This Dad Realized He Wasn’t Helping Make Holiday Magic
And he had advice for other dads in the same boat.
With just a few weeks until Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve, there’s no dearth of activities to keep a festive parent busy through to the end of the year. But while some parents are running around like headless chickens decked with holly, others just don’t quite get it. It’s not that they’re Grinches, they just don’t see why we can’t all do just a bit less — or they don’t realize that they aren’t sharing the very big holiday load. But TikTok creator Justin Kellough (@parentingcheerleader) offers advice to the less festive parents among us: step up anyway and help your partner.
“I don’t really care about holiday magic, but my wife cares about holiday magic and I realized a few years ago that I was doing nothing to create said magic,” he begins, before continuing. “I’m just here to tell you if you’re the partner that usually does nothing to make holiday magic, do something this year. Make a plan.”
Kellough’s plan? An outing to a beautiful light display at a local botanical garden. It’s a bit pricey, he shares, but organizing the trip is super easy and means a lot to his family. And you don’t need a big budget to make the holidays that little bit more special.
“It can be as easy as just the cost of gas to drive around the nice neighborhood with the good lights,” he suggests. “If you don’t have a car it could just be the cost of public transportation to get to the nice shopping area with the fun Christmas lights and trees and stuff. It’s just not hard to make memories for kids, especially when they’re little. And if your partner cares about the holiday magic and you don’t, it would mean a lot for you to step up and do something.”
Of course, we all know That One Person whose ability to create holiday magic is so powerful they could teach a class on it at Hogwarts. Don’t let that intimidate you, says Kellough.
“I’m not saying match their energy if they’re Buddy the Elf, OK?” he jokes. “Some people are unreasonable! You don’t have to do as much as they’re doing if they go overboard. But jump in. Volunteer to take over a tradition, volunteer to make a new outing, whatever it may be: step up and do something to make some holiday memories.”
“As the parent who feels the pressure of making holiday magic, this would probably make me cry,” said one commenter.
“Take the kids to a Christmas lights parade in a small town,” suggests another. “There’s nothing like Santa rolling by on the heavy equipment native to the area.”
A third offers a caution that’s sure to come in handy for the would-be magic makers out there: “And make sure to CHECK THE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR before planning anything!!”
Because some of us have been planning the magic for months now and December is booked.
