The Christmas season can be such a wonderful time of year, as we become intentional in reflection on the many blessings in our lives, celebrate the love of friends who have made the year special, tussle in new-fallen snow with our children (except for when you live in deep South Louisiana and such weather doesn’t exist), and gather around dinner tables to enjoy a holiday meal with family. It can be a beautiful time of celebration for the true meaning of Christmas – the gift of a risen Savior who offers all hope - and the joys of laughing around a living room as competitive rounds of charades ensue.
But not everyone broaches the Christmas season with optimism that this will indeed be their best Christmas yet. The holidays can be wrought with feelings of anxiety, disappointment, stress, overwhelm, comparison, loneliness, or sadness, as some have lost loved ones, faced financial pressures, endured a failed marriage, or experienced pain and heartbreak. Maybe this year has been particularly hard as you’ve faced financial challenges, making it almost impossible to fill the tree with presents. Perhaps the wounds of the forever-marriage that didn’t last are raw, reopened, and bleeding this year, making it hard to get into the Christmas spirit or the emptiness that has been left by a loved one’s passing seems too much too bear.
First, please know that The Life of a Single Mom team begins early in the season praying over the needs of single mothers and their children during this time of year. We pray specifically for the joy of the Lord to be your strength. We pray provision in supernatural ways. We pray that the burdens of parenting and balancing jobs and homework will feel lighter during this season. We pray that you will feel seen and loved, knowing the Creator of Heaven and earth loves you and has called you and your children for a purpose. We also pray that your holiday season will be better than you even expect.
Next, we know that as with any season or life circumstance, sometimes the best way to navigate a difficult season is to be intentional that you will enjoy it. In other words, sometimes you have to make yourself have some fun. And for those who are struggling to get into the holiday spirit or are simply looking for some new ideas on things you can do to enjoy your Christmas season, check out our suggestions below:
1. Put up the family Christmas décor.
Nothing seems to kick off the holiday season quite like getting the tree up and the bells jing-jing-jingling. Hint: Put out the décor, even if you aren’t feeling like it this year.
2. Read the Christmas story with your children on Christmas morning.
Open the book of Luke and read about the pending census, the birth of our Savior, and reason for the season. You can read aloud to your children or depending on their age, take turns with them. Pray together as a family.
3. Bake cookies and holiday treats for neighbors and friends.
This can be a special time with children of any age, from toddlers to teenagers. Even infants can enjoy sitting in their high chair and playing with sugar cookie dough. This can be an all-day affair or simply an hour or so. It is also a wonderful way to teach your children to serve others. Hint: Sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies are two low-cost and tasty treats to make.
4. Schedule a game night.
Whether you opt for a fun night of charades, board games, or something else, invite a group of friends over for a game night. (Have everyone bring a dish to keep expenses down).
5. Host a friends-mas.
Maybe your children are with their father this Christmas, making Christmas day especially hard. It is likely other friends may also be spending time alone. Host Christmas day (or any time during the Christmas season) for a wonderful holiday meal with friends or church members who don’t have somewhere to go.
6. Watch holiday movies.
Make it especially fun for the kids with popcorn, hot cocoa, and pj’s.
7. Participate in Operation Christmas Child.
For many years, Samaritan’s Purse has hosted a holiday drive to get toiletries and toys to children throughout the world. Visit your local Dollar Tree or discount store and have your children pick out items for a child their age. You can read more about Operation Christmas Child HERE. (Note: There are likely similar toy drives with other organizations in your community).
8. Host Christmas caroling at a local nursing home or neighborhood.
You can gather children, family, friends, and church members for a night of caroling in the neighborhood, local nursing home, or for public service workers. (We highly recommend a flash mob dance to go with it!)
9. Go look for Christmas decorations in town.
Some of our best childhood memories are in exploring the neighborhoods, department stores, downtown areas, or local parks to find the Christmas lights.
10. Attend local community events.
Whether your local library is hosting a Christmas reading or there is a drive-through hot cocoa station at the local park, scour the papers and websites in your community for free or low-cost activities and fill your calendar with fun.
11. Host a praise & worship night.
Too often we’re aren’t intentional about worship outside of church services on the weekend, but an encounter with the Lord through intentional praise & worship can change everything. Take some time to invite friends over, turn up the Spotify or YouTube, and worship the King of Kings.
12. Host a karaoke night.
Kids of all ages and adults alike can enjoy a time of getting together and singing their favorite Christmas tunes over a pot of soup. Again, it’s all about being intentional with gathering loved ones.
13. Schedule lunch or coffee with 3 friends.
Make an intentional effort to put a private lunch or coffee on the calendar this month with 3 different friends. If you are like most of us, you don’t make near enough time to foster friendships. Make the month of December a time of friends!
find a group.
Feeling like you don't have a group of ladies you can turn to? Get plugged into a single mom support group where you will find community, resources, and women to do life with!
14. Create a gratitude jar with the kids.
Have each family member write down 5-10 things each on slips of paper that they are grateful for. Each night, take a moment to open one as a family and discuss.
15. Schedule a nature walk.
Fresh air truly can shift perspective. Take some time to be outside with the children, whether walking through a local zoo, decorated for the holiday season, exploring a new area of town, or taking a short drive to a neighboring community to learn something new.
16. Get busy with arts & crafts.
Determine some age-appropriate holiday-themed crafts that you can enjoy with the children.
17. Make homemade gifts for family.
Research creative ways to make homemade gifts for immediate or extended family on Pinterest or Google. There are dozens of ways that children can be active in gift-giving to family and friends. Some of the best gifts ever received are handwritten notes from a loved one telling how special the relationship is.
18. Mail holiday greeting cards.
It’s a fun way to spread holiday cheer and get a special holiday treat throughout the season, when others decide to repay the favor! (Hint: Homemade cards can be a special time to get children involved).
19. Volunteer to serve others.
Whether it be wrapping gifts for an elderly neighbor, cleaning the home of a mom who just brought home a newborn, cooking a meal for a homeless family, or something else, be intentional about getting the children involved in serving the needs of others. This is the true reason of the season.
20. Attend holiday services at church.
Many churches offer multiple holiday-centric church celebrations around Christmas and Christmas even. Be sure you and the children load up for all of them!
The truth is, the holidays are about the birth of a risen Savior that died to set captives free, restore hope to all humanity, and save that which is lost. It isn’t about the gifts under the tree or the dollars spent on useless items that no one will remember next year. It’s about experiences. The joy of the Lord is our strength in this holiday season – and every season.
Merry Christmas from The Life of a Single Mom team!
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Meet the Author
Jennifer Maggio is an award-winning author and speaker, whose personal journey through homelessness, abuse, and multiple teen pregnancies is leaving audiences around the globe riveted. At 19, Maggio was pregnant for the fourth time, living in government housing on food stamps and welfare. She shares with great openness her pain, mistakes, and journey to find hope in Christ. She ultimately became an 11-time Circle of Excellence winner in Corporate America. While a vocal advocate for abstinence, and sustaining today’s marriages, Maggio recognizes that single parenthood exists and is passionate about seeing these parents thrive. She left her corporate successes behind to launch a global initiative to see single moms living a life of total freedom from financial failures, parenting woes, and emotional issues. Her passion is contagious and her story has been used to inspire thousands around the globe. For more info, visit her website at jennifermaggio.com.
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
