A rulebook for the holidays:
Rule 1. Take a bath
Rule 2. Spend more time on the couch in front of the fire (or the Yule Log)
Rule 3. Drink one more cup of hot chocolate
Rule 4. Eat the cookie/chocolate/candy you’ve been thinking about
Rule 5. Spend at least 1 hour a week under a warm blanket
Rule 6. Lower your expectations and let go of your ideas of what the holidays should look like
Note: This issue was published on December 5th, 2021 at NuggetsNewsletter.substack.com
I recently came across this article from NPR in which a therapist shares some advice for getting through pandemic holidays. It was written last December but still feels pertinent. “The news is bleak, pretty much everyone is stretched thin, and comfort and joy are in short supply, making it that much harder to muster the energy to celebrate — or even to reach out and ask for help.”
Bonoir addresses feelings of guilt that can come up because of choosing not to travel to see family this year and what to do when you’re feeling more “furious than festive.” Click here to read the article.
If you need a little something more, consider watching (or re-watching) A Charlie Brown Christmas. Few films capture the dichotomy of cheeriness and seasonal malaise better than A Charlie Brown Christmas.
As Christmas approaches, Charlie Brown grapples with his escalating depression. During the film, Charlie and Linus lean on a snowy wall as Charlie says: “I think there must be something wrong with me Linus. Christmas is coming but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.”
This is a feeling many experience during this particular time of year, but it is not often depicted in holiday films or television specials because there are too many small-town holiday love stories to tell. The bombardment of Christmas music and decor often from November through early January, make many feel pressured to have fun and be happy.
At the same time, the weather gets colder and the days get shorter and seasonal depression makes it more likely for people to alienate themselves and feel slightly depressed. This double-edged spirit of Christmas can be hard to reconcile. It’s this feeling that A Charlie Brown Christmas captures so well. It balances these contradictions, mirroring much of what it means to be human during this time of year.
The film has one of the best holiday soundtracks of all time, done by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, features the smallest Christmas tree that could, and the whole gang’s attempt to put together a holiday play. A Charlie Brown Christmas is such a pleasure to watch with the whole family.
It’s available on AppleTV, Amazon, and it will be airing on PBS stations on Sunday, December 19th 2021 at 7:30pm ET/6:30pm CT.
Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again…
While we, the grownups, are ready to slow down, they, the little ones, are… not.
Unless children are very sick, or very much a teenager, they can get easily bored during their winter breaks, but maybe that’s ok.
This year, instead of doing “all the things,” consider doing some of the things. Maybe we don’t go to every holiday event and make cookies for all of our neighbors, maybe we just watch the first halves of our favorite Christmas movies because we fall asleep on the couch.
Lydia Benham and Michelle Briggs from The Whole Modern Parent write about how simplifying schedules (especially around the holidays) can be beneficial for the whole family.
Author Sharifa Oppenheimer wrote that, “[w]e need to remember that there is nothing more ‘enriching’ for a young child than exploring his own world of home, filled with natural playthings, and the work of caring for a family — housework, laundry, cooking — and exploring his own backyard.”
Click here to read The Whole Modern Parent’s 10 simple tips to creating slow days and peaceful rhythms for young children.
When you and the kids do need something to do, here are a few ideas…
Here are a few of my favorite indoor winter activities to do with little ones:
Indoor snowball fight — roll up old socks, stuff and sew white socks, or buy a kit!
Finger knitting! — I was OBSESSED with this when I was a kid. I made a super long belt for santa and so many scarves for the reindeer
~ CLICK HERE for 35 other indoor activities with kids during winter break. ~
More time at home during winter break means more opportunities for screen time and as much as we all love watching children’s YouTube videos with little ones… *cough* sarcasm *cough* … the question of how much screen time is appropriate often gets brought up.
Screen time for children seems to be a topic that everyone has an opinion on. This time of year there are holiday movies to watch, tv shows to catch up on, and video games to play. It’s also so delightfully cozy to curl up on the couch with a blanket and “vege” out.
But when should we turn off the tech and take a break?
It’s a tough question because there really isn’t a right answer. It’s easier for us adults to limit ourselves but it can be tougher for little ones.
When the two kiddos that I babysit want to watch TV for a bit I usually say ok because we spend so much time playing when we’re together. After an episode or two I’ll ask if they’re ready to play and more often than not they say yes.
If they say no I’ll say something like, “alright, how about one more episode and then we’ll take a break. Capeesh?” And then I get two little “capeeshes” in response.
FYI — using “capeesh” (instead of “ok”) has worked SO well with almost every kiddo I’ve watched since I started nannying… probably because it’s silly to say. Try it with your kids, it makes communication just a little more fun.
One mom’s approach to setting limits for screen time: she sets no limits. Iris, mother and blogger at Untigering.com, shared that she removed all arbitrary limits to screen time for her children. Get this: a few weeks later her son asked her if she could put the rules for their devices back into place!
Iris refused. She told him she wouldn’t put limits on their screen time.
Read his response and why she stuck to having no rules around devices here: https://untigering.com/my-child-asked-me-to-limit-his-screen-time-i-said-no/
This American Life Holiday Spectacular: A full-throttle, show-stopping, no-holds-barred Christmas Spectacular! Shedding the crusty old Christmas stories of yore, bringing you new holiday classics.
Carl Honorè is the voice of The Slow Movement. His message is simple: to thrive in a fast world, you have to slow down. He is a bestselling author and broadcaster with TED Talks that have racked up millions of views.
In his book “In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed,” he explains that the movement “is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. Nor is it a Luddite attempt to drag the whole planet back to some pre-industrial utopia. The movement is made up of people who want to live better in a fast-paced, modern world. The slow philosophy can be summed up in a single word: balance. Be fast when it makes sense to be fast, and be slow when slowness is called for. Seek to live at what musicians call the tempo giusto — the right speed.”
He gave this TED Talk called In “Praise of Slowness” that I really recommend. He’s clever, funny, and well spoken. I do recommend watching at .75x playback speed because he does speak a bit fast (little ironic given the subject matter, but understandable as there is a time limit for TED Talks). :)
Spending time with children = opportunities to get some pretty good stories. Here’s one that made me laugh:
