Is there anymore that anyone can say about this year that hasn’t already been covered in a meme? From having to quarantine since March, moms all over the country have been managing life during a pandemic. New mothers have had to venture their pregnancy alone to appointments and even in the delivery room. Mothers with newborns and toddlers have needed to self-isolate and social distance from everybody. And mothers with older and younger children have needed to accommodate everyone learning online, while possibly working from home at the same time. It’s incredible what mothers have stepped up to do this year, and we see you.
Mothers in 2020 are simply exhausted. We are exhausted from worrying about exposure to the virus. We are exhausted from trying to explain why we can’t go see grandma. We are exhausted from telling our toddlers someone they love is in the hospital. We are also exhausted from listening to Baby Shark and binge-watching Word Party all day long. And do I even need to mention the incessant asking for a snack?
As this year comes to a close, it’s safe to say that everyone is looking forward to celebrating the holidays. Even though not everyone will be able to gather together, it is important that we take the time to get our minds off of the stresses from this year. Here are some ideas we can implement this holiday season to help each other push through to New Years during a pandemic:
Keep Things Simple
Many parents feel that they need to make this year “the best Christmas ever!” They want the matching pajamas, the overly decorated home, and the most ridiculous Elf-On-The-Shelf antics. They also want their kids to go see Santa and enjoy looking at Christmas lights. It’s understandable that you want to go overboard during the holidays, especially after a year where your kids weren’t able to do their regular activities such as soccer or dance. However, do not overwhelm yourself with putting so much on your plate. You don’t have to make your house the North Pole in order for your children to love the holidays.
Make New Traditions
Since this year has been pretty untraditional, why not think of new traditions your family can do together during the holidays? You could hold an annual pajama and Christmas movie day or make your own decorations instead of buying them. Maybe instead of cooking a big dinner, you decide to help support a local restaurant and order out. You could also send your fellow mom-friends little care packages with their favorite lotions, soaps, or treats to help them get through the holidays. Traditions are wonderful because they are something to look forward to and they become special. Your traditions do not need to be the same as anyone else’s either. There are no rules you have to follow in order for something to count as a holiday tradition.
Help Someone Else
Social distancing has made it difficult for even neighbors to help each other out. We worry about spreading exposure to the virus, so we’ve been keeping to ourselves a lot more this year. This has caused us to miss out on good opportunities to help others. You don’t need to organize a huge community event either. You could help your children make cards for relatives. You could put together food boxes to go to food banks. You could collect winter coats to be donated to a shelter. Or you could make sure the elderly couple down the road always has a shoveled sidewalk. Serving others is a great way to forget about your stresses and focus on the needs of others for a bit.
Schedule Video Chats
While some families and friends will be able to gather together this year, it still is difficult to get everyone in the same house due to travel restrictions and quarantine mandates. Just as we’ve learned through online schooling, scheduling video chats in advanced will help keep everyone on track. You can do a big meeting with everyone or literally have appointment times throughout the day. To help with everyone being able to see each other, you may consider using a television or projector screen instead of a computer. This would be a fun way for your toddlers to see their friends and could even do an activity together.
Nothing Needs To Be Perfect
We’ve all been improvising this year, so do not put a ton of pressure on yourself to have a picture perfect holiday. Unfortunately, social media has become a marketing ploy that produces idyllic situations. They show mothers of four children with a newborn baby completely done-up with a blowout making gingerbread houses and all of their children are happy and spotless. It’s important to remember that these photographs are just snapshots, not the whole picture. It’s okay if your toddler isn’t interested in the holidays at all. It’s okay if you do not dress up as elves for your baby’s first Christmas. Remember that you do not have to share your holidays with anyone. Instead of stressing about getting that perfect picture for Instagram, be in the moment and just have fun your family.
This holiday season is certainly going to look different than before, but that doesn’t mean it will be any less enjoyable. We can help support each other physically and mentally during this time. Just as Meghan Markle wrote about in her essay, it could be something as simple as asking a friend if they are OK. We don’t always know exactly what our friends have been going through during this pandemic, so in the spirit of the holiday season we can check in on them and try to make everything merry and bright.
Sources: Care.com, Washington Post, News8wtnh