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 "I looooooove Christmas!" As parents, we want Christmas morning to be a time full of smiles and excitement for both our children and ourselves. We hope that, when they are adults, our kids will remember our holidays together as a family and that we can talk about these days for years to come. However, Christmas can easily become overwhelming to children and not live up to our expectations as parents. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can reduce stress on Christmas morning and enjoy your holiday together. ≈ Set expectations for Christmas morning Decide ahead of time if your children can look under the Christmas tree alone when they wake up; if they must stay in their rooms until a certain time; or if they can wake you up when they awaken. If your children will be waiting before opening presents, Dr. Jacqui Lewis-Lyons, a clinical psychologist who specializes in children’s and women’s issues, suggests hanging your children’s filled stockings on their doors for them to open while they wait. Talk to your children about what to expect when it is time to open presents. Is your family going to take turns opening gifts, or will everyone open their presents at once? Is someone going to pass out presents, or will everyone get his or her own presents from under the tree? Can kids play with their presents right away, or are there certain presents that will need to wait until later, due to assembly requirements? Jennifer Pariseu, a licensed mental health counselor and president of The Nurtured Parent, encourages parents to not get attached to a specific outcome on Christmas morning. “We often have wonderful dreams of what Christmas should look like, and when it doesn’t, we become disappointed or stress ourselves out trying to make it better,” says Pariseu. ≈ Consider spreading out gifts If your children are going to receive a lot of gifts or are very young, consider having them open only a portion of the gifts on Christmas morning. When kids open too many presents, they may become overwhelmed or uninterested in opening any more gifts. One strategy is to open gifts from your immediate family on Christmas Eve and open presents from other family members (and Santa) on Christmas morning. If you will be visiting grandparents later in the day or after the holiday, you could also have your children open presents from them at that time. ≈ Gather supplies and set up an organization system Make sure that you have all supplies that you will need on Christmas morning within easy reach. Since not having the right batteries for a special toy can cause disappointment, make sure that you have common battery sizes (AA, AAA and C) on hand. Put screwdrivers (both flat and Phillips), batteries and scissors in a small basket, so you can easily find them when needed. To help keep the opened presents from getting lost, give each person a basket to put their presents in after they’re opened. If your children will be writing thank you notes, you should also come up with a system to keep track of who gave them each present. Keep gift tags from each gift, or make a list of who gave what. ≈ Create traditions that don’t involve presents By creating family traditions that do not involve gift giving, you can help keep the focus of the day on your religious beliefs and on spending time together. Prepare a special recipe that your family enjoys every Christmas morning, such as a coffee cake from a local bakery or a homemade casserole that you make together on Christmas Eve. Some families buy matching pajamas and wear them to open presents on Christmas morning. Pariseu encourages families to also have a group activity after the presents are opened, such as eating a snack, singing songs or going outside together. “Expect a letdown after present opening. The anticipation is gone, and there is a transition to going back and playing with the new toys,” says Pariseu. ≈ Encourage gratitude By teaching and modeling gratitude on Christmas morning, you can also help reduce the stress and keep the spirit of the holiday in your day. Lewis-Lyons suggests having each child open one gift at a time. “Taking turns and really looking at the gift and who it is from will help them appreciate the gift,” she says. Coach your child to thank the recipient, even if she does not like the gift or has received a duplicate. Be sure to also have your children write thank you cards for each gift after Christmas. Model this behavior by thanking your children for the present that they gave you and any other gifts that you received from other people. If your child (or perhaps even you) begins to get overwhelmed or cranky on Christmas morning, take a break. Go outside, have a snack or take a nap. The presents will still be there when you are ready to open them, even if it’s on Dec. 26. Jennifer Gregory is the mother of two kids and three dogs. She bakes a special casserole every year to eat before opening presents on Christmas morning. ≈ 5 secrets to a merrier Christmas morning ≈ ≈ Too many toys? Stay organized ≈ ≈ 10 tips to manage your family holiday visit ≈ ≈ Toy Insider's Top 20 ≈ <<< Back to main page |
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