Christmas is not cancelled! How to make the best of a bad situation.

I’m just going to jump straight into this one. I’ve heard and read so many people saying that Christmas is cancelled this year and I have to disagree.

It won’t be the same as past Christmas’ but that doesn’t mean you have to cancel it. If anything, this year has taught me to be thankful for what I have and to make the most out of a bad situation.

We may not physically spend the day with aunties, grandparents, siblings, parents or friends, but we can still enjoy the day together.

Here are some ideas to help make Christmas 2020 one to remember for all the good reasons.

Hold presents back

As soon as my children wake up on Christmas morning (which is usually ridiculously early, like many other children on Christmas Day I imagine!) naturally the first thing they want to do is see if Santa has been.

Much to their delight he always delivers and within an hour of waking up our girls have opened all of their presents leaving a trail of wrapping paper (recyclable or reusable I may add) behind them while they decide what to play with first.

As the day progresses, we would usually have a stream of visitors from grandparents to aunties and cousins. This means our girls have more presents to look forward to. However, this year will be different. Chances are at some point, lockdown rules allowing, I’ll meet with various family members to exchange presents in advance of the big day.

Now, some may be tempted to put these presents under the tree so the children can open them first thing, but I’m more prone to holding back on doing that this year so that our girls still look forward to knowing they’ll have a little something else to open later in the day.

You could arrange for example, for their auntie to video call later in the day and then you can all share in the joy of watching one another unwrapping their gifts. This way, all of the gift opening isn’t over and done with first thing in the morning. I think it’ll help to keep the fun and excitement going for the entire day.

Obviously, I would just like to point out that I know Christmas isn’t all about the presents, and I know some people will moan, but you can’t please everyone! There’s no right or wrong. We’ll be enjoying the day as a family and a part of that for us is seeing the excitement and joy on our children’s faces when they see that Santa has been.

Make video calls part of the day

As briefly mentioned above, getting family and friends to video call on Christmas Day is a great way to see everyone and get everyone involved. So why not make the most of these video calls by playing games.

You could prepare in advance by arranging a Christmas Day quiz, bingo game or even something as simple as a game of snap with the little ones over a video call.

Get some fresh air

Lockdown rules allowing, if you have family and/or friends living nearby, why not walk from your home to theirs to give them a little wave or allowing grandparents to watch their grandchildren build a snowman on their front lawn!

Being apart doesn’t mean not being together. Although you may not be able to hug one another, you can still be together apart.

What do you think? Will you make an extra effort this Christmas?