Once upon a time, Christmas morning kicked off with a 4 a.m. wake-up call from an over-eager 5 year-old cheerfully reminding you that today was The Day. No time to waste, Mom and Dad! There were presents to be opened, treats to be eaten, songs to be sung … all before 8 a.m.!
Today, that 5 year-old has morphed into a night-owl 17 year-old who, when left to his own devices, might lumber down the stairs sometime between breakfast and lunch, Christmas Day or no. Or maybe that 5 year-old is two decades older now, and living on her own an hour away.
But, ummmmm… there’s another 5 year-old in the house. How to make the two extremes come together for Christmas morning bliss?
Straddle parenting the holidays is a delicate art. Too far in either direction and … disaster. So what to do? How to balance eager littles with laid-back olders? How to make memories with middles when siblings have their own traditions in the making elsewhere?
What have you tried in your family? What’s worked in the past? How do you see Christmas as your family grows?
We’ve always had a “not until 7/00” rule. And in the case of the teenager, who would still sleep later, she has to get up. It’s Christmas! 🙂 I remind her that I would love to sleep in too, and that a nap is always an option later!