The Holidays Are Never Just One Thing

PARENTreads Issue No. 6: Essays on the traditions we keep, the truths we face, the kids we love, and the practices that carry us through the season

The holidays have a way of amplifying everything—wonder, stress, longing, connection, conflict, and the pressure to make it all “meaningful.”

This edition of PARENTreads brings together essays that reflect the many ways families move through the season: the rituals that matter, the challenges we carry, the magic children remind us of, and the boundaries that help us stay whole.

You’ll find the essays organized into five sections—Traditions & Rituals, For & About Parents, For & About Kids, Holidays Are Hard, and Sanity Savers & Self-Care—so you can jump straight to what you need most this season.

There’s no one right way to do this season—and these pieces honor that truth.

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✨ Featured Writer & Essay

Sarah Kernion | Profound Autism Mom is the creator of INCHSTONES, a community for mothers and caregivers raising autistic and neurodivergent kids. With deep lived experience and advocacy work, she champions presence, maternal intuition, and unconditional love as the way forward.

A Pre-Holiday Season Dispatch from Profound Autism Motherhood
This post exposes how cultural conditioning robs parents of presence—and shows how parenting a profoundly autistic child can break that cycle, revealing a deeper, more unconditional love most only realize too late.
» Read here

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Traditions & Rituals

Family Traditions I Wish We’d Never Started (& Ones We Love) - by Amanda Brown | Type A Mom’s Trusted Tips
After 11+ years of making family traditions magical for my 3 kids, I can clearly see which ones have been great for our family and which ones I wish we’d never begun...
» Read here

The Secret to Stronger Bonds: Building New Traditions with your Children - by Jeff Hittner | Ambitious Dads
Traditions aren’t just routines; they’re emotional anchors. This piece explores how small, consistent rituals help fathers build lasting bonds with their kids.
» Read here

Analog Advent - by Katie Noble | Notes From Home
A fired-up call to step back from digital overload before Advent, reclaim attention from consumerism, and choose an intentional, grounded path into a more sacred season.
» Read here

Yes, Brighton, There is a Santa Claus - by Maury Wood | Grit & Wit
When my oldest son, Brighton, asked if Santa Claus was real, a Dairy Queen trip turned into a lesson on wonder, giving, and what it really means to keep the magic alive.
» Read here

Jolabokaflod: A Cosy Christmas Tradition That’s Good for Your Mental Health - by Katie Blake, PhD | Psychologie
An inviting look at the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod—exchanging books on Christmas Eve—and how this simple ritual brings connection, calm, and meaningful self-care to the season.
» Read here

For & About Parent

Stay True to Yourself When You Go Home for the Holidays - by Lori K Walters | Peace in My Parenting
Entangled in the unspoken agreements in your family of origin? This essay shines light on how to shift your role, show up more authentically, and foster more acceptance.
» Read here

A Guide to Sharing the Mental Load of Christmas - by Kelsey Baker | Mockingbird Musings
A practical guide to making the holiday mental load visible, using a step-by-step script and shared task list to help partners divide the work and ease the strain of the season.
» Read here

7 Things on My November Holiday Checklist - by Emily Thomas | The Connected Family
A practical, heartfelt look at how one parent prepares in November for a calmer, more meaningful holiday season—focusing on values, pacing, logistics, and emotional bandwidth so the whole family can enjoy December without overload.
» Read here

The Anti-Gift Guide Holiday Gift Guide - by Julie Laufer | This Might Be Cringe
A thoughtful rejection of traditional gift guides in favor of a more personal, intentional gifting process. This piece walks through how to pay attention all year, brainstorm meaningfully, and choose gifts that reflect real connection—not trends or pressure.
» Read here

I Put Too Much Pressure On Myself Around the Holidays - by Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten | Dr. Psych Mom
A humorous, compassionate response to a reader who feels holiday anxiety creeping in just like her perfectionist mother once did. This post reframes the issue, encourages loosening unrealistic standards, and offers practical steps to simplify holiday expectations.
» Read here

The Major Holiday Task I Don’t Do Anymore - by Katherine Goldstein | The Double Shift
A candid story about a mom handing off the entire holiday gift load to her spouse—and discovering freedom, joy, and fewer expectations in return. This post explores the gendered pressure around “mom as magic-maker,” and why rethinking long-held roles can transform the season for the whole family.
» Read here

For & About Kids

Stop Being the Magic. Let Them Make Some - by Megan Saxelby | Wild Feelings
Burnout hits hard when parents carry the holiday load. This piece shows how giving tweens and teens a meaningful way to participate turns chaos into growth, connection, and a more enjoyable season for all.
» Read here

Beyond the Costume: Why Dress-Up and Imaginative Play Matter for Kids - by Laura Dimler, PhD | Development Decoded
This post is about how make-believe play fuels skills that help children thrive in school, with friends, and through life - not just as a fun toddler phase. (Though Halloween-themed, this applies to all holidays—and everyday dress-up play.)
» Read here

