Grandma Says: My Ultimate Post- Holiday Review

Did you have great holidays? We certainly did, but looking back, I could have made them better.

So, before getting on with the new year, I’m taking stock with a post-holiday review of key learnings, to file away for next Christmas.

If your grandkids are very young, it’s time to nail the traditions you plan to nurture from year to year. I’m finding that as the grandkids get older, some of the traditions you start now won’t be as relevant to them later.

Managing Time: There’s Never Enough

I’ve learned to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Then it’s one and done. And you’ve set the holiday mood for the month.

I like to invite the ever-capable Miss T, now 11, to spend the night to decorate with me. She enjoys being involved, it cuts my work time in half, and it’s a great bonding time for us.

Miss T gets to do all the fun part of unwrapping the ornaments and sorting them before we decorate the Christmas tree. When it comes to taking down the tree, I do it myself. I want her to enjoy the magic; not deal with the cleanup.

This Year, I’ll Give Myself a Head Start

This past Christmas, I came up with these cute snowmen centerpieces for the Christmas table. I’ll post how-to instructions before the holidays come around again this year.

BUT, I would like to have made photo ornaments for the guests, to use as place cards. And I would have provided snowmen pencil favors, a Martha Stewart idea. I just ran out of time.

So, this year, I’ll plan on the same snowman tabletop theme. And I’ll get an early start on making these snow-themed extras to dress up the table.

Other Projects I Could Start Now

Here are other things I could do ahead, as I consider my post holiday review:

• Produce gift tags–Miss. T and I made some darling gingerbread ones from Cricut but we could have made more. Or get kids involved making gift tags from paper scraps or recycled Christmas cards.
• Make Christmas crackers–I will order supplies early (I’ve depleted my stash) so I can make them at my leisure. Here are instructions, but if you have a Cricut, you can simply cut out the shape from cardstock.
• Start acquiring small, cheap toys for Advent calendars and Christmas crackers–I’ll keep an eye out at dollar stores and during my vacation travels.

Working on Christmas projects all year long will make life easier during crunch time, while keeping the Christmas spirit alive well past the holidays.

Rethinking Holiday Traditions as Kids Grow

Creating holiday traditions is a wonderful way to imprint childhood memories. But a post holiday review should include evaluating those traditions.

This past year, our traditional activities took a turn due to bad weather, the kids’ changing interests, and their busy schedules.

Christmas Cookie Baking

Miss T and I have baked Christmas cookies together since she was three–even on zoom during the pandemic.

This past year, we only had time for a quick cookie baking session, and without N, who had a sports conflict. Rainy weather limited the dates possible for this project; humidity degrades the cookies and icing won’t set.

This year, I might make and freeze cookie dough or even bake and freeze some finished cookies, so the kids’ can devote their time to decorating. I’d start this prep before Thanksgiving.

The Kids’ Christmas Tree

Decorating the kids’ Christmas tree used to be something the grandkids looked forward to, because they were small and it was the one tree they were allowed to decorate by themselves. This year, although they did the decorating, the kids weren’t as enthusiastic.

I think they’ve outgrown the little tree. I’ll continue to keep that little tree in the family room and if they’ve lost interest, decorate it myself.

The Gingerbread House “Party”

There was no real gingerbread party this year. We had too many rainy days. Plus, N was occupied with team tournaments.

The children still wanted to make the gingerbread houses, but we had to do it after Christmas, and unlike in the past, the adults were unable to participate, so just four of us were involved. The activity fell flat.

The gingerbread house party tradition began during the pandemic, when I was looking for an upbeat activity for the children; we constructed and decorated our houses over FaceTime.

When we were able to get together in person in later years, with parents and grandparents involved, it became an annual family party, with everyone vying to create the most attractive gingerbread houses.

I think this one is still a keeper–we just need better weather so we have more choices of dates to ensure the involvement of the whole family. Note to self: buy more fun and varied candy for decorations and make a few houses in advance, so kids can get started right away–two things I failed to do this time.

Preserve the Memories

I always take lots of photos of the grandkids during the holidays, trying to capture precious holiday moments. This year, I’m working on a Christmas 2024 video to show at our next Friday night dinner.

Post Holiday Review: Be Open to Change

As I get older, I’m more willing to forgo what I used to consider must-do activities. I didn’t send out any Christmas cards, but I might get out a Happy New Year card later.

I used to insist that everyone get dressed up for our annual Christmas family photos, but now I’m willing to go casual, as the family prefers.

We still do fancy dress for the grandkids for Christmas Eve dinner. They wear the party outfits I buy for them as I have done since Miss T was a baby. But instead of making the selection for them, I send them links to potential outfits and give them a budget so they can select what they want to wear.

I’m not stressing about the New Year foods that are prescribed by Japanese tradition. We skipped the soba noodle soup for New Year’s Eve, which promotes long life. But I did make the ozoni, mochi soup, served for good luck and good health, on New Year’s Day.

In the end, as the grandkids grow older, and if more traditions fall by the wayside due to lack of time or interest, I can live with that. I know I’ve done my best to create meaningful holiday traditions for them.

So, if you grandkids are little, establish your holiday traditions early on, so you can continue them over the years. If the grandkids outgrow them, you’ll find new traditions to make their holidays memorable.

Next Week: On to the New Year

Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year begins on January 29. We’ll plan on a fun way to observe this milestone event with the grandkids, then on to Valentine’s Day!

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