santa Tracker is a great tool to track Santa’s deliveries. We’ll be checking Santa’s whereabouts for most of the evening, and I’m sure it will be loads of fun!
- Open one present. Choose one present that your child can open on Christmas Eve. To make it more fun, allow your child to choose their own present to open. Before I took Micah to school, I told him he would be able to open one present, and he was uber excited.
- Make a special ornament. Another Christmas eve tradition could be to decorate your own special ornament each year. As Micah grows older, he’s really enjoying coloring, painting, and writing. This is a great time to have him decorate his own special ornament. Let your child show their creativity by allowing them to decorate in any way they choose. I’m hoping that we can do this tradition ever year, and we can see how his creative skills have grown throughout the years.
- Give away some of the old gifts. It is important for children to understand the importance of giving during this time of the year. There is a tradition where children would leave a sack of old toys for other children – Santa can then give to other children less fortunate. Micah has already started to go through his old toys to give away to others; that way, he can prepare for the new presents that are coming his way.
- Prepare a Christmas memories book. A beautiful way to capture memories of the holiday is to prepare a Christmas memories book. Each year on Christmas eve, you can share your thoughts and memories from the year, and share all the special moments that you’ve had with your child. This will be a great memoir for years to come.
- Hang up the stockings! Lastly, each Christmas Eve, it’s a great tradition to hang up the stockings. Micah has been accumulating some of his paintings, decorations, candy, etc. for my stocking (he’s hid them all from me), and I have some special goodies in his stocking. We’ll hang up our stockings, turn out the lights, and head off to bed.
Christmas Eve is a magical time, and one where memories are made and enjoyed for years to come. It’s important to have some simple & easy traditions that you can share with your children.
I hope that you enjoy your Christmas Eve, and Christmas too! Happy Holidays!
