Top Tips For Celebrating Christmas In A Single-Parent Household
With the holiday season quickly approaching, now is the time to start putting your plans in place. Leaving everything to the last minute can result in a very stressful experience, especially if you have kids to consider. Not being organised can result in your little ones missing out on getting the gifts they want and a Christmas morning accompanied by tears is something that no parent wants to have to deal with. Getting all the ingredients that you need to cook your favourite Christmas treats is also important as things can sell out, the closer to Christmas Day that you wait.
Getting all of this organised can be stressful enough when there are two parents to share the workload. However, for single-parent families, it can be much more challenging. Carrying all of this responsibility on your own can be very difficult making it even more important that you start getting yourself organised as early as possible. While you might not want to start thinking about Christmas in October, if you want to ensure that you and your little ones have an amazing festive season this year, it is vital that you start getting prepared as early as you possibly can.
Let’s take a look at a few tips to help single-parent families make the most of the Christmas celebrations.
Get Your Gifts Organised
While Christmas is about much more than just giving and receiving gifts, when you have children to consider, you need to ensure that you get their gifts organised ahead of time. Every Christmas, there are gifts that are in high demand and if you don’t get them in time, you could be looking at a very disappointing Christmas morning. Gifts also tend to be one of the more significant costs so buying your gifts early will ensure you have more disposable income the closer it gets to Christmas Day. Once you have your main presents bought, take some time to get your stocking fillers organised. Search online using terms such as “Christmas presents for her” and “gifts for boys” to find unique ideas that your kids will love.
Involve Your Extended Family
While it’s always nice to wake up on Christmas morning and share those magic moments with just you and your kids, as the day goes on, it can be fun to have some more people around. For single parents, the house can sometimes feel a little quiet on Christmas day. To bring a little life to your home and to make sure the kids are extra-spoiled, invite your extended family to visit. Having uncles, aunts, grandparents or even close friends visit you on Christmas Day, or heading out to meet them can help to make the day more fun and sociable for everyone.
Make Dinner Plans In Advance
Cooking up a big Christmas Dinner at home as a single parent can be very difficult. Not only is cooking Christmas dinner very stressful but it is also very time-consuming meaning you will have a lot less time to spend playing and interacting with your kids. Since the point of Christmas is to spend quality time together, why not treat yourself to dinner out, instead of cooking at home? If your budget will allow, you can book a table at your favourite restaurant but be sure to make reservations well in advance as spaces can fill up very quickly at this time of the year. Alternatively, why not head to the beach with some pre-prepared salads and simply throw a few burgers on the barbeque? Eating out will allow you to enjoy the day a lot more as a single-parent family, you just need to be organised.
Make Decorating An Event
Decorating your home during the Christmas period will make your home feel more festive and help to get the entire family in the right mood for the celebrations. However, as a single parent, putting up all of the decorations on your own can be difficult. Not only is there a lot of heavy lifting involved but it can often be a two-person job hanging lights, putting up a tree and doing everything else that is required to transform your home into a Christmas wonderland. To lighten the load, get the kids involved, invite some friends over and make an event of it. Put on some Christmas tunes, stick on your Santa hats and get to work decorating your home in style.
Have A Very Happy And Memorable Christmas This Year
If you are managing Christmas as a single parent, make sure that you follow the tips outlined above to make things as simple and straightforward as possible. Getting others involved, planning in advance and doing everything that you can to get both yourself and the kids into the festive spirit will ensure that you have a very happy and memorable Christmas this year.