But first, just a quick PSA for a less-stress Christmas:
A few years ago, I shared that we were trying to be really intentional this year about building in some breathing room into our holiday schedule as a family. I love that I can look back on that post and think "ahhh, we're there." Don't get me wrong, it's still a super busy season and we are still out of town every weekend from Thanksgiving to New Years. But. We are being intentional about how we spend our time with our family and it just feels right.
Do we have a perfectly decorated Christmas tree? Nope. We let the kids decorate this year and it looks like they had a bead silly string fight and the tree was the victim. But they had fun and we have great pictures that will be fun to look at 20 years from now.
Did my kids go see Santa? Not this year. But we stayed home in our pjs and drew pictures of what we wanted for Christmas...and in case you're wondering, my 5 year old daughter would lk to av u bbe- like to have a barbie- and punie- pony.
These past few years of Christmas seasons have been busy, but fun and joy-filled for our family. And I love that.
So in the hopes of making your holiday season just a little less stressful, here are some ready-made ideas from past YTA posts to put a little Merry in your Christmas.
Plan the perfect class Christmas party:
Ooo! Another super fun and simple party game is the Candy Ball.
Teacher recommended Christmas gifts:
Here are some of my favorite gifts for I would LOVE to get I think kids would love to get this Christmas. Needless to say, I had a blast making these lists!
Toys That Get Kids Creating!
Toys That Get Kids Reading!
Toys That Get Kids Imagining!
Toys That Get Kids Exploring!
Toys That Get Kids Reading!
Toys That Get Kids Imagining!
Toys That Get Kids Exploring!
(Can I just say that I am so so so happy I spent the time making this list? I have come back to it repeatedly to get gift ideas for my kids and I'm happy to say that many of these toys are extra time-tested and YTA Mama approved now!)
{RAKs} Random Act of Kindness ideas for Christmas:
Each month, we did a random act of kindness in our classroom. Find out more about how to start a RAK club in your room.
Two RAKs you could do this holiday season:
1. Create decorations to give away (see pic above).
Last minute gift-giving idea:
And two bonus non-teaching related tips:
1. We took the stress out of spending money at Christmas by creating a special Christmas account that we have an automatic amount drafted to each month. I know it's *really* our money, but it ends up feeling like bonus money by the time Christmas rolls around! I highly recommend something like this for Christmas, or really any annually occurring expense you might have.
2. Turn on that Christmas music! (Disclaimer: I have a slight obsession with Christmas music and believe it can cure almost any ailment.) Any style you prefer will do as long as it leaves you with a renewed sense of excitement about the holiday. Because, c'mon people, a sparkly Christmas is so much better than a stressed out one.
Are you a Christmas music newbie? Let me give you a few suggestions of where to start:
For King & Country
Pentatonix
Hillsong
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