While researching for our monthly newsletter, I couldn’t decide what to write about. I thought I could write an article about something fun grandparents can do with their grandchildren. I considered writing about holiday traditions, and I looked into discussing ways to have a stress free holiday. In addition, I also read several articles about what gifts NOT to give grandchildren, but I decided to go with a subject you may or may not be dealing with, but I know I am! Where will your kids and grandchildren be on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

As children marry and leave the nest, and start their own families, they should also start their own traditions. As my children were growing up we always had Christmas in our home. We didn’t live near family, and didn’t travel to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house for the holidays. Because of the way my children were raised, they too want to have Christmas morning in their own homes, as they should. In my opinion, children should usually wake up in their own bed, in their own home, and have Christmas with their nuclear family. Here’s why:

Having five children of my own, and Papa Rich having six children, it’s tough to get us all together. Plus, it’s a large crowd. As we have blended families, we have learned to take who we can get, and whenever it can happen. Many of our family events include both families, but some celebrations are just his kids or just mine.

To accommodate families who aren’t able to attend, I make up holidays. We have had Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day and called it Fakesgiving. I have also created “Merry Makeshift Christmas.” I will find a day that works to get together and we will make it our Christmas celebration. I have even gone as far as having our Christmas morning on December 23rd. If your children and grandchildren can’t be with you on the actual day it doesn’t mean you can’t have a day to celebrate with them. I absolutely love when we can all be together. It’s the best day ever when we are all under the same roof. BUT, if it doesn’t happen on a certain day, it’s not the end of the world.

In addition to creating a different day to celebrate which works for everyone, with in-laws, individual family units, and extended family, you can also ease a burden for your married children. It’s tough for them to juggle family time with both sets of parents, divorced parents, and grandparents, and still have time with their own family. Not only can you make up holidays for the big holidays: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. You can also use this IDEA for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and birthdays. Your daughters are mothers, your sons are fathers, and they should have time to create their own family traditions too. So, be creative and help your kids by not pressuring them to be with you for every holiday, because they are parents too.

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