5 Foolproof Ways To Reinvent The Holidays During Empty Nest

imageCan you believe the holiday season is only a few short weeks away? Since Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, I’m looking forward to the family, fellowship, and food that comes with the occasion. More so the fact that both of my sons should be home from college at the same time and we will be together as a family.

But what if one or both of my sons choose not to come home for an upcoming holiday and decide to spend it with a girlfriend instead? Or maybe your son or daughter has to work most of the weekend, then what? It happens, especially if home is more than a couple of hours away and hard to split up the time between work, girlfriend/boyfriend, and a visit home. If you find yourself in this dilemma with little notice and no kids home for the holiday, it may be time to rethink and reinvent the holidays. So if you don’t have a Plan B then try one of the following tips to help get you through:

  • Go out to dinner, pick up take out, or prepare a non traditional meal to draw less attention to the date.
  • Depending on how many kids you have and their location, it may be possible to bring the holiday to them, even if it means going out to eat at a restaurant. It may not be the norm but what is more important than spending time with your grown kids?
  • Celebrate on a different date that works for your family. This may even work out better if you typically host or attend a large extended family get-together. You won’t feel their absence as much and when you do schedule a “make-up” date for your immediate family, it will be less hectic.
  • If your normal holiday is just your immediate family, then it may be time to accept an invitation to a friend or relative’s home to keep your mind off the fact that things are different now. Or finally host your own feast for a change of pace that will keep you so busy that you forget all about the kids for a while.
  • Plan a trip and try to escape the fact that it’s a holiday and the family will not be together. Just pick a destination whether it is a close getaway, a cruise, or big city and go! Someplace new and exciting may just be distracting enough to keep away that feeling of sadness.

What are your plans if the kids don’t come home for the holidays?

 

photo credit: CarbonNYC [in SF!] via photopin cc

4 Comments

  1. Lux Ganzon

    You’re one cool empty nester. Keep it up. And thanks for sharing these holiday re-invention. Some of these are actually applicable even for non empty nesters.

    Reply
    1. Beth (Post author)

      Yes they do apply to many others too! Thanks for reading & hope you will stop by again!

      Reply
  2. StudioOne.photo

    The food just looks so yummy. I have 11 years before my nest is empty. I have plans to enjoy some of these goodY’s while my young ones are still home

    Reply
    1. Beth (Post author)

      Enjoy those 11 years…it goes by too fast! And thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

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