Hellobee

I have to admit for our first Christmas with Jackson this year, I originally put a lot of pressure on myself to make it special. I’m such a huge fan of the Christmas season, and I’m constantly looking for ways to make it more special. But, in all honesty, Christmas loses a lot of the magic when you’re stressed about everything being perfect. So I finally decided to let go and enjoy it as it happens, and if we get around to everything we want to do, that’s just even better.

That being said, I’ve still tried to do what I can do make things a little more memorable than usual. Here are a few ideas for making sure your savor your first Christmas with your little one!

1. Make a “Christmas bucket list” – this is a favorite activity that we do every year, and it’s a great way to make sure we don’t miss out on any of the fun holiday activities we love so much. We used to create an activity advent calendar, but it put too much pressure on us to get an activity done every night, so now we come up with a list of 15 or so things we want to do over the course of the month. This year the list is looking a lot more baby oriented, and we tried to think of activities that Jackson can enjoy with us. This has helped us stay focused on enjoying the season and taking some time regularly for holiday activities.

2. Send out Christmas cards. I absolutely love Christmas cards, but the last couple of years we have skipped them due to finances. This year I was absolutely determined to send them out, so we bought some generic cards on sale at Target, took a cute family photo in the backyard, and used washi tape to attach one to the inside of each card. I still get the personalized feel that I love and Mr. Garland is happy because it was way cheaper than ordering them online!

4. Go visit Santa. I know if you’re anything like me, you are rolling your eyes right now. Mr. Garland and I were staunchly against taking Jackson to see Santa this year (why would we? He couldn’t care less!) but we quickly learned that it means a lot to the grandparents to have these photos, so we gave in and went to visit Santa. I even invited my parents along so they could experience it with us. It wasn’t the most fun thing we’ve done this year, but it made both of our mothers smile, so that’s what matters, right? And to be honest, I’m pretty glad we did it.

5. Go look at Christmas lights. We haven’t done this yet and I’m hoping we’ll be able to squeeze it in, because I know Jackson will absolutely love all of the sparkling lights. This may require keeping your baby up a bit past bedtime (I know it would for us!), but sometimes it’s worth it for a bit of holiday magic!

6. Take lots of photos! I’ve been trying to utilize all of our cute little Christmas gear (themed onesies, pajamas, sippy cups, etc.) and I am snapping photos of Jackson using them whenever I can so that we can always have memories of this year. It all goes by so quickly and is so hectic that it can be easy to forget the little moments if you don’t have it on film! We even took a quick video of the first time Jackson saw the Christmas tree – he wasn’t quite as excited as we had hoped he would be, but I love that we have that moment recorded.

7. Search for holiday events in your town. We have found so many great activities this way that work great for younger babies, older babies, or toddlers! We went to a Christmas Stroll one weekend where they had a mini Whoville set up, complete with pictures with the Grinch! We also found out that a local shopping center does snow days a few times during the month where they have actual snow for kids to play in (yes, when you live in Texas you have to fake it if you want your kid to get some playtime in the snow).

8. Don’t forget about your own favorite traditions. I’m big on baking Christmas cookies every year, and we always build gingerbread houses with my sister and her family. Jackson is still too young to participate in either of these activities, but I’m not letting go of them – instead we’re just adjusting our plans so that we can do them after he goes to bed. It’s fun to focus on the kids during the Christmas season, but I’m a firm believer that it’s important to spend some time on yourself too!

(Our family with our gingerbread houses!)

9. Take time to savor the little moments. Spend a few minutes holding your baby next to the tree so he can touch the ornaments or pull on the branches a little. Let her play with the wrapping paper while you’re wrapping gifts. Spend some extra time in the Christmas aisle of Target and just let them enjoy all of the pretty decorations. I find that I enjoy this entire season so much more if I slow down and really take in every moment, even when I’m tempted to rush through all of the holiday madness.

10. Most importantly, let yourself off the hook a bit. It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea of “baby’s first Christmas” and become stressed about making every little thing perfect. But that just puts unnecessary stress on you when, let’s be honest, your baby isn’t going to remember any of this anyway! A few ways we’re letting ourselves off the hook this year include skipping “real” gifts for Jackson and just doing a stocking (he’ll be perfectly happy playing with our boxes and wrapping paper), simplifying the gifts we are giving friends and family so we don’t have as much pressure on ourselves, and not worrying too much if we aren’t able to squeeze in everything that we want to – there’s always next year!

What are you doing this year to ensure you enjoy the holiday season with your LO?