Alicia64 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I keep my boys fairly active in December, but certain things stop for the holidays: like their theater class. Certain sports are done until spring. So Dec. can become somewhat quiet. We're not in a co-op this year. (When we did a small one last year so much of the activities kept falling on me. I created a Halloween party for the seven kids. I created a Xmas party for the kids. The other moms had honest to goodness crisis in life, but it all just kept falling on me.) So, this is the first year things are more quiet than usual. We go to see Polar Express on IMAX. We do a really cool craft class. There are weekend things that are fun and Christmassy. Sometimes I think about all the activity and party life of public school . . . and just feel sad. Do you feel this too? Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No. I think there are plenty of other ways to make the holidays fun. We actually have opportunities to participate in holiday parties with other homeschoolers, but we don't because DS doesn't do well at those types of events (he gets worked up in large groups, has sensory overload, and can't eat any of the goodies that are usually served). So we skip them for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Nope. I have one hs and one in school. The one in school has one party, last day of school, the last hour of class. Then his class is attending the Nutcracker but only because he is in it, otherwise they would not have gone. OTOH, my one who is hs can get together with whichever friends they would like whenever we can get together. We are in one co-op and we may have a party but if we don't, no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No. I do not see the need for tons of holiday parties. We celebrate Christmas as a family on Christmas, make the advent time special with cookies, lights, music, decorations - but neither we nor they were ever missing parties with lots of kids, exchanges of cheap plastic toys, sugary junk food, and lots of noise, like they had in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Now that my dc are in band, piano, violin, and a musical there are a million parties and performances this time of year. It's busy. Could be an option if you're looking for things to do in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 The years that we have gone to several parties or activities at this time of year one or more of us has ended up sick. The germ exchange that inevitably occurs just makes it not worthwhile to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Not one bit - he's already had end of semester stuff at co-op and a Sunday School party. Next week he'll be able to crash the adult SS party towards the end along with the other teens. That's enough, in my book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Nope. The first year we homeschooled I did. But the longer we homeschool, the more I realize we have plenty of activities. Neighborhood parties, community events, homeschool group parties, friend parties....it's endless and it's always enough. This year we are new to town and we are only going to one friend party. It's plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy_overman Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 To validate you experience, I do sometimes feel sad that they miss opportunities that other PS school kids experience. I do not feel sad this time of year, in fact, I am glad to not have one more thing to do. I can get giddy thinking of all the people/teachers/friends/bus drivers I do NOT have to buy gifts for since they are not in PS. I do often feel sad at back to school and at the end of the year. Christmas ... they are only obsessed with what they are going to get. Which I am as well .... that is, what am I going to get them. :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No, with all the nonsense we have to do to keep family happy I am glad we don't have more parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 To validate you experience, I do sometimes feel sad that they miss opportunities that other PS school kids experience. I do not feel sad this time of year, in fact, I am glad to not have one more thing to do. I can get giddy thinking of all the people/teachers/friends/bus drivers I do NOT have to buy gifts for since they are not in PS. I do often feel sad at back to school and at the end of the year. Christmas ... they are only obsessed with what they are going to get. Which I am as well .... that is, what am I going to get them. :confused1: Agreed. I think it is normal to feel sad that our kids don't have some of those shared experiences - Christmas parties, end of year celebrations, Valentine's parties, etc. But I have found that we can create our own celebrations and experiences. I often plan "not back to school parties," Valentine's parties, Christmas parties, etc. For Christmas - maybe see if there are community events going on and send out an invite. "Hey, we are going to xyz-event and would love to have you join us." Or throw a gingerbread decorating party or sugar cookie decorating party. (Can do sugar cookie party for Valentine's day, too.) These have been very popular at our house, even with older boys. (They just love the sugar!) This is actually great if you have a child with food allergies, as you can plan something around their diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No, with the cold weather and people feeling obligated to go when they might not be 100% healthy, I don't miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 My dd has lots of advent activities for school but that's about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Another "no" here. They don't need more cheap crap or sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No way! It's a relief! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 My kids are in school and I'm seriously debating whether to ditch the Santa party they have after church next week. Less is more as far as I'm concerned. But, so far we've always had at least one party to attend. If you want the kids to go to a party, look around the community and see if anyone is throwing anything for the kids. Churches, community centers, charities, bookstores, . . . chances are, there is something out there that is open to your family even if you aren't affiliated with the host. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel TX Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I used to help host the public school class parties, and I always needed to hide under my covers afterwards. It's a relief not to do those anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 We just got back from a party LOL!! Being military, we have a ton of squadron/group/wing parties to go to, most are kid friendly but some are for adults only. This one was actually pretty fun, there were a lot of fun crafts and a few games and Santa in the back of a C-130. By the end of December, I will be partied out, though, especially as an introvert. There was a not so fun adult only party I had to go to last week, but we suffered through and survived. Because of my husband's current job, we have to go to many, most other years we have been able to only go if we wished to go, although 1 or 2 are always "mandatory fun." Sometimes mandatory fun is actually fun, sometimes not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 No way. Parties in school are just about sitting around eating crap. I might feel badly that we can't afford to take them to more cultural events, but parties? H*ll to the no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 We seem to end up with lots of activities around this time of year. Yesterday my ds was at a cookie decorating party. This week is rehearsals all week long and a Christmas party that he probably won't be able to go to. Then next week another Christmas party, and who knows what else might pop up. That's not including all the community activities like the town tree lighting, nutcracker performance, Christmas at the historical farm, etc. etc. We have to pick and choose what to do. At least this year there is no music recital in December as there