How to make Christmas special with just us

[Anonymous]

Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

[Anonymous]

Kids are more adaptable than you give them credit for. I was an army brat and grew up only having the holidays with my sibling - and I have wonderful childhood memories! If you are merry, your children will pick up on it. Embrace the ability to sleep in at your own home. Bake cookies, make a special Christmas dinner, let the kids enjoy sparkling cider in a fancy crystal goblet, play Christmas carol bingo (you could even play this virtually with the cousins) and board games, watch a movie. Just have fun and don't overthink this.

[Anonymous]

Make a calendar and put some special activities on it. Some can be one-time events, and others can be daily:

Decorate cookies
Have hot chocolate every afternoon. Make it a special snack each day.
Build a gingerbread house.
Every night after dinner, play a board game as a family—Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, etc.
Make some popcorn and watch the Charlie Brown Christmas.
Make cards and deliver them to neighbors.

Most importantly, embrace this with a positive attitude and low expectations. No, it won’t be the same as your usual Christmas with relatives. But it’s also not a prison sentence. Your kids may not love each of the activities above. That’s okay. Have as much fun as you can.

[Anonymous]

Cinnamon buns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make a calendar and put some special activities on it. Some can be one-time events, and others can be daily:

Decorate cookies
Have hot chocolate every afternoon. Make it a special snack each day.
Build a gingerbread house.
Every night after dinner, play a board game as a family—Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, etc.
Make some popcorn and watch the Charlie Brown Christmas.
Make cards and deliver them to neighbors.

Most importantly, embrace this with a positive attitude and low expectations. No, it won’t be the same as your usual Christmas with relatives. But it’s also not a prison sentence. Your kids may not love each of the activities above. That’s okay. Have as much fun as you can.

This! I have six-year-old twins and we do this sometimes just for a weekend but we're definitely doing it over the two weeks of break. People get to pick things (activities, meals, etc.) and put them on the calendar. It gives kids some ability to say what's going to happen, and frankly, I like it because it makes it easier for us to plan things.

[Anonymous]

Great ideas above already.
Make reindeer food and sprinkle it on the lawn before bed on Christmas Eve.
Talk with them and come up with a fun meal for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Doesn't need to be fancy with kids that young - maybe they love spaghetti and can help make homemade meatballs. Christmas cookies for dessert!
Christmas pajamas! Better yet if the adults are willing to be silly and wear them, too.

It's okay to acknowledge we miss our families and normal traditions, but we can choose to find fun things to do as a family.

[Anonymous]

We usually do christmas day alone at our own house by choice. But of course we get to travel and see family on days before and after christmas, so not entirely the same.

But I do remember feeling lost our first christmas at home alone, and worried about how to spend the time. Turns out, you can take the entire day to open a small pile of presents, play with them, cook a fun brunch, watch a movie, open more presents, play again, maybe go for a walk outside, etc. Embrace the need to not rush and let your kids dictate the schedule for the day.

[Anonymous]

We’re doing little things, but DD4 seems excited about them:

Got a bunch of new decorations
We’ll make cookies and a gingerbread house
We’ll leave cookies out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer

It’s nothing fancy, but she’s also young enough that it doesn’t take much to make her happy. She loves just being at home with us and playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

Yup! This morning, our 4 year old asked, “Why did Larlo come to our house a long time ago but he can’t come now?” We just said, “Because of coronavirus. When everyone gets the special shot that the scientists made to help us not get coronavirus, Larlo can come over. But he can’t come over now. We don’t want to get anyone sick and we don’t want to get sick either.”

It’s not hard to explain to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

Haha you’re a wild one. Loving your Christmas spirit! Where did you get that we are seeing grandma? Also my kids know about the pandemic and understand why we’re staying here just immediate family. Such a peach you are/ happy holidays!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

Yes, I don’t want to pile on, but your children need to be a little more flexible & resilient. Many/most children will be celebrating Christmas without distance relatives this year. Yours will not be the only ones. No need to overdramatize their feelings.

[Anonymous]

Take a walk on a trail and throw some birdseeds around for the birds, Or set up a birdfeeder or suet holder for your birds.

We set up a number of suet feeders last year and filled it with suet that has hot peppers in it. The hot pepper taste prevented the squirrels from eating it but we got tons of birds coming to eat from it. It was magical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

Yup! This morning, our 4 year old asked, “Why did Larlo come to our house a long time ago but he can’t come now?” We just said, “Because of coronavirus. When everyone gets the special shot that the scientists made to help us not get coronavirus, Larlo can come over. But he can’t come over now. We don’t want to get anyone sick and we don’t want to get sick either.”

It’s not hard to explain to them.

I never said it’s hard to explain to them and they completely understand why we aren’t spending time with friends. They aren’t complaining- I’m just trying to come up with new traditions. I’ve never been here for the holidays, not from here so was wondering if there are any sort of activities in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving was just the four of us- my husband and I had a great time but kids missed seeing relatives and said it felt like any other day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will just be us this year as well. Every year we have travelled to family and it’s days on end of cousin time, friends, parties, Santas.... I’m struggling to make it special and create our own traditions. My kinds are 4 and 6. They aren’t into driving around to see lights. They just want to play with other kids

I am so sick of the baby parents who are incapable of explaining to their children that there is a PANDEMIC AND IT KILLS! By all means go see grandma for Christmas a dbtgem
N go to her funeral two weeks later.

Christmas is special by itself.

Yes, I don’t want to pile on, but your children need to be a little more flexible & resilient. Many/most children will be celebrating Christmas without distance relatives this year. Yours will not be the only ones. No need to overdramatize their feelings.

Agreed. There are many kids whose parents are in the armed forces serving in some foreign country. They will not even have one or both of their parents with them. I suggest you teach your kids about their privilege and teach them gratitude.