Have you ever said “I can’t wait till the holidays are over”? After Thanksgiving life starts going ninety miles an hour and can have our head spinning! School treats to make, school plays, church plays, work parties, decorating, shopping, and the list goes on and on. We get tired of all the hustle and bustle.
Christmas is a season we should enjoy. A time where memories are made and love is shared. I want my children to group up and remember relaxed, beautiful holidays. I want to be a part of those memories.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to make memories around the holidays:
Bake together. Forget the mess our daughters tend to make as they are learning to cook and just do it! Don’t let it be a serious, teaching moment, let it be fun!
Bake with others. A few years ago we had my grandmother, mom, sisters and niece and nephews come over to our house. Everyone brought a recipe and ingredients and we spend the whole day baking together as we listened to Christmas carols. It was so much fun! Invite your family over, or better yet, invite her girlfriends and their moms and have a girls day of baking.
Hot chocolate and movie days. One of our favorite things to do together around the holidays is make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, grab our snugly blankets and put on a Christmas movie.
Wrap gifts together. Last year I included my daughter, then 14, in the wrapping of gifts for her siblings. It was so much fun for her and I to talk about the gifts they were getting and share those secrets together. We had a special bonding time that we will both remember for a lifetime.
Go caroling. Just this week I was talking with a friend who said he and his family love to go caroling. He shared that most houses they go to the people don’t really know what they are doing. Caroling is a ‘lost art’ so to speak. No one does it anymore. Bundle up your teenager, and maybe her friends too, and go caroling!
Do crafts. Crafts aren’t just for kids! I love Pinterest! So many wonderful ideas. There are great craft ideas perfect for teens and adults. Find something and have a crafting day with your daughter.
Ask her for her opinion. Your teenage daughter, as hard as it is to think about, is growing up. {I am crying typing this, fyi.} One day she will have a home of her own. As you decorate for the holidays, ask her what her opinion is. Ask her how she will decorate her own home. Ask her what her favorite decorating task is. Have a good heart to heart, you will always remember it.
Whatever you do this holiday season, just do it together and enjoy being together.
Leave a Reply