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The holidays are hectic in the best of circumstances, and they can be even more overwhelming when you have a new addition making demands on your already limited time. But guess what? New babies can actually be the best excuse to just take it easy and soak in the holiday spirit! Here are six reasons to be glad you gave yourself the gift of a newborn this year.
1. You can decline all those parties you otherwise might have felt obligated to attend. This year, instead of dragging yourself to your neighbor’s fruitcake exchange extravaganza or the work potluck you dread for months beforehand, you can stay home and nibble baby toes instead, no questions asked.
2. You can justify long shopping trips because your baby loves to sleep in the stroller (or be worn in a carrier) while you trawl the mall. Wear athletic shoes and your nicest yoga pants and maybe you can even call it a workout. A few miles up and down the aisles sure beats jogging on snowy sidewalks while paying for a babysitter.
3. You can rationalize all those gratuitous baby-clothes purchases as being gifts for your little one. The holidays are the height of infant fashion (ruffles! bows! sweater vests! suspenders!), so go all out and then indulge your senses as you give each new item that pre-wearing wash in Dreft Stage 1: Newborn knowing that it’s gentle on their delicate baby skin.
4. You can make your relatives come to you for a change. Traveling with a newborn is the best example of the classic kid-gear paradox: “The smaller the kid, the more stuff he/she needs.” Instead of hauling cross-country with your teeny-tiny infant and her not-teeny-tiny mountain of “essentials,” invite guests to your neck of the woods and then sit back and bask in the feeling of not stressing over travelling in uncertain weather with a brand new baby of uncertain temperament.
5. You can get to the heart of your holiday traditions. With a new baby limiting your ability to do the million and one holiday tasks you’ve convinced yourself are necessary elements of celebrating the season, take this opportunity to pare the list down to your favorite traditions and leave the rest by the wayside. This is the best time to find out what’s really important to you, and the perfect time to define what will be important to your family now that you have kids of your own.
What are you most looking forward to about celebrating the holidays with a newborn?
Leah Maxwell is a book editor, freelance writer, cereal addict, wife, and mom to two young boys. She has been blogging at A Girl and a Boy since 2003.
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