How to Help Your Kids Focus on Giving (Not Just Getting) This Season - by Amy Webb, Ph.D. | The Thoughtful Parent
If constant “I want” requests are wearing you down, this post offers simple ways to shift kids toward gratitude, empathy, and resilience during the holiday season.
» Read here

Learning in the Real World? Let’s Celebrate! - by Jennifer Shonkoff | The Childhood Curator
This post shows how kids learn real-world skills during the holidays—from joy and gratitude to small talk, planning, and handling conflict—through everyday moments, plus curated gift picks to help you shop with purpose.
» Read here

Thanksgiving with Kids: What Helps Us All Enjoy the Day (Not Just Survive It) - by Lizzie Assa | The Workspace for Children
Holidays with little kids are chaotic, but small choices help. This piece shares simple ways to give kids control, ease transitions, and host in low-stress, kid-friendly ways.
» Read here

Children’s Books for Christmas - by Sarah Miller | Can we read?
A magical roundup of Christmas books for kids — from gentle forest tales to bilingual retellings, inventive twists on classics, and stories rooted in culture, generosity, and winter wonder. A cozy guide for building your holiday reading stack.
» Read here

12 Screen-Free Ways to Protect Family Connection During the Holidays - by Melanie Hempe, RN | Be ScreenStrong
A look at how to keep kids out of the holiday “screen coma” with simple, screen-free ways to help them stay calm, connected, and engaged during long breaks.
» Read here

Holidays Are Hard

Holiday Survival Guide, Part 1: Setting Boundaries & Managing Stress - by Jennifer Ayres Ph.D. | Still River Reflections
A guide for anyone who dreads the holidays, showing how naming stressors and setting boundaries around time, money, and emotional energy can make the season more manageable—especially with grief or complicated family dynamics.
» Read here

Stepfamily Holiday Survival Guide - by Maarit of Blended Family Frappé | OUTTA THE BLENDER
A practical guide for blended families navigating holiday stress, with real tips for managing traditions, tricky schedules, co-parent conflict, and the emotional load this season brings.
» Read here

Holiday Hurt - by Jim Palmer | Deconstructionology
For those hurt by religion, the holidays can reopen old wounds. This piece offers steady guidance for navigating grief, strained family ties, and creating new rituals that feel true to you.
» Read here

A Prayer for the Hearts Navigating Holiday Grief - by Liz Newman | Gently, We Journey
A heartfelt prayer for anyone grieving during the holidays, offering comfort, presence, and hope while navigating loss in a season that can feel especially heavy.
» Read here

Two Homes, One Childhood: When the Holidays Are Split - by Sharon K. Ball, LPC-MHSP | The Path of Resilience
For co-parents navigating the emotional weight of holidays in two homes, offering ways to ease kids’ stress with flexibility, kindness, and simple grounding rituals.
» Read here

The Lasting Impact of a Mother at Christmas - by Meagan Francis | The Kettle
A tender reflection on missing a mother during the holidays, how her influence still lives on, and how our own presence shapes the traditions our kids will remember.
» Read here

Sanity Savers & Self-Care

The Holiday Hijack: How to Survive the Season Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Hormones) - by Christalyne Causey | Hijacked: Hormones Made Me Do It
This post explains why holiday stress hits so hard on a hormonal level and offers clear tools to steady your body, mood, and energy when the season pushes you past your limits.
» Read here

Edit Your Holiday Gatherings - by Christine Koh | Edit Your Life
A guide to navigating holiday gatherings with less dread, offering ways to set boundaries, choose smaller meetups, and build in space that keeps the season manageable.
» Read here

My Secret Weapon for Surviving Holiday Shopping - by Paige Connell | Lessons Learned
A simple, customizable holiday spreadsheet that turns invisible work into shared work. This post shows how tracking gifts, budgets, deliveries, and tasks in one place can lighten the mental load, reduce stress, and help partners manage the holiday chaos together.
» Read here

Holiday Allergen Safety Guide: Your Complete Action Plan - by Ashley Moná | Navigating Momlife
A practical guide for managing kids’ food allergies during the holidays—with clear strategies, communication scripts, and safety checklists that reduce anxiety, prevent cross-contamination, and help your child feel safe and included.
» Read here

Regulated: The Real Secret to Surviving the Holidays - by Nikki Drummond, CCN | Grey Matters
A science-backed guide to surviving holiday stress by strengthening HRV and heart–brain coherence. Learn how breathwork, emotional regulation, and small daily practices keep your nervous system steady when the season gets chaotic.
» Read here

How We’re Gonna Thrive This Fall and Winter - by hanna way | yapping all the way
A personal, crowd-sourced collection of ideas for making the darker months feel lighter. This piece explores how to stay grounded, cozy, creative, and connected as daylight fades, with practical tips, rituals, and mindset shifts to help parents and families truly thrive through fall and winter.
» Read here

PARENTreads combines editor-selected essays with a few sponsored placements that support the digest.

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