Truth be told, I did not write today’s blog.

Written by past blogger Jen Asimow, this post dates back to December 2014. Although seven years have passed, Jen’s words still ring true and remain relevant.

Her classic post, Top 10 Ways to Keep Calm This Holiday Season, is a welcome and much-needed reminder that we can find and cultivate calm as we weather the storm of COVID variants, holiday parties, family interactions, travel schedules, cooking, housecleaning, holiday-gift shopping and the dreaded supply-chain disruptions that threaten to derail shipments of eagerly awaited holiday gifts.

We are the constants in the lives of young children and—like most things that pertain to early childhood—we need to keep in mind that “less is more.”

Keep it simple and cut the curriculum in half this month if necessary.

As educators, we know that this month is crazier than it needs to be. So be kind to yourself, your staff and your students. Many programs simplify life by celebrating the seasons and removing all of the “themed” expectations that are scheduled around the holidays.

So take a deep breath, resolve to take the road less traveled and read Jen’s post. With COVID adding an extra layer of stress this holiday season, you’ll be glad you did!

Top 10 Ways to Keep Calm This Holiday Season

by Jen Asimow

December 3, 2014

Unless you work in a faith-based program, the holiday season should be almost non-existent in your classroom. Some of the December holidays are rooted firmly in religious teachings and others are celebrated by specific cultures. None of them have a place in diverse and publicly funded programs.

That does not mean that we should ignore them altogether. Children will arrive each day with stories about the comings and goings of extended family members, hopes for expected gifts or reasons for missed school days. They may be exhausted, irritable, bleary-eyed or wrung-out. They may be overly excited or revved up. All of these emotions will require a steady hand and a caring ear.

This is the time of year when hopes are inflated and dashed, when tummies hurt from eating too much and when bedtimes are ignored and exhausted children still have to get up and get to school. So I have come up with my Top 10 List for Keeping it Calm this holiday season.

We do what we always do when the children bring their ideas into the room; we honor them and we support them.  If, during free choice time, a child asks if she can create something to hang on her Christmas tree at home, you respond positively and ask her what she needs to get her project rolling.  I think of this as a perfect example of “emergent curriculum.”  If the ideas emerge from the children themselves, then they are meaningful and important and worth exploring.

Truth be told, I don’t think many children themselves have ideas about holiday projects.  They primarily come to child care to play with their friends and have their regular day.  Since time is an arbitrary concept and dates are hard to wrap young minds around, they won’t be expecting too many special activities.  They may not expect any at all.  Try it.  You’ll see.

Think of one child you know who really struggles with change.  New transitions really set her off.  A day away from the playground may completely stress her out.  Now, multiply that by 20 or 30.  That is what December can be like for kids.  Change, inconsistency, built-up expectations, let-downs, and a whole lot of sugar.

Now, imagine your classroom as an island of calm and consistency.  Children arrive and play and have snack and nap.  They have expectations about their days and those expectations are met every day.  You are calm, they are calm, and everyone knows what is happening.  It is that easy.  Parents may not like it at first, but they will grow to love it.  They will know that their child will be well-taken care of just like the rest of the year and they will not have any additional burdens placed on them by their children’s school.  They will be thrilled when they find out that there is no cookie exchange, there is no holiday get-together, that they do not have to purchase special dress-up clothes for their children.  They will be thrilled when they realize that the religious holidays belong at home.

Now, if you run a faith-based program, you can still keep it simple,  Even if you do recognize the religious holidays, you do NOT have to go over the top.  Activities appropriate to the occasion as they arise from the children’s interests are perfectly acceptable.  Try not to have a party every day.  You will be glad you didn’t.

Holidays are very personal.  How we celebrate, who we celebrate with, and the meaning behind the celebrations is very specific to each family.  That is why I believe that these are best celebrated at home and not at school/childcare.

I have heard all of the arguments FOR bringing the holidays into school but have you heard all off the arguments AGAINST it?  For me, one of the most important reasons is that we cannot give equal time to everyone’s ideas of what the holidays mean.  Do we give two weeks to making Christmas decorations for trees? Or, do we light candles for each day of Kwanzaa?  How do we incorporate all of the wishes of all of the families in an equal and fair manner?

But the most important reason is that for the most part, young children have a very limited understanding of the holidays other than the notion of getting presents, if that is a part of their tradition.  Nearly everything else associated with this time of the year is meaningful to adults because of their memories of holidays during their childhoods.  The vast majority of those memories are memories from HOME, not school.  School memories come much later  and are usually superficial (the Turkey centerpiece made out of an old milk carton).

Next week, we will look at keeping things simple during this time.  December can be a very hectic time for families so ensuring that school is an island of calm will be a welcome relief to parents.