Christmas with Kids » planning

29: Outdoor Decorations

Mama Elf — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:44 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving week and for many of us that also means it’s the week to do a little outdoor decorating. We also put our tree up during the Thanksgiving week, typically the Saturday after Turkey Day.

Today, the kids and I got out the reindeer that go in the yard and put them together. We still can’t decide if we want them in the front yard where the neighbors will enjoy them, or the backyard where we will enjoy them. We have a large oak tree in the front/side yard and I’m considering getting some of those large-scale lit ornaments to hang from it, but I haven’t really done any research on seeing what kind of elaborate electrical configuration that might require. I like all the lights, but am not a big fan of all of the extension cords running everywhere.

Tomorrow, I plan on putting the wreaths on our front doors. Our wreath hangers have jingle bells on them, so it will really start sounding like the holidays every time we open the door!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

34: Food Allergy Awareness

Mama Elf — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:47:41 +0000

Any kind of holiday or occasion involving food is a high alert time for food allergies. Near and dear to my heart is the issue of food allergies. Our daughter and my brother have life-threatening food allergies that require planning, research, and prevention. The key to success in not having an emergency room visit, or worse, is to plan your food. Pack snacks, safe desserts, and other food options if you are uncertain about the ingredients or preparation conditions of food you will encounter.

Here are some potentially deadly items for peanut- and nut-allergic people:

pies (a pumpkin pie might seem okay, but it might use pecan flour in the crust!)
anything prepared in a kitchen containing nuts or peanuts (past and present)
processed baked goods
all bakery items
anything on a buffet where a nut item is also located (cross-contamination)

At parties with lots of holiday foods, make sure you only drink from your glass. Again, cross-contamination is possible and occurs in drinks. Eat using only your utensils from your plate. If it is possible to go first in a buffet situation, do that and try not to make a second pass. Cross-contamination covers a picked-over buffet.

Remember to make sure your Epi-Pens are current. If you need a refill, take care of it. While you’re doing that, review all of your labeling and contact information on emergency medicines and update it. We keep our Epi-Pens in a red, insulated bag that has been clearly labeled with Sharpie with our contact information and medical information. Inside that bag, we also keep Benadryl Strips and an Albuterol inhaler. The Epi-Pens are also in their own plastic duo-case that is also labeled very clearly.

If you are hosting an children’s event, please have your food clearly labeled and any nut items out of reach of small children, in particular. Children under 3 years of age should not have any peanut or nut items at all, so keep that in mind, too.

In the past, I think of Christmas with nut goodies of all kinds playing major roles, but now it’s a little different. Making safe desserts to give and take has become a tradition in its own right.

Have a safe Christmas this year!

35: Take a Vacation Day (to shop on a weekday)

Mama Elf — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:33:50 +0000

If you are able to take a day off to shop, do it! Before your big shopping day, make your list and check it twice. A comprehensive list with the sizes you needs, people you need to shop for, stocking stuffers, entertaining housewares, and sale flyers will help you organize your day. Plan a time-saving route ahead of time. Stick to your list. Pack a few snacks in your purse and don’t forget your own reuseable shopping bags. They are durable, packable, and hold a lot. On days like this, I enjoy having lunch by myself at a restaurant I love and go through my lists and relax for a bit.

Take a day and get it done!

36: Wish Lists

Mama Elf — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:35:01 +0000

Handmade wish lists have a certain charm and appeal that you won’t see anywhere else, so hang on to these! Make copies before you mail them to Santa!

Great advances have been made in online wish lists. There is something for everyone!

The Amazon Wish List is our top pick. Our favorite feature is that you can’t see what has been purchased from your list, but other users only see what is available to be purchased on your list. The purchased items remain a surprise! This feature can be activated for 30 days before all important occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.)

Wish list websites

Photo courtesy of Karyn Sig. Wish List courtesy of her daughter!

37: Go on a Date (with your child!)

Mama Elf — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:01:25 +0000

We’ve started a Mommy-Daughter date night in our family once a week after choir rehearsal. I pickup my daughter from choir and we have dinner together with lots of talking, then we go to a bookstore, then home. This has been a really wonderful thing for us as she gets older (9) and needs to have some one-on-one time with her mom. We make lists, have some “girl talk,” giggle and laugh, and sometimes even grab some Starbucks hot chocolate to finish the night off.

