Happy Holidays? A Stepmom’s Guide to Finding Magic in the Mess By Kate Chapman
There was a time in my life when I believed in the magic of the winter holidays. Tinsel and candlelight. Snow falling softly outside. Loving families sharing time together, as children played happily inside. All was calm. All was bright. Joy and peace ruled the day.
Then I became a stepmom.
My first Christmas as a stepmom looked nothing like what I saw on TV. My days were filled with schedule shenanigans, kid shuttling
and endless negotiations with exes and extended family.
That was on top of the usual holiday happenings at school and at work. Christmas was exhausting (and not much fun).
Suddenly, holiday magic seemed to be the stuff of sappy, late-night movies: overly-simplified, saccharine-sweet and completely made-up. Joy and peace were nowhere to be found. Slowly, I’ve adjusted my approach to stepfamily holidays and am happy to report that I now have more peace and joy and holiday cheer than ever before. Want to recapture the magic for yourself?
Try my top six tips for putting the “Happy” back in stepfamily holidays!
…To get Kate’s holiday tips for stepmoms, log in and download the December 2017 issue. Don’t have an account? Click here to subscribe.