The months of November and December are a very hectic season for our family. I realize this is true for the majority of families since the holidays are always a busy time, but our family also has a couple of extra celebrations. You see, both of my children and my husband all have birthdays in December – in a span of three days – the week before Christmas. To say that the holiday season, particularly December, presents scheduling issues for our family is an understatement.

First, we have to get through November and Thanksgiving. Our November calendar typically fills up with various blogging events, as there are many holiday happenings the local theme parks and attractions want to share with families. It’s super fun, but means every weekend has something going on. We definitely have to choose wisely, since it can become overwhelming.

Then December comes and it seems like it goes by in a flash. We usually have a birthday party for the kids (luckily I can still combine both birthdays into one party), so we spend quite a bit of time planning and preparing for the party. There’s also Christmas shopping to do, along with every day life and obligations (school, work, housework, etc.). We pretty much spend the first three weeks of December running around. But, we do it together.

That’s the thing about this hectic holiday season. Even though we have a lot going on, we’re together. We attend events as a family, we plan, shop, and prepare for the birthday party together, and even do some Christmas shopping together. All that time – even the time in the car and in stores – is time for us to talk, laugh, reminisce and just hang out. Sure, there are moments of frustration or impatience, but overall, we have fun. There’s just no other way for us to get through it. Humor is a part of who we are as a family, so naturally, laughter is how we keep it together. I’m just lucky to have a family that keeps me laughing and that laughs along with me.

How do you keep the humor going during the hectic holiday season?

Disclosure: This story is sponsored by Hallmark through their Life is a Special Occasion campaign. As always, all stories and opinions are my own. To receive special offers and discounts from Hallmark, sign up for their e-newsletter!

Photo © modernmami

Harvest Festivals, Halloween Parades, Pumpkin Patch Field Trips, Thanksgiving Feasts, Christmas Plays, Fall Break and Winter Break…if you’ve got school-aged children in school then the holiday season can be a time of both joy and stress!  Managing your child’s hectic schedule during the fall and winter months can be a huge challenge for working parents. Depending on your work situation, there are multiple strategies that you can take that will allow you to keep your job while sharing your little one’s precious moments:

The “Tag Team” Approach

If you live in a two-parent household, you and your partner can figure out a way to share the special-event appearances.  Perhaps you can alternate dates, or maybe one of you has flexibility during the day and becomes the “Field-Trip Parent” while the other commits to evening activities.  Spreading the love this way will ease the pressure of one parent or the other repeatedly needing to take time off of work.  The obvious bonus to this approach, of course, is that your children will get the benefit of both parents (or even Grandma) actively participating in their events.

The “Quality Not Quantity” Approach

You can’t possibly make every single event without losing brownie points at work or running yourself ragged. So, you can decide to choose a handful of events that you can commit to and make it to those. This works well in helping you maintain your sanity, keeping your boss (mostly) happy, but can also bring on the Mommy Guilt in heavy doses. Though your physical presence may be less, you can make sure that it counts by going the extra mile to volunteer during the events you attend, whether it be working the register at Turkey Bingo Night (been there) or taking the photos for the Costume Parade.

The “Make It Work” Approach

If you feel comfortable talking to your boss about alternative work arrangements, this method could provide a perfect solution to a difficult problem. On days when you’re on pie duty for the Holiday Party, plan to work from home; that way you can prepare your dish at home before heading out to the event (instead of the mad dash to the grocery store before zooming into the school parking lot). Also, chances are the commute to your child’s school will be easier if they attend school close to where you live, allowing you to miss less of the workday. You could also try a compressed work week and work extra hours Monday through Thursday so that you can take Friday off to help set-up for the Kwanzaa Play.

No matter what approach you choose (and it might be a combination!), the key is to be flexible, do what works best for you and your family, and most of all, experience as many of these special moments as you can.

How do you balance your children’s many school activities during the holiday season?