How to spend a Christmas vacation with 2 toddlers

School vacations are always a little intimidating to parents: how should we keep our children occupied for all that time? Who will take care of them?

As a rule, we try to work in school vacations as long as none of our children have compulsory attendance at school  (as of elementary school).  This enables us to go on one or more vacations outside of the busy and expensive top seasons. On the other hand we need to find full-time care for the children in all school vacations because of this strategy.


For previous summer, it wasn't as hard as I had feared as I wrote here and also in the autumn vacation, Kabouter went to a daycare for a few days while Beertje continued in his childcare for a few days.

The Christmas school vacation is different since our company closes between Christmas and the New Year and sometimes I have to take some extra remaining vacation days at the end of the year.  So this period of the year is more dedicated to family time at home.

1. Time usually flies as 3-4 days are almost automatically filled: Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year is spent with the family and New Year's Eve is spend with friends.  We also had friends visiting.  With them we went on walks and out for dinner or lunch. So basically half of the vacation time was filled with social appointments. 


2. The time between Christmas and New Year is (partially) spend in the Ardennes.  There we enjoyed some time in the snow
   
   
3. We involve the children in our day-to-day activities such as grocery shopping or posting Christmas cards
   
   
   
   
   
4. We invited some friends over to come and play
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
5. We had to play with new toys received over Christmas, mainly from Paw Patrol and a little supermarket
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. We were coloring and painting several times. On regular weeks we don't always have the time or will to get out the paint and protective aprons and paper and cups to wash out the pencils etc.  Usually I find that a lot of hassle but in a vacation like this it's easier to make time.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. We've been reading more books together, not only at bedtime.
   
   
   
   
   
8. We've made puzzles with Kabouter (when his brother was napping and couldn't run off with the pieces)
   
   

   
   
9. We've played with plasticine clay (also when Beertje was napping)
   
   
   

   

   My ice bear turned out to be a mouse

   
   
   
   
   

   

   the blue pink pinguin snowman

   
   
   
   
   
   
10. We've watched a lot of online movies and games