BEST OF: Family Holiday Traditions: The Good, The Bad, The Elf on the Shelf

’Tis the season for traditions— most of that holiday work shopped for, planned, and generally upheld by moms.

And for some of us, sending 300 holiday cards or creating a new tableau for a six-inch elf every night before bed really gets us in the holiday spirit.

But most of us, at this time of year, have more to do than hours to do it. Many of us think we’re done shopping and only then remember Aunt Doris who is impossible to buy for (and has expressed specific disappointment in giftcards). Many of us have kids at whom we may have raised our voices after the fifth or sixth question about when we were going to make all the Christmas cookies this year.

 So we asked our listeners:

What are the holiday traditions that you love and work great for your family? What are the things you’d rather never do again but feel like you can’t stop now?

In this episode, we discuss your responses, plus:

-how to get out from under the traditions you wished you never started

-what to consider before letting a new tradition take root (keeping in mind that anything that happens at this time of year will immediately be deemed “something we do every year”)

-why the Elf on the Shelf might be a slippery slope to the full-on surveillance state

-why the joy of anticipation is at least as good as the moment anticipated

-how the Danish concept of hygge factors in to all of this

-easy holiday traditions like “Christmas Adam,” which as far as we can tell mostly involves holiday pajamas and Rankin-Bass specials

Lean into the hygge this holiday season. Push back against the incremental spend, the just running out for one more thing.

Lean into the anticipation, because that’s the sweet spot.

Oh, and Christmas lights. Lots of them. (They do wonders for Seasonal Affective Disorder.)

Special thanks to our guest comedy bit reader for this week: Sean Conroy of The Long Shot Podcast!

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Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Santa, Elf on the Shelf, gift exchange, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler,

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