7 Holiday Traditions Just For Mom
Because sometimes your toddler is just not going to appreciate snowflake-making.
I love a good holiday tradition — but not just for my kids and family. I love the holiday traditions I make for myself just as much. Every year, a million memes love to remind us moms that we are the magic makers for our home, but you know what? That means we’re in charge of making the magic for ourselves, too. And we deserve some holiday traditions that are just for us.
Because it’s not just your kids’ Christmas or your partner’s Christmas; it’s yours, too. And you deserve just as much joy and magic as anyone. Of course, yes, it takes some work. And maybe you feel stretched trying to be the room mom for the kindergarten Christmas party, buying toys for the local toy drive, and figuring out what to serve your extended relatives for Christmas Day brunch. But it’s so worth it when you get to have a sweet holiday moment that’s A) exactly like you dreamed and B) not forcing your kids or family to be a part of something they don’t really like.
And don’t you dare feel guilty for enjoying baking alone or watching a Christmas movie without your kids in your lap. You are doing a million holiday things with them all the time. You’re decorating cookies and you’re building hot chocolate bars and you’re letting them hang 18 ornaments off of one branch and waiting until they go to bed before rearranging. You are creating magic for them every day, from the toaster waffles cut into Christmas tree shapes with powdered sugar “snow” to reading them a Christmas book every night. You are the magic maker.
So why not make some magic for yourself, too?
Decorate Part of the House *Alone*
I truly love decorating my Christmas tree with my daughters. I love their help, the way they stretch to hang ornaments on branches, the questions they ask me about ornaments they’ve recognized every year — but when it comes time to do my mantle or hang the garland or put up the lights outside, I want to do it alone. I want to listen to a Christmas podcast and focus on the lights and the design without little hands telling me they can “help” or getting in the way. I want to be able to move freely with the extension cords and enjoy the process of decorating; there’s nothing wrong with that.
My husband and I even started a decorating tradition of our own. The night before Thanksgiving, we open a bottle of wine, order some dinner, and watch all of our favorite sitcom Thanksgiving episodes while we put up the tree and put all the lights on it. Then, in the morning, our girls come downstairs to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and decorate a tree that’s already up and ready to go. It’s one of my favorite holiday traditions, and it means the world to me. (Especially because my kids don’t have to listen to me cuss out the twinkling lights.)
Do a Christmas Craft Without Any “Help”
There are Christmas crafts you do with your kids, and then there are Christmas crafts you are allowed to do all on your own. It doesn’t matter how difficult the craft is — if you enjoy it and want to do it without your toddler reaching for the scissors, you are allowed to do so. My own personal favorite is sitting down after my girls go to bed and cutting out tissue paper snowflakes while I watch a Christmas movie.
Bake Christmas Cookies While Everyone’s at School
Last year, I took a day off work and just spent the whole day doing all of my favorite holiday baking while my kids were at school. Did it feel wrong somehow? Of course. Did I still save a cookie project for them to do with me later in the season? Absolutely. Did I enjoy every single moment of baking in peace with the Christmas music I wanted to hear playing in the background? Good grief, yes.
Go to a Christmas-Themed Bar
OK, chances are you wouldn’t do this with the family anyway, but don’t sleep on heading out to a Christmas-themed bar with some friends. Lights everywhere, drinks that taste like gingerbread or eggnog or peppermint, Christmas karaoke — it’s like the best kind of Christmas dream . You can find them just about anywhere, and it’s such a fun way to enjoy the season and feel all that sparkly magic.
Read Your Own Christmas Books
I know you. I know you have 800 holiday children’s books all ready to go. I know you’re going to do funny voices for How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and read The Polar Express with hot chocolate, and you’ve got The Night Before Christmas all lined up for Christmas Eve. But have you thought about reading your own Christmas book? There are so many incredible ones, and every mom deserves a seasonal read that doesn’t include being interrupted by kids bouncing off their beds or telling you they have to pee right at the good part.
And hey, don’t think it has to be an “adult” book either. Every year, I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever on my own and then I read it to my girls, and it’s one of my favorite Christmas traditions.
Buy the Christmas Pajamas *You* Want to Wear
Listen, family Christmas jammies are cute, but I’m always annoyed at how the patterns don’t quite match what I would like to wear, or that they only come in two-piece sets when I prefer a nightgown — and you know what? There is no rule that says everyone’s pajamas have to match. So make this your holiday tradition: You can buy whatever jammies you need for your family photo, but you absolutely deserve a pair of Christmas pajamas you want to wear.
Watch a Christmas Movie Without the Kids
You already know not every Christmas movie is a family Christmas movie, but sometimes it can feel strange to watch one — any holiday film! — without your kids. Whether you want to watch the old claymation ones without being interrupted or watch The Holiday or Four Christmases without your kids around, it’s totally worth it to have your own festive movie night. Put on your favorite jammies and get cozy — and put your phone down. Just enjoy the movie, whether you’re on your own or watching with friends.
