Empty Nest Holidays- Redefining the Season When Kids Grow Up
There’s nothing quite as magical as the holidays when your children are home. When they are little, the holidays are filled with wonder and delight as you witness them through the eyes of a child. As they grow, it’s fun to engage in family traditions and experience every stage of childhood in a unique way. Before you know it, they are grown and you’re facing your first empty nest holidays.
Each time a child grows up moves out and moves into their new life, it directly affects yours. Not only are you absent a child, but you’re also beginning to see that life’s never going to be the same in a lot of different areas. This redefinition of life can feel overwhelming if you’ve wrapped your identity into being a parent.
Empty nest holidays have the potential to be magical if you embrace the positive benefits. Morphing with the changes and refreshing your holiday style can help you create a new and exciting experience. Sure, your kiddos might fly home and still want their favorite meals, but there are plenty of ways to infuse time-honored traditions while exploring brand new ways to celebrate. Consider these redefined ways to celebrate-
Make the holiday negotiable- As families grow, they expand. Kids head to college, get married, or do whatever it is they do on their own. This can create challenges to celebrate a holiday on its specific day. Making the day negotiable help. There’s nothing that says your Thanksgiving can’t be the fourth Saturday of November or that you celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, eve. You can design whatever celebration your empty nest needs to accommodate the changes that come with children growing up.
Drop it like it’s hot- You can choose to drop a holiday and allow your kids to celebrate with new family or friends. It’s entirely possible to start your own holiday plans that don’t include kids at all. Take a cruise each year or buy a timeshare. Do something that sounds like fun and free the time up for your kids to celebrate their holiday however they choose.
Put the holidays on pause- If your kids are out of the home, not married, and have no children of their own, it’s a good time to put things on pause. Allow each holiday to be its own unique day without any preconceived expectations. When they marry, have children or are settled into a regular routine it’s a great time to re-establish a holiday celebration routine. In the meantime, enjoy holiday seasons where anything is possible.
Being an empty nester is a wonderful thing. It’s a great time to reinvent yourself and your traditions. Finding new and fun ways to celebrate makes perfect sense when your young adult kids are out finding their way. Get creative and make your empty nest holidays fun and unique.
Money-Saving Dos and Don’ts for Happy and Financially Healthy Holidays
One of the fastest ways people get overwhelmed during the holidays is by overspending. Being financially unprepared for the holiday season leads to bad habits and poor choices that have serious repercussions at the beginning of the new year.
Holiday spending is more than buying gifts, it’s usually a bunch of small things that add up. Things like-
Décor
Groceries
Extra activities
Extra giving/donations
AND
Gifts
Money leaking out here and there for expenses you don’t have any other time of year adds up and can cause debt or overspending. Stress starts building up with each purchase and what should be a fun time of year starts to feel overwhelming.
You don’t have to overspend or go into debt trying to make the holidays magical. Pay attention to these dos and don’ts to help keep your finances healthy during the holidays.
DO- Create a holiday budget before the holidays start- Every year is different. Some years there are more resources for the holidays and some years are lean. Make a budget before the holidays based on your current financial situation. Keep to your budget to help prevent overspending.
DO- Find fun and unique ways to make some extra cash- Host an annual yard sale or offer a side hustle that brings in some extra cash each year. Finding fun ways to make more money helps you cover the extra costs you have during the holiday season. Enlist the family and encourage them to earn some extra cash that they can use for buying gifts or personal items during the season.
DO- Cherry-pick your holiday must-haves before spending- There are unlimited ways to spend during the holidays. Everything associated with the holidays is bright and shiny and can make impulse buying hard to avoid. Be decisive about what matters most to you during the season and focus your attention and your dollars on those items and activities and leave the rest for someone else to enjoy.
DON’T- Worry about what other people do- It’s an age-old concept but still rings true. You shouldn’t worry about what your neighbors are doing. You don’t need to keep up with anyone else nor be influenced by their spending. Focus on your family and what makes sense for your unique needs during the holidays.
DON’T- Forget the benefits of getting ahead of the game- Procrastination can cause overspending. Don’t put off tasks like food shopping or other errands that dig into your budget. The earlier you take care of things the easier you can find deals and be more relaxed. An example could be purchasing all of your non-perishable food items for all holiday meals in one early shopping trip. This gets the task out of the way and frees up time during the rest of the season,
DON’T- Allow guilt to make you overspend- It’s hard to say no when you want to say yes. Financially, it may not be possible to do everything without going into debt or making a poor financial decision. Don’t allow guilt to drive you. The holidays magnify certain feelings. Set healthy limits that keep your finances under control and don’t feel guilty for being smart with your money.
Spending can be at an all-time high during the holidays. There are a lot of expenses that come with celebrating which have the potential to strain your budget. Don’t let the holidays cost you your happiness, sanity, or more. Keep your spending in perspective and enjoy a happy and financially healthy season.
Make the Season Fun by Choosing a Theme
There are so many ways to have fun during the holidays. From hayrides in fall to watch the Nutcracker ballet in winter, there are plenty of opportunities to make the season fun. One fun option is choosing a theme and building the entire holiday around it.
Choosing a theme is fun because it creates a focal point for all the activities and experiences for the season. It can be a great way to plan the décor, events, and other elements of your holidays. Here are some fun ways to use themes during the holidays-
Happy Holidays in the forest theme- Choose a forest theme for a fun-filled holiday season. Start off with woodland décor for fall and winter. Have fun with your family taking a trip to the woods for collecting pinecones in the fall and going snowshoeing in the winter. Choose a fun animal like a bear as the mascot for the season and build décor or other design elements around the theme. Host a festive feast fit for the forest for your holiday meals and enjoy the great outdoors…inside or out.
‘Tis the season for giving theme- Create a holiday season focused on giving back and caring for others. Have your family choose a charity to focus on for the season. Save the change to offer when you see a bell ringer and red bucket. Find opportunities to serve or volunteer. Choose people to support from the Angel Tree Network. Host friends who don’t have a close family for a meal and use the holiday time to reach out to people who may not have connections with family.
Baby, it’s cold outside theme- Have fun with a winter wonderland theme. Host hot chocolate gets together with a variety of warm beverages and toppings. Choose outdoor activities like ice skating, sledding, skiing, or snowmobiles that all share one thing in common- they are cold!
Get the family involved with holiday decorating that is white, silver, blue, or other icy-inspired colors.
Having a theme can help give the holidays a fun focus and make the season about one thing in particular. This can help reduce being pulled in too many directions because your attention is on the activities associated with your theme. What’s more, having a theme can actually make the holidays more memorable. Your family is sure to remember the year you had a specific theme for your entire holiday season and the memories will last for years to come.