Today, I had a date with my son. We took a walk outside, watched a construction site, and shared a basket of fish and chips for lunch. We had a great time, and he got some time alone with his mom.

The kids love going on their “dates” and so do I!

Here are a few ideas for your date with your child:

Baking cookies
Christmas shopping
Wrapping gifts
Volunteering
Bowling
Dinner
Dessert
Coffee/Cocoa/Tea and Bookstore
Walk

I don’t recommend movies for dates because there is no interaction. If you do choose a movie, include time after the movie to talk about the movie together. Have fun with it, and post your kid “date” idea in the comments!

39: Christmas Caroling Party Action Plan

Mama Elf — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:10:26 +0000

I asked my sister about her favorite Christmas tradition and she replied very quickly:

“My favorite tradition is caroling (Are you surprised?). I have done it every year with the kids and other friends on the Sunday before Christmas. We take the guitar, jingle bells, any other instruments on hand, and friends who can harmonize – what fun! I am getting in the Christmas spirit just thinking about it!”

Christmas caroling is really fun and with very little planning it can be transformed from a last-minute idea into a memorable occasion for family and friends. Here are a few simple steps to get you started.

Get out your calendar and find a convenient early evening to have friends over. A great option is to limit yourself to 2 or 3 other families with kids, making sure to have buddies for your kids.
Invitations can be as simple or elaborate as you like. For something very informal, a phone call is acceptable. I like to use Evite. You can always mail or hand deliver the printed or handmade variety of invitation.
One week before the event, touch base with everyone and get a head count (RSVP).
For the party, your house will hopefully be all decorated before then. For your menu, have plenty of cookies, hot chocolate, cider, etc.
ALLERGY NOTE: Please find out from your guests if anyone has a peanut or nut allergy. Do your best to keep peanuts and nuts out of areas where allergic children will be. Enlist your allergy mom to provide a safe alternative for her child. She knows best.
The focus of caroling is fellowship and spreading joy, not musical perfection!
Make your own caroling booklets with the song lyrics printed in a booklet form. This is easy to do in Publisher or Word. Lyrics can be found for just about any song using Google.
Have extra mittens/scarves/hats available. One fun thing to do, if you like giving party favors, would be to make matching fleece scarves for everyone. This is very simple to do without any sewing!

Photo courtesy of Doug Floyd.

41: Michelle’s Christmas Memories

Mama Elf — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:59:14 +0000

My friend Michelle sent me a note with her favorite Christmas memory filled with traditions:

“Absolutely, hands down….
Family dinner, followed by the opening of one gift, then Midnight service at church, ending with ‘Silent Night’ by candlelight and coming home and making ‘reindeer food’ with my nieces and nephews. They’re grown now and we all are in different places, but it warms my heart to think about it!”

What a great evening! There are several elements to this evening that make it special: food, gifts, worship, tradition, and fellowship. Any great memorable tradition combines many of these elements. When all five senses are engaged, the experience is etched in your memory very strongly.

Beautiful photo courtesy of Miriam.

45: Bedtime Stories for Christmas

Mama Elf — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:56:43 +0000

christmas children's books

If you aren’t already reading books at bedtime, this is a great tradition to start. It’s great for your infants, toddlers, pre-readers, young readers, advanced readers, and tweens! Here are some great Christmas titles for the season:

Photo courtesy of abbamouse.

46: Gifts for Grownups

Mama Elf — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:35:40 +0000

If you are going to give gifts for grownups, give something consumable. Gifts to charities, gourmet foods, event tickets, are all great gifts for grownups.

As an extended family, we’ve decided to forego gifts for the grownups this year.

We have just about everything we want already, unless you count big ticket items.
We have a clutter problem.
Money is tight this year.
We want to focus on more than gifts.

Those are the main reasons. It’s not that we don’t enjoy giving other people gifts! Gift giving should be joyful, not stressful. If all we can think about is how we can’t afford it, whether or not the recipient will use/appreciate it, or out of time for shopping/baking/working/decorating/our family, the joy is gone.

Gift the gift of freedom to the people who struggle with gift giving! Merry Christmas!

Photo courtesy of Tammy Green (a fabulous food photographer!)

47: Book Your Travel

Papa Elf — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:43:53 +0000

If you haven’t already, now is a great time to book your travel. The airlines are cutting rates now instead of waiting for their traditional cuts later in November. Lifehacker is running a poll of the best airfare travel site and Kayak.com is the run-away winner so far.