The first of many holiday weekends is winding down and I would say that for the most part, it was largely successful.
We spent Thanksgiving at Granny and Grampy’s house and after eating, the cousins decorated the grandparents’ tree.
The next day was spent decorating our house and tree, which everyone knows means mess and chaos before the desired results are achieved.
We experienced the first snow, which certainly added to the festive feeling and made our outdoor lights even prettier.
After our house was ready for the holidays, we met the cousins for our annual trip to see Santa. Instead of acting as though getting your picture with Santa is fantastic fun, I used a different approach.
We explained that the picture was mostly for us. It was a family tradition that we wanted to continue and it created memories that we all would appreciate.
The explanation was key. Well, we did bribe him by saying that the next morning we would play an hour of games with him, even before we consumed our coffee.
“Before your coffee?! Awesome!” Apparently, we discovered an effective incentive.
In addition to the professional Santa picture, he willingly posed with his cousins in front of the department store trees. He even repeated the picture when there was the possibility that a flash was needed.
Big progress, people!
Was the entire weekend smooth? No.
Our little vegetarian was not happy at the table with the turkey platter in front of him. He refused to stop playing his iPad for a family picture and additional time was needed each morning to recover from the activities of the previous day.
If you are a parent of a kid like mine, you know that the holidays can be…complicated.
We make choices, trying to simplify the month of December, and a lot of the times, we cross our fingers.
Each year, we have more successes, but we still consciously make decisions instead of attempting it all.
What do you do to try to keep the holidays manageable for your tater?
My Twice Baked Potato 