Merry and Bright and NOT Overwhelmed: Tips for a Successful Holiday Season
Maria and Angelica, two of our Program Specialists, share their tips for having a festive holiday season with their kids without overwhelming them. What do YOU do?
Maria and her three children love to look at holiday light displays together. Maria pre-plans to make the best of their time together and keep everyone happy.
December is our family's favorite time of the year! One of our favorite festive holiday activities is going to look at light displays. Some of our favorite spots in Portland are Winter Wonderland, Peacock Lane, and just driving through neighborhoods enjoying the beautiful home light decorations.
There are many others who, like our family, enjoy traditional holiday light events, and we’ve learned through the years that preplanning is the key to our family’s success. Ruby, my oldest who also experiences disability, loves looking at the pretty lights but doesn’t like large crowds, waiting, or walking for extended periods of time.
So, if we are going to Winter Wonderland, we choose a weekday instead of going on a weekend when there’s more traffic. We do the driving route instead of one of the special walking nights. Ruby takes a Christmas coloring book to color while we wait to enter. And, we bring a cozy blanket to keep warm if Ruby decides to roll down the window while we drive through the light displays.
Tiny details like this contribute to us all being able to enjoy favorite holiday activities together while making sure the supports are in place to make it a successful experience for everyone in our family.
Angelica and her kids love winter activities but can feel overwhelmed easily. Setting time limits makes it easier on everyone.
Our family loves Winter! But with shopping, special events, and family commitments, sometimes it can feel overwhelming how much there is to do around the holidays! One thing that I have learned over the years is that sometimes less is more. I like to choose one activity a weekend, with a couple of backup plans, and make sure to bring our tried-and-true supports along. This way, we can enjoy holiday gatherings but not feel overextended. Additionally, we utilize a time limit for activities. Our home is a safe space for our kids, and oftentimes they are happy to just cozy up and stay put. Having an idea of how long we expect to be at any given event helps them enjoy the time we have allotted, with an understanding that they will be back in the comfort of home soon.
