10 Ways a Dad Can Win at Christmas With Children

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As a dad, you need to come up with creative ways to connect with your children during the holidays. The season often presents an opportunity for family activities and traditions. However, most families forget their significance. Christmas is a great time to create strong bonds with your family and celebrate them. As a dad, there are many ways to connect with your kids and win at Christmas. Here are some of them.

1. Bake Christmas Cookies

Baking Christmas cookies with your kids is a wonderful tradition. Bake and decorate a variety of cookies to keep everyone happy. They are just as fun to bake as they are to eat. Cookies are great gifts for friends, teachers, neighbors, and family. This is a joy that they can pass down to future generations.

If you really want to go out, consider hosting a cookie party during the holidays. Look up new holiday-based recipes online to make it even more interesting.

2. Show Appreciation

One of the easiest ways to win at Christmas is increasing the appreciation you show to your kids. Snuggle them in the morning and right before they go to bed. Hugs, pat backs, and simple ‘good jobs’ may not seem like much to adults, but they are very important to children. It helps them grow and creates a sense of security. This may be easier for younger kids than older ones, however, it is beneficial to all of them.

If you really want to go out, consider hosting a cookie party during the holidays. Look up new recipes online to make it even more interesting.

3. Enjoy the Entire Season

Christmas is more than one day. It is an entire season and you should help your kids enjoy all of it. Schedule events for the entire period. Children will enjoy seeing Santa, decorating a Christmas tree, carol singing, and other traditions. Many of the activities are free, and they can create lasting memories. Do not assume that they will hate certain activities just because you may have disliked them as a child.

4. Take Them Shopping for Others

Giving your kids Christmas presents is great but it is not enough. Give them money and go shopping for a gift for someone else in the family – mother, brother, sister, or grandparent. Taking this approach will begin to mold them into feeling good about giving, instead of always receiving presents. This also allows you to spend quality father-child time and teach them to manage money better. If you are on a budget, offer a reward for the child that spends their money without going over budget.

5. Play

Laughter is great for your child and it will earn you lots of points during Christmas. Playing around with your kids and rough-housing will promote the holiday spirit and improve your connection. It stimulates the production of oxytocin and endorphins that are perfect for both of you. If you do not play with them often, they are likely to feel disconnected. They may act out or struggle with anxiety. There is no better time to have fun and laugh with your Children than Christmas.

When playing with your kids, turn off technology. It makes it easy to stay in the moment and helps the children understand that you prioritize time with them.

6. Take a Trip

Traveling with your kids may be a great way to spend time during the holiday season. Whether you choose to take a flight across the country or drive down to grandma’s house, focus on creating lasting memories while promoting safety.

Do not wait until the last minute to get them excited about your trip. Make it a family affair and get them involved in the planning process. Find out what they would like to experience and try to include it in the trip. Assign them small tasks and ensure they know that their contributions are valued.

Once you have figured out the details, tell them now what you have planned. Bring snacks and make sure they know how much went into planning this experience for them.

7. Plan for Quiet Time

Christmas and the holiday season can be filled with excitement and activities. Children are likely to be overwhelmed. Set aside some time to relax and watch a holiday movie or two. The majority of kids will value the time with you more than presents.

There are hundreds of holiday movies on all the streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Video, Netflix, and Hulu. Bring up the titles and choose a movie together, then surprise them with hot chocolate and marshmallows to drink during the flick.

8. Drive Nearby Neighborhoods for Christmas Lights

Sometimes, spending time with family members can be daunting for children. Having to visit or spend time with people that they have not seen in a long time does not always feel good. But, getting them in the car for an evening trip to view some awesome Christmas lights can bring cheer to even the older ones who have grown up from festive events.

This is another opportunity to get in the holiday spirit by making some hot chocolate, putting it in a thermos, and surprising them with marshmallows to top it off.

While driving through the light-filled neighborhoods, you can also start figuring out if your current housing situation is where you want to be. If you don’t live in a community where the homes are lined with lights and holiday spirit, it could be an opportunity to begin searching for new homes for sale in a community that has more spirit.

9. Stay Healthy

Talking about health, especially during Christmas, may sound boring but all dads need to do it. Your kids may not appreciate it in the moment but they will thank you later. Even though Christmas is the time to eat and sleep in, encourage your children to exercise, drink plenty of water, and get enough rest. If they do not get enough sleep or physical activity, they are likely to get grumpy. They may be unable to enjoy the holiday season. Staying healthy is the secret to happiness.

10. Spread the Cheer

Work with your children to spread the spirit of Christmas. Helping others is an experience that they will never forget. Consider donating their old toys, clothes, pet food, or food parcels to the less fortunate. This way, you will create a spirit of compassion and help your kids spread happiness to others.

In conclusion, there are many ways to make kids happy during Christmas. Fortunately, many of the options are cheap and easy to execute.

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