The holidays are such a special time of the year. I want to encourage everyone to take the time to enjoy the season! Try not to feel too stressed. I know it gets hectic (especially for those of us travelling), but there is a silver lining of beauty and togetherness that often eludes us during other busy times of the year.

Everyone has that one item that they forgot to order for Christmas. Breathe. It will be ok, the person you were to give it to doesn’t even know it’s missing.

Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, take time to be with your family and relax! Enjoy each other! This is the time to make beautiful memories that your family will cherish for years to come.

Here are the things to remember as you celebrate your holiday:

The Last Thing our Children Need is Another Toy or Material Gift.

We live in a consumer society and let’s face it, our kids have more than enough already. Consider sponsoring a child this Christmas. This is a great opportunity to teach our kids about giving with those less fortunate than ourselves.

Our family has used Compassion International. We sponsor a child in Uganda and are able to write him letters and receive letters from him. It is a great organization that uses over 80% of donated funds to directly benefit the child.

Give Three Gifts.

I visited one of my college roommates this summer and she said she follows the ‘three gift’ policy. “Jesus got three gifts, so it’s enough for my kids,” she said. If it’s too late for this year, you may want to consider this concept for next year. I thought it was brilliant. Did I follow it this season? Yes, I did.

I’ll go a little further on these first two points. Here is what the ‘three gifts’ model can do:

It alleviates the entitlement mentality.

Second, it allows you to buy three quality gifts since you aren’t buying 13 other nonessential gifts. The kids will get what they actually want.

Third, it eliminates some stress for the parents, helping you save cash and decrease the shopping time it takes to buy all those unnecessary gifts! Therefore, you’ll have have some funds (and time!) to do other Christmas activities that can be special for your family.

Lastly, the three gift rule allows you to save more funds to give back to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Watch Christmas Movies Together as a Family. Here is a Top 10 List!

1. Miracle on 34th St.
2. The Grinch
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas
4. Elf
5. The Polar Express
6. Home Alone
7. Rudolph
8. The Santa Clause
9. A Christmas Carol
10. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Make some Christmas Cookies Together.

Wrap them up and give them to your neighbors. Even give them to the ones that complain about you!

Start a New Christmas Tradition.

Let the whole family come up with the idea together. Some ideas are:

• Everyone gets to open one present on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve you have a Happy Birthday Jesus cake.
• Every year the family buys a new Christmas ornament that signifies what that year entailed. Last year we went to Chicago for the first time so we purchased one in Chicago. Another year we got a new dog, and to commemorate that we got a golden retriever ornament.

I hope these ideas help you take more joy out of this holiday season. Have a very Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your family and friends. Talk soon!

Laura Jones
Founder of The Hockey Mommy