Young children bring joy, magic and wonder to the holidays. But let’s face it, they also make the season a bit more complicated. They have high expectations for the holidays, mainly because of us parents. It is important to teach them what Christmas is all about. Most importantly, it’s important to enjoy the holidays as a family, including yourself, so here are some tips for parents to save their sanity at Christmas!

don’t do it all

As parents, there is this pressure to make Christmas as magical as possible for our children. We want to do it all: buy and wrap gifts, decorate the tree, pretend to be Santa, fill stockings with presents, watch Christmas movies, buy matching sweaters, take family Christmas photos, sing Christmas carols, host a dinner party…the list! continue! Soon the magic and joy turn to exhaustion, for the whole family.

You don’t have to do them all, just pick a few activities or traditions to stick to each year and make the most of it. Do the ones that mean the most to your family and the ones that the little ones enjoy the most.

Limit gift giving

To avoid holiday stress and added expense, give your children just one gift each. Once they tell you the gift they want the most, make your purchases and do not buy more. Little gifts can quickly add up to a lot, and deep down you know your kids don’t need all those new toys.

If you must buy more than 1 gift, follow the 4-gift rule: 1 gift they want, 1 gift they need, 1 gift to use, and 1 gift to read.

Occupied? Prepare some fun activities for the kids.

The festive season is definitely high season. To finish everything you have to do, it is important that the little ones are busy too! Put together some fun and engaging holiday-themed activities that your kids can do independently so you have time to wrap those presents, bake some cookies, or just breathe.

A Christmas-themed coloring book, red and green clay (with Christmas modellers), or crafts are all good places to start.

The most important thing is that you should not forget to take care of yourself too. It is important that you are also enjoying the season; everyone knows that when children see you happy, they are too! Happy Holidays!