FLiP’s Festive Tips For Families This Holiday Season

FLiP share their festive tips for families this holiday season:

“Your children deserve their holidays/celebration, even if you feel cheated out of yours. Even though you will miss your children and may feel sad, encourage them to have a really good time with their other parent” Daniel Coombes, Director

“Your children will share your expression of joy and excitement at Christmas, even if their Christmas festivities are shared – it remains priceless for them.  Keeping it real and positive can be the Christmas tonic for all parties” Marcia Drummond, Legal Executive 

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, the burnt turkey the forgotten Christmas pudding these are all things you’ll laugh about in years to come. The most important part of Christmas is spending time with your loved ones” Rosie Doyle, Office Administrator 

“Help your child to choose/make a present, however small, to give to their other parent and/or so that they have a sense of sharing Xmas” Elizabeth Fletcher, Director

“Planning time for the children to FaceTime / Zoom the other parent and wider family can make everyone’s Christmas Day” Kara Swift, Associate

“If the relationship is already rocky, keep alcohol to a minimum and find time for you! Go out for walks, spend time on your own; don’t sit there feeling uncomfortable or trapped and turn to the bottle” Elizabeth Hicks, Director

“Get out and about. Try to go for a daily walk with your children or even by yourself. Walking can help you feel refreshed and energised and ready to face another round of Christmas dinner” Rebecca Alexander, Associate 

“Make Christmas pudding with the children with coins to press in later, if possible make one for the other parent and create as many traditions as possible. Light touch on the presents, heavy on the traditions. Extended family are precious especially if there is family breakdown” Pamela Collis, Consultant 

“Be kind to yourself – try not to buy in to the pressure of having the ‘perfect’ Christmas which only exists in the media – real family life is not perfect” Louise Vane, Legal Assistant 

“Don’t always go for bigger and better.  Be satisfied with “good enough”.  Think back to the most magic memories you had as a child and they will likely be based on very simple traditions” Helen Greenfield, Director 

“Though Christmas is the time for giving – make sure you “give” some time for yourself this festive season” Kelly Myring, Legal Assistant 

“Start creating the Xmas traditions that spread the load of Xmas wider than just the 25th” James Pirrie, Director 

“Families, like