by Jennifer Pepito, Featured Speaker, 35th Annual CHEA Convention

Christmas is right around the corner, and the holidays present us all with many choices.

We can choose to cuddle with our children by the fire and read stories together, or go shopping.

We can choose to bake cookies together or wrap presents.

We can choose to take a walk in the woods together or go shopping again.

When we begin to take the time to think about our choices, we can start to create a holiday season that reflects our family values. It is tempting to believe that more gifts equal more joy, but so often, more gifts equal more time apart, and later, more frustration as we try to manage and organize all of our children’s new toys.

What if instead we limited gifts to “Something to wear, something to read, something you want and something you need”? Or perhaps put the money that you would spend on a few gifts towards an activity that you could do together? We have the freedom to create holiday traditions that reflect our own family values, even if it looks a little different than the traditions of your extended family and friends.

We wish you all a joyful and peaceful holiday season, and we wish you all the gift of time together with your loved ones.

Some resources for your happy holidays-

This post includes a list of favorite Christmas stories.

Here is a post with some ideas for holiday family fun.

And one more from my blog archives about simple holidays.

For more holiday projects and fun, check out The Playful Pioneers and The Peaceful Preschool. Each parent guide includes several weeks of activities for seasonal celebrations.