Following on from ways to reduce stress on your marriage and family at Christmas, here are some more ideas.
If you are planning on visiting parents, in-laws or siblings and have to travel a long way, leave yourself plenty of time. Don’t try and rush from one place to the other. This only leads to stress and accidents.
Try and amuse the children on long road trips. Sing songs, talk – children often open up a lot while someone is driving, play I spy, read a book together and talk about it, let them play games or listen to music. You might want to make sure they have earphones though. Provide enough snack food for them during the journey. Cut down on the amount of drinks though unless you want to be making regulate toilet stops.
Cut the drive up and take a break that includes a visit to the park to let children run off excess energy. It will also give the driver a break and time to revive, so they are not overtired. Hopefully they will then drive more safely and not fall asleep at the wheel. Change drivers regularly if possible to guard against overtiredness too.
People have different ideas about Christmas. We go to church at Christmas. For us it is as natural as breathing. I don’t believe we can force or pressure others into going if they do not believe the same. You can suggest they are welcome to come with you if they like but don’t make them feel guilty if they choose not to. It only makes them more antagonistic and resistant. Show love and understanding.
Don’t go overboard with Christmas lights. It can put a lot of stress on families when they start to compete with neighbors for the biggest and best Christmas lights display. Think of the time involved in putting them up and taking them down. Remember you and your spouse have other things to do. You don’t want to be spending too much time on lights and Christmas displays that could be spent enjoying each other’s company.
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