Stress-Less This Christmas: 6 Holiday Hacks to Amp Up the Fun at Supper Time with Next to No Extra Effort

Making the most of Christmas lockdown with a picky eater

Lockdown perks? You’ve got to be kidding me, right?!

I have to be honest with you, I’m not an overly optimistic person for MYSELF. For you, for your picky eater I am your cheerleader! I’ll be that person in your corner shouting until I’m blue in the face cheering you on.

But for me, I force myself to not dwell on all the crap I’m drowning in…. sometimes literally, mostly figuratively.

It's easy to see all the things that aren't right this year, so LOOKING for the good and CREATING the good will take a little bit more effort on your part.

BUT, to make things just a little bit easier on you I’m going to challenge you to look for these few things I’ve identified as perks to Christmas during a lockdown WITH a picky eater.

Looking for the good

No more pressure to get little Jax or sweet Clementine to eat the stuffing Great Aunty Deb spent 4 hours making.

Since it’s just you and your fam, you can literally make anything for Christmas supper.

  • Breakfast supper – – – – –  Sounds Delish
  • Pizza, chicken fingers and fries – – – – – Sounds like a kids dream meal!
  • Throw a bowl of ice cream on the table with a random assortment of sprinkles and toppings – – – – – – you literally win mom of the year in your kids eyes.
Create your own rules for Christmas supper

The point is, whether you choose to stick to traditions or allow the traditions to fall to the weigh side this year it’s completely up to you.

For me my priority is protecting my mental health, which in turn protects my kids. If I’m absolutely miserable spending countless hours in the kitchen making a whole bunch of foods I know my kids won’t be thrilled to eat it makes me wonder WHY I’m actually doing it!!

So, my suggestion for you would be to do what you love. 
If you LOVE being in the kitchen and cooking, do it.
If you despise cooking and want to spend the least amount of time, do it without feeling an ounce of guilt.

Creating the good

You may not have the BIG meal but you can still make a BIG impact this Christmas and holiday season without a lot of extra effort.

Create a memorable meal this year may mean thinking a little, or a lot, outside the box. Keep things light, fun, and festive with minimal extra effort by putting your personal spin on a few of my ideas here: 

  1. Using funny utensils. Like chop sticks for pizza, or wood spoons as regular spoons.
  2. Have everyone eat with their less dominant hand.
  3. Have a picnic, Christmas feast with finger foods in the living room while watching a movie or playing a game. 
    Keep all the food in the kitchen or on the dining table and have the family refill their plates as needed. This way you’ll still be encouraging intuitive eating.
  4. Put together a few funny costumes, like a Santa hat, elf ears, necklace with lights on it and so on, and write each costume on a piece of paper. At the beginning of your meal, have each family member choose a paper from the hat to decide which costume they get to wear while they’re eating.
  5. Make up funny names for the food you cook and serve.
  6. Create a meal where everything you eat has to be eaten with toothpicks. Think easy hors d’oeuvres (or as my family calls them, horse divers… don’t ask me why!?) and don’t forget the classic meat, cheese, and crackers!
Create your own traditions at your holiday feast this year

The possibilities are endless!

If you need more inspiration for ways to spend the afternoon or evening with your kids, check out these family friendly games you can play put together by the lovely people at Country Living. 

And, when all else fails give yourself a break! This is not a normal holiday season, this isn’t something you should “know how to do.”

So if you’re a secret pessimist like me and you need a whole lot of cheering on right now to get in to the festive spirit.

The first thing you need to do is let go of all the expectations you have of yourself, your family, how the day will go…. and it may sound a little something like this….

I’d love to hear if you plan on adding your own personal touches to any of the ideas I suggested above. 

Comment below with what you’ll being doing this holiday season!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

~ L

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