Your first few Christmases with a child are special. Christmas brings the promise of cherished traditions and magical experiences for children. It also brings extra demands on our time and energy. You want to enjoy the season, but if you have a baby or toddler, your time and energy are probably already stretched thin. They can easily be eaten up by the holiday hustle, leaving you to wonder what happened to your Christmas cheer.
One of the best gifts you can give yourself and your baby is to slow down and pay attention. Slowing down allows you to notice and enjoy the holiday instead of letting it slip by. It also allows you to notice your little one enjoying the holiday. Slowing down may mean that you will not accomplish all you want to do, but it’s definitely worth it.
Take a look at your to-do list and ask two questions about each item. 1) “Will Christmas be ruined if I don’t do this?” If the answer is “No,” dump it. If the answer is “Yes, Christmas will literally be ruined,” ask question two. 2) “Is there someone else who can do this?” Yes? Great. Go ahead and delegate. No? Dump it anyway and take some time to relax instead. Remember – your baby or toddler is always tuned in to your emotions. If you are stressed, they are going to be stressed too.
The first item to dump is pictures with Santa. Many babies and young children are wary (or terrified) of strangers and Santa is definitely a stranger. Think about what a toddler learns when they are forced against their will to sit on a strange man’s lap – probably not a lesson you’re trying to teach.
The next item to dump from your list is buying a bunch of gifts. Your friends and relatives will be delighted with recent baby pictures – maybe use an online service to get them turned into a Christmas ornament. Babies and toddlers don’t care how many gifts they receive. For a very young child, the wrapping paper and gift boxes present a unique opportunity to explore some of life’s great mysteries: How can a thing still exist when it is covered up? How do things take up space? What does it mean for a thing to be inside a whole other thing? The joy of Christmas may be waiting in an empty box!
The Christmas season goes by fast, and so do your child’s first few years. You will not regret slowing down, paying attention, and enjoying the moment.
