What’s the secret to planning for happy holidays with family? Having a Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas planning checklist that covers the areas that grandparents might not have thought about yet!

When you’re a grandparent, holidays are even more complicated. There’s so much more to consider than figuring out your Thanksgiving menu and getting Christmas gifts for the grandkids. There are a lot of logistics to work out if you are having visitors, or visiting your grandchildren. The meal planning alone is stressful—not to mention the cooking!

And have you talked to your adult children about their expectations yet?

They may be beginning to worry about the upcoming holiday celebrations. Why? Because they know there could be conflicts with you over the hot spots that holidays bring. They know they probably can’t make all the grandparents completely happy.

They wonder if you’ve babyproofed the house, or if you’ll honor their requests to schedule dinner around the baby’s sleep schedule. They want to make sure you understand that winter is peak season for illnesses that can land a baby in the hospital, or worse.

And they are worried that you’ll try to outdo Santa in your enthusiasm over buying gifts for your grandchild.

Start With a Holiday Planning Checklist

So how do you prepare for a holiday season that will leave everyone with happy memories? Planning, and not just planning meals and gift lists. Our Christmas Planning Checklist can help! Download it here, and then get ready to talk to your adult children. Here are the things grandparents need to do to make sure Christmas, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah go smoothly:

• Find out where & when family wants to celebrate. It’s no longer just up to you, so make sure you’ve consulted with all the adults in the family.

• Discuss expectations for gifts and get wish lists. Parents really don’t want as many gifts for their children as you want to buy. Make sure you’re on the same page.

• Ask everyone to fill out “My Favorite Things”. You’ll get this when you buy A Grandparent’s Guide to Happy Holidays.

• Create budgets for gifts, travel, decor, food, etc. Budgets are key to make sure you don’t go overboard!

• Plan meals, including who’s cooking when. Family gatherings are more fun and relaxing when everyone’s pitching in.

• Discuss old and new holiday traditions. Traditions you love may not be continued by your adult children—and there may be new ones to start!

• Make sure your home is safe for holiday visitors. Read more about holiday safety here.

• Learn how to keep your grandchild healthy. It’s peak flu, Covid, and RSV season. Babies are especially vulnerable to falling ill from someone who may be carrying germs.

Talk About Holiday Expectations

As with everything, it’s vital that you start with an open conversation with your adult children. Most of the stress and disappointment around holidays comes from unmet expectations. Take the time to share what you hope will happen and listen to your adult kids about what works for them. A ten-minute conversation can prevent days of misunderstanding or resentment. It can set you up for happy holidays well into the future.

The three main sources of holiday stress are visits, gifts and meals. Questions about these topics range from simple to complex:

• Where will you stay if you visit your grandchildren?

• Why are they visiting the other grandparents again this year?

• What time will you serve Thanksgiving dinner?

• How do you get someone to help with the dishes without sounding like a shrew?

• Why are they so insistent that you stick to the wish list for your grandson’s Christmas gift?

• Will your grandchild notice that you can’t afford such expensive gifts as the other grandparents?

Some of these questions are easier to answer than others, but all of them are covered in A Grandparent’s Guide to Happy Holidays. When we set out to create a helpful guide for grandparents, we did our research. We consulted with both grandparents and parents to make sure that we covered all the things that they worry about as holidays approach.

It’s hard to know what you don’t know! Our holiday guide will help you recognize issues you might not have thought of. Better yet, it will give you the chance to discuss them while you still have plenty of time to make holiday plans. 

Getting Organized for Christmas (Or Any Holiday)

Of course, a conversation is just the start. There will still be lots of holiday organizing to be done! It’s helpful to have a template for keeping track of all your planning. That’s why we created customizable, fillable worksheets for organizing every aspect of your holiday planning, from budgeting and gift-giving to getting help in the kitchen.

When you buy A Grandparent’s Guide to Happy Holidays, you’ll get access to holiday planning templates in both Excel and Google Sheets so you can use whichever works best for you. What’s more, you’ll be able to use them in future years, too. No one will be able to claim Uncle Jeff never helps with anything if you have a record of who did the dishes last year!

You’ll also get our exclusive cheat sheet, My Favorite Things, to help make sure you always give the best gifts! It goes beyond “what’s your favorite color?” to help you know what gifts your daughter-in-law or brother will really appreciate, so you don’t have to hope that a pine-scented candle is the perfect present.  Just send them this fillable PDF and become the best giver-of-gifts in the family!

You can find A Grandparent’s Guide to Happy Holidays in our shop. At just $10, it’s the cheapest holiday insurance on the market.

Create Joyful Family Memories

Obviously, no Christmas planning checklist can guarantee a stress-free family celebration. But having the tools to anticipate potential hot spots will go a long way towards creating joyful family memories. Download the checklist, then have an open conversation with your adult children. For more detailed tips and advice, get A Grandparent’s Guide to Happy Holidays. Use the templates to get organized!

Holidays can be even more magical when you are a grandparent—are you ready to start planning yours?

You may also like:

• Handling Holiday Disappointment

• When Grandparents Give Too Many Gifts