- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- article archive
- expert q & a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Holiday Harmony
10 Tips to Make Your Holiday the Best Ever
By Shel Franco
Give yourself and your children the opportunity to recuperate and reenergize. Mix a day of rest and low activity in with the fast-paced, high-energy days. The entire family will be able to enjoy the high-volume day when everyone's energy is strong. Your family will only be as energetic as the least energetic person.
9. Eat Healthy Whenever PossibleHoliday time is riddled with large meals and extra snacks sitting around the house. As your family moves through the holiday the body's ability to manage stress challenges the immune system. Eating healthy and drinking water instead of soft drinks (and alcohol for the adults) increases the body's ability to adjust and cope with change. No one wants to be sick during the holidays. Eating healthy increases your chances of staying healthy and full of energy.
Discuss and choose how you are going to "be" at Grandma's house or at Uncle Bob's. Decide to be playful at times, serious at other times. Talk about the various choices in mood and temperament that are available to everyone. If a day is planned where waiting for the meal to be served or gifts to be opened is likely, some choices are to be observant, friendly, patient, frustrated, curious or talkative. Help one another make choices that enable the holiday celebration to be enjoyable for the entire family. Support one another in making a helpful be choice and in being that choice.
Once your holiday celebration is over, come together as a family and discuss how it went. View pictures together and reflect on what each person remembers about that moment. Debrief and evaluate what worked well and what did not. Consider adjustments that would make the next family holiday smoother and more enjoyable. Begin to plan the next holiday, keeping in mind the highs and lows of the days that just passed.
Implement these suggestions and you will be on your way to making this family holiday the best one ever.