Having the family over is already the first step to enjoy the holidays. In my family my relatives come either the day or hours before the celebration begins. It’s stressful enough to have family coming over but the bigger stress happens when you’re entertaining. The hours before eating what do you do? The older adults will be happily talking and gossiping about the latest stories of their lives, but the kids? Kids are full of energy and are bored quickly so coming up with some ideas to keep their adrenaline controlled is to come up with activities. Here are a couple of ways I like to entertain mine.

Chair hopping: It’s a game where you have two teams of five or more with the same amount of chairs. The teams will be parallel to each other with a wide space in between. The team goal is to be quicker at beating the other team in a race. The game starts with the person in the front getting up and running around their team, once they ran a lap, they find their seat and the next person in line will repeat the action. It’s better if you play this game with wide open spaces. Now with adult supervision, have music playing and start racing!

Coloring station: This is something fit for the smaller children. I can be beneficial for the parents as well to show them the different colors and patterns they can draw. I know in my family, it’s a tradition to have all the children younger than twelve to draw what they want for Christmas and put it in our large stocking. It can also be a fun memory to frame or keep as the children grow up. I know I always laugh when I see my old drawings. Sometimes the adults even make it a competition who can make the best Christmas tree or turkey for a chance to break the wishbone!

  Activities and games are the best option to entertain the family while they’re waiting on the holiday feast. Whether if you play football, basketball, have fun with your family. It’s important to socialize with everyone including younger siblings. 

    Holiday Blues is a stress factor on everyone. Between the travel, money, and family complications how can someone not be stressed. The holidays are something on everyone’s mind, young or old, they know it’s important. Some people who are unfortunate of not having any friends or family suffer this time or year as well. There’s always a solution to every problem to face this holiday season.
     
     Traveling to see family is major stress factor especially when you’re on the different side of the country. Traveling to the east coast or west coast is a big decision to make. It not only deals with having the time to travel during the school break but the cost. A plane ticket can make a huge dent in your bank account for a one way trip, but a tip is to plan ahead. If you know by Halloween where you’ll be traveling, buy your ticket! The rate will be high but it’ll be cheaper than buying it a week or two before of the holiday. Another tip, if you have a chance, travel with a friend. The stress of seeing your family is already high but having a friend to talk to will make you be relaxed and less nervous. If you’re not able to travel to see your family, you can be productive on video chat with your family. Buy yourself a small turkey club or meal from your local grocery store so you can feel like you’re a part of the celebration through video conference call. Another solution for your traveling ease, can be meeting your friends’ family. If they live in your area or just traveling a couple miles away, can be a fun experience in college. 

     The holidays are about enjoying the company of your friends and family so are presents important? I believe they are but to give the person what they need. Ipads, Iphones, and the latest game consoles are something I don’t consider essential for human survival. Those are all nice materialistic needs but they’re not as important as the thought of giving. You don’t have to feel pressured to buy someone something so expensive, just buy them something they will actually use. You give something special to one you love, you cherish what you receive, and you hope for a better future is my family’s motto. My grandma Tina will give me hand knitted sweaters as a present every year. I wear them with pride and enjoy being cozy outside. A tip of advice is to stay calm and shop to survive this holiday season. Another tip is to make wise choices and don’t get in debt. Black Friday is not the only day to get the best prices on things; you can save your money like me to get the New Year specials in many department stores. My experience during Black Friday was always horrible with having to stand in a line outside, being pushed around and waiting another two hours to pay. Take my advice to save your cash and glide through week day sales at the department stores because the stores will always be there.

    Yes the holidays are upon us but you don't need to stress it. The solution to enjoy the holidays and keep in contact with your family and friends.