Looking Back on a Month of Festivities

December 31, 2008

What a month it's been!  There's nothing quite as exhausting and exhilarating as celebrating the holidays with young children.  We've all worked hard to make these days beautiful and memorable for the little ones, so as the month comes to a close, let's take a moment to give ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back.

 

And let's also reminisce a bit about all the fun we had together....

 

We savored the magic of holiday rituals, and remembered also that sticking closely  to our kids' regular routines allows them to truly enjoy all of the special happenings of the season.

 

We did our best to show the little ones that giving is as much fun as getting, and that offering gifts made by their own hands is most fun of all.

 

We rediscovered our favorite Hanukkah and Christmas books and toys.  (We love them so much that we're not ready to put them away quite yet!)

 

We gave our children gifts of experience not just presents, including some of our most treasured holiday performances.

 

We cooked up a storm of favorite holiday treats with help from the some very enthusiastic little sous-chefs.

 

We dreamed up all kinds of clever indoor activities for the shortest days of the year.

 

We made our celebrations as green as possible with help from a trusted eco-friendly expert.

 

We kept our holiday traditions flexible, lively and unexpected.  In other words, we kept them child and parent-friendly!

 

Last but not least, we planned a fabulous family New Year's Eve bash!

 

Tomorrow it's on to making inspired resolutions for 2009.  The first will be to carry some of the wonder of holiday rituals over to our everyday routines....  Happy New Year, Everyone!

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Our City Editors in Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington DC, Charleston and the San Fernando Valley are also looking back fondly at the month's festivities.