often is. We also have our own family things to do -- baking, shopping, decorating, etc. So for us I feel our holiday season is quite full and I'm perfectly happy not to have more. But I can definitely empathize with the feeling of regretting what your children might be missing. For me it comes with different times than it does for the OP. But it's there. And it can be sad. I think you are doing the right thing by finding substitutes to do on your own. And it helps to remind yourself that your children may not feel anything is "missing" at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzybluecheese Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My two oldest went to ps for Kindergarten. I don't miss the sweets and crappy plastic crap they always received, but I do miss the little party and the handmade crafts with the big red and green glitter. I miss seeing all the little kids wearing their Santa caps, too. I'm just sentimental that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 We have a homeschool group winter party and a gift exchange/party for dance. My mythology and Latin students are also doing a session of Holidays in ancient cultures (which I'm guessing will become a party, since a lot of people are bringing food to share-DD is making date balls, for example, because dates and nuts were commonly used as parts of feast days in Ancient Egypt). Her piano teacher also has the students play at a local nursing home, and each parent brings cookies, candy, or other treats to share (although many of the residents are on restricted diets and can't eat them). I think she gets enough partying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Another NO vote here! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 No, they enjoy the activities we schedule. I don't see what difference 3 more cupcakes after an activity is going make in their lives. You aren't damaging them mom, it sounds like you have plenty scheduled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Not at all. And our co op didn't even have a party. The kids don't care about parties, either. We have plenty of fun for them at home, evidently. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 No, they enjoy the activities we schedule. I don't see what difference 3 more cupcakes after an activity is going make in their lives. You aren't damaging them mom, it sounds like you have plenty scheduled! Well, we came extremely close to moving in September and I began. . . essentially. . . shutting down our life here. And then a job fell out of the sky and we didn't move. But I'd already backed out of a new co-op and stopped planning things to do here. Initially we were just thrilled that we got to stay in our home and not have to move, but now I'm feeling like, "Well, great, I said good bye to so many things." Thankfully I kept a few things in place so we're not a total desert. But I think all of this is at the root of the feelings I'm having right now. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieMarie Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I felt that way at first. We started in January and dd(then five) was sad about missing the ps Valentine's day thing. So we had kids over to make Valentines. It was fun. We are part of a group that does a Halloween party, but yeah, nothing for Christmas. Could you just have a couple of her friends over to do cookies? I might do that. I think a lot of the appeal of those parties in school is that they mean ending the sit down work and doing something fun and having some treats. Because everyday is like that for us, I mean plenty of time for fun because we finish much earlier than the ps schedule, I don't think it is that big a need. I was a parent volunteer in both my kids classes and it was nice but they would both have way more fun with just a couple friends coming over here to do something like make cookies or Christmas cards or an ornament or whatever occurs to me lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Um...no. I didn't have lots of Christmas parties when I was a child--in fact, none other than what there might have been at school, and I'm sure I didn't have one every year--haven't had that many as an adult, so, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 LOL. My kids are in PS. Kids that are HSed and don't get the Christmas parties really aren't missing anything. At least at my kids' school they play a couple of short simple games and eat a couple treats (30 mins- 1 hr.). If I was really worried about it I would do what I used to do when I HSed and invite a few of the kids over for a cookie decorating/ hot chocolate party, or meet up with some of their friends at burger king. Problem solved! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 We usually had one homeschool Christmas party each year, which was fun. Other than that, we did lots of Christmas activities at home and that seemed like plenty! My children who are now mostly grown have never expressed regrets about not having more Christmas parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 When older was in B&M, there was no Christmas party at school. There was a year end concert before winter break though which they sand Christmas songs and the PTA baked cookies to share. When we switch to online school, my kids go to German school on Saturdays so they celebrate St Nicholas day last weekend and will have a Christmas concert this week with food being potluck. So in terms of school parties my boys don't miss anything. My kids do miss the Christmas parties at friends homes though because they don't get any invite since they no longer go to B&M school. Older has asked for winter camps because he feels isolated and we'll be registering him. ETA: I had year end parties when I was in school in the early 80s. The students would put up a concert without any adult's help. The teachers get locked out of the classrooms during school hours while we plan and rehearsed. It happened every year after year end exams and was good fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Of all the things my kids miss by not being in school, parties don't even make the list. So, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 That is not even on my radar. I can't tell you how much fun extra homeschool stuff my kids are doing this month. It's actually pretty ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 If you want something festive and cheap that you don't have to organize, just check the websites for your local high schools. My daughter's high school put on an amazing concert last night. There was a full orchestra, guest vocalists, the concert choir, a chamber choir, dancers, Santa Clause, and a gift shop all for a children's charity. Tickets were $15 for adults and $5 for children. If you haven't been to a high school production in years, you may be amazed at the level of professionalism these things have now. My whole family enjoyed the show and left feeling more festive than ever. It didn't matter who was homeschooled and who was in school. It was a great evening and I didn't have to organize anything or drive into the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Nope...we have enough family events/traditions. We have a coop christmas party so that works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 We still have a lot of Christmas parties. In fact, there were two last night. We had to pick just one. We have one this coming Tue evening with the HS group and one next Mon. with our scout troop. We will have another next Fri that we have to say no to due to a conflict in our schedule. So, that is 5 Christmas parties we could go to, although we are only attending 3. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Plenty of parties here. We had a recital Friday, and will have a party after services on Sunday at our small church. My more social one has a class party next week with the lit/history group. Both will get together with friends over the break. We were in a local group for years that had big parties. Both of mine noted last night that they haven't missed that at all this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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