Well, how do you survive Christmas with children. Many a mother will wonder this. Even though it is a very pleasant time on the one hand, it is also really stressful. The kids are still bouncing hysterically after December 5th and we soon have to make way for the next celebration:Christmas. How do you survive the next party, Christmas with children.
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In the run-up to December, many mothers start to get a nervous tick, which can culminate in a slight 'nervous breakdown'. By December 5, there is a stress peak regarding the gifts that still have to be picked up at the last minute, and we warned you with our tips.
I swear, I'll break all shop records myself around that time. Have you had that… and then you see yourself with bags under your eyes and a trembling lip with your husband and kids walking through the atmospheric Christmas intra garden. 'Don't.get.the.balls!' 'No, I don't want a glow-in-the-dark reindeer.' 'Ho ho ho! A singing and dancing Santa Claus? Hell no!' 'Can we please do regular lights instead of disco lights?' It seemed like such a fun family outing...to get into the Christmas spirit, so to speak.
You probably also celebrate Christmas with children and you probably recognize something in my story. Take advantage of these tips about
Very beautiful, such a beautifully decorated large Christmas tree in the middle of the room! But it is not very practical with small children. With that little enterprising toddler I saw that tree with balls and all, tipped over. So we temporarily switched to a small one with plastic balls in a well-arranged place:on the sideboard. The attraction was great, but so was the distance to destruction. Ha!
For an atmospheric candlelight, you can fall back on battery-operated tea lights. Or those nice plastic Christmas angels with a light in different colors. Nice and kitsch but fun for the kids!
Mothers can also use such an Advent calendar as preparation. And preferably the one with a 'drink a day, keeps the stress away' behind every hatch. Such a calendar (with chocolate instead of a drink 😉) is not only for kids to count down to the moment supreme. We too can slowly prepare ourselves. Even if it's small things or messages. Check √, for a good preparation of your Christmas with children and you deserve another drink!
Are you looking for a nice chocolate advent calendar? They probably still have some at the Action, Xenos or Kruidvat!
Christmas time is family time and Christmas with children in particular. Having a nice drink, good food, presents, playing games. Very nice everyone, but Christmas, just like our bellies, was always packed. In addition, the angelic patience of the children also turns into dragon pranks after day 1.
They and we were put to the test. Well, I stopped that. We celebrate Christmas with a delicious dinner and lots of fun with us, all together, in 1 day. Delicious! Truly a win-win. Slightly stressed on Christmas Day, but also really enjoying it and then spending Boxing Day together as a family in peace. Although I understand that this luxury is not for all families…
But if you have the chance, I can definitely recommend this.
It's aaaaall about timing. Is a 6-course family dinner planned? And do you have very young children? Then have a nice dinner when the little ones are in bed. This way you eat a lot more calmly and Christmas with children immediately becomes easier!
Are they a bit older? In any case, make sure that any gifts are already unpacked before dinner. This so that the tension does not rise too high and as a result the kids are jumping on the chairs and the peas are flying around you. Besides the fact that the pressure is off, they also have some distraction between dining with the newly acquired toys. Everything for good peace, right?
A family dinner at your home. Well, I can tell you that I had very culinary plans that first time. However, I was slightly mistaken about the amount of work and the influence of the hormones. Highly pregnant and stress is not a good combination. After the turkey, boursin, and mushrooms literally flew through the kitchen, I sat in the corner of the kitchen crying. A draaa-maaa! Which turned out pretty well in the end, of course.
What did I learn from that? You should not want to do everything alone if you are not very well versed in culinary matters. The deep-fat fryer is not very culinary by the way, although you can also prepare a few courses with it.
Nope! I make the starter, not a very big tour de force, and prepare the main course. In addition, I ensure that a number of success-sensitive or time-consuming items are purchased from a butcher or greengrocer, so that they are almost ready-made. nice dude!! And as icing on the cake, my mother makes dessert, supplemented by carefully bought ice cream and whipped cream. Everyone lends a helping hand in every way. A nice contribution to the Christmas spirit and the limitation of my stress level.
Peace on earth is a beautiful Christmas thought. But since that remains unfeasible for the time being, peace at the dinner table is already a good start. In general, kids don't have the same patience, interest in food, and topics of conversation as the grown guests at the dinner table. Especially when there are several children who can wonderfully influence each other, and then usually in a negative sense.
You may think this is easier said than done. But that's okay. Just let your principles celebrate a little and you will see that it will be fine.
Looking for some fun Christmas snacks for your kids? Then read 'Merry Christmas recipes for kids'
Image used via Shutterstock
