News from The RADish Ranch

Can you believe it's already December and you have to make plans for Christmas and the Holidays?

Due to limited gatherings, physical distancing, and travel restrictions, Christmas is going to look different this year. And for our children with Reactive Attachment Disorder and trauma this may not be a bad thing. Our kids can get over anxious, stressed out, and act off the rails when there is too much pressure during the holidays to be with people, have fun family time, and their schedules are disrupted. Parents are usually stressed out about how their child will react, what the family will think, and how they're going to keep their schedule and routine from completely falling apart.

This may be the perfect year to start some new, low-key family traditions that are more suitable for children dealing with big feelings.

Enjoy!

Karen Poitras

President & Founder of The RADish Ranch

This could be a great pre-Christmas craft on a cold day, a gift to make for friends and cousins, or a new tradition to start on Christmas Day!

Mix up a batch of slime and play away while you read or listen to "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss.

To make life a little bit easier and less chaotic in the season of chaos, meal plan. Make a list or print out a calendar page and fill it in with the meals you want to have (takeout, too!).

Make one massive shopping list and head to the store (or even better, snag a volunteer into going for you). Marshall all of your tiny troops*, a best friend or two, and all the Grandmas available and spend a whole day - from coffee til dessert - prepping meals and throwing them in your freezer.

Here are some great sites to get you started:

I know most of us are tired of Zoom by now, but it's a great way to be with family without all of the stress and traveling. It works really well for kiddos who have a hard time coping during the holidays, as they can remain at home and only need to participate for a limited amount of time.

Make it as low-key and stress free as you can. Tell everyone to wear pajamas, or bring a hot drink, or read their favourite Christmas story.

Read some tips on Zoom gatherings here.

Instead of doing a family gift exchange in person order gifts through Amazon and have them shipped directly to the receiver. Amazon has the option to gift wrap and add a note to gifts, and I love taking advantage of this!

Using Amazon's Wish List feature can make this much easier, too.

You can do a random name picking, sort it out by age, or make it all a surprise. Combine this with Zoom calls to the family member who received your gift and watch them open it up.

Here are our previous Christmas newsletters with tons of great information and ideas:

Keep you littles busy with some fun Christmas activities while you make your meal plan, shop on Amazon for gifts, have some quiet time, or bake Christmas cookies.

Education.com has a huge selection of printable activities and colouring pages for all ages available on their site: www.education.com

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“Behold, I will bring health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.”

The RADish Ranch | www.theradishranch.org | info@theradishranch.org

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