Christmas morning in my house this year was the usual chaotic, happy, over stimulating affair. My three children opened presents and exclaimed over each gift, then practically tossed the new toy aside in anticipation of getting to open the next gift. You could see the inevitable crash coming a mile away once the pile of gifts started to dwindle. Sure enough, once the last present was opened, my daughter looked at me petulantly and asked “What now?”
What now, indeed. After months and weeks of hurried days before Christmas, everything had been crazy busy with the preparation and growing anticipation of Christmas, both for me and my kids. My son had made a star with construction paper loops at school and he got to cut off one loop every day as Christmas drew near. All three kids had an advent calendar with a little door to open every night during the countdown. There were so many tools to help the kids manage the wait for Christmas, but what about the letdown once the holiday was over?
Thank You, Santa!
Although I was ready to clean up, organize and put away everything once the living room floor was covered with shreds of brightly colored paper, bows, boxes, and packing material, I have learned not to immediately put all the new toys away. Instead, I find a place to put the new toys for at least a week after Christmas. In my house, this place happens to be on top of the kids’ train table, which sits in the middle of the playroom and is low enough for all three of the kids to reach. I keep all the new toys on the train table so that the kids have access to lots of new things to play with, can find all the new toys all in one place and I don’t have to constantly hear “Where is my new (fill in the blank)?” Keeping all the new things in a visible location also helps the kids remember all the cool stuff they got for Christmas and keeps the “What can we do now?” whining to a minimum.
Busy Busy Busy
Another good way to help fend off the typical after-Christmas blues is to set up several plans for the kids in the days after Christmas. I actually try to avoid taking the kids to places that I know will be crazed with too many other kids on holiday break, but the week after Christmas is the perfect time to set up play dates. After all, there are new toys to play with, the excitement of seeing friends that they haven’t seen since school let out, and I’ve found that kids who are busy playing with their friends typically can’t find the time to whine about boredom or sadness that Christmas is over.
New Anticipation
I’m no Santa, so I can’t garner the same sort of anticipation and excitement as the jolly old St. Nick. However, I can make other plans after Christmas that the kids can look forward to, such as a road trip to visit family nearby or a visit to someplace the kids really love, like the aquarium or children’s museum. (Tip: Try to arrive right when the place opens or about two hours before the place closes to help avoid all the holiday crowds.) Sometimes I combine this idea with the play date idea and work with another mom to set up a field trip with some of our favorite friends at one of the favorite places to go. The trick is to plan the event and let the kids know a few days in advance so they have something fun to look forward to instead of just feeling like all the good times are gone.
One last tip actually tells more about my disorganization than my amazing skills as a mother, but almost every year, I end up finding a bag or a box stashed away in a closet or under a bed where I hid it prior to Christmas. Once I find the loot, I can wrap things up and give them to the kids as a few things that Santa left behind. It’s a surprise that keeps on giving and keeps the little ones happy, which is the whole idea in the first place.