Making the Most of Family Time: Christmas 2020 Edition

Christmas 2020 is one we will be talking about for a long time. Things have been a little strange this year (to say the least.) Some of us have not seen family members for long periods, while others have been in lockdown with their nearest and dearest without a break. 

The good news is you can still make Christmas 2020 special by prioritizing having fun with your immediate family. Following are some suggestions!

Prepare Ahead of Time

First of all, to spend as much quality time with the family this Christmas as possible, it will help to get your home organization and housework out of the way now.  I know this can be a bit intimidating at the beginning of the holidays, as there are gifts to buy and wrap, a pantry and freezer to stock, and the house to clean.

However, you can make things a little easier on yourself here. One way to do this is to get all your gifts bought and wrapped by the end of the first week of December. (It’s coming up!)  Even if you don’t quite make the goal, just having a goal can be motivating to at least get it done a bit earlier.

Consider doing a deep clean of your home at the beginning of the month as well, which should tide you over until after Christmas. You can even recruit some help for this task by employing window cleaning and house cleaning professionals.  With all of that completed, you’ll have more time and energy to do more family-related things over the Christmas break.  

This video was filmed earlier in the year, but it still has some great ideas for helping prepare for the holidays right now.

Plan Some Crafting Time

Another excellent way to spend some quality time with the family is to set up some Christmas crafting sessions. Of course, if your children are still young enough to live with you, this can be done at home.

However, if your kids are grown and live elsewhere, it may be better to opt for a video call craft session instead. These can work very well.  Just be sure to use your computer for a Skype or Zoom call, so you’ll have your hands free for cutting, sticking, and maybe glittering.

Turn Off the TV

I know that many of us look forward to the Christmas movies and speicals on TV.  (I have some favorite cheesy Christmas movies.) But, there’s no reason to spend the entire holiday break slumped in front of the TV, not talking to one another. If it’s quality family time you are after, it’s a good idea to turn the TV off for a bit and do something where you all have to talk and interact.

In particular, a board game or quiz can work wonders here. You can get some entertaining ones, so there is no chance of getting stuck playing endless hours of Chutes and Ladders or Sorry! 

You may even feel like creating questions for your very own family quiz night.  Make things even more enjoyable by offering a prize to the winning team, or starting up a scoreboard to keep track of the victors.

I hope you’ve gotten a few ideas here that will help you prioritize and enjoy family time during the holidays!