The holidays are busy. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in holiday events at school, work, friends’ homes, and family gatherings. There’s shopping to do, a home to decorate, cookies to bake, and gifts to wrap. In all of this are you excluding your mom? Make sure she feels included this holiday season. Here’s how.
Ask For Her Input
When it comes to making to-do lists, getting together lists of cookies to make, or knowing who to invite to family gatherings, ask her who to include. If she’s part of the planning process, she’ll feel included.
You could ask her the best foods to serve for cousins you don’t see often. Ask her if her siblings have any dietary restrictions. See if there’s something you could make her that she hasn’t had in a long time.
Plan Events She Will Easily Tolerate
If your mom tires easily and is used to being in bed by 8 pm., don’t plan late dinners or parties that run late. Keep her tolerance levels in mind when including her. If you’re planning a breakfast gathering that will extend into lunch and dinner hours, you might want to have your mom there for breakfast, exchange presents after that, and then wind things down for her.
Once she’s back home, the rest of you can continue the lunch and dinner activities. She’s been included and won’t feel like she’s ruined your day by needing to leave early.
Host a Cookie-Making Day
Grab family recipes, buy the ingredients, and head to your mom’s for a full day of making cookies to give to friends, neighbors, and family members. Let your mom do the things she can handle. If she has a hard time mixing a heavy batter, take that role and let her measure ingredients.
Grandchildren can also help out. They can get the ingredients for you. They’re also great at decorating, making the thumbprint in thumbprint cookies, and using cookie cutters.
Long-Distance Involvement
If your mom lives too far to have her join in, you can still include her. Use smartphone apps like Messenger, Google Chat, or Facetime to send live footage of a child’s holiday performance at school.
With a tablet or laptop, you can video chat with her during a gathering. There are devices and apps from Google, Facebook, and Amazon that make this easy to do. Facebook’s Portal and Google’s Home Hub are examples. They both use a video chat screen that’s voice-activated.
While your family gathers, everyone can spend time talking to your mom. She won’t be right there with you, but she’ll feel like she is.
Caregivers provide companionship when you can’t leave work or live too far away. Your mom benefits from regular visits. You gain peace of mind knowing your mom has a friend helping her out. Arrange caregivers’ services with a home care agency.
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Red Lodge, MT, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare Billings today at 406-839-2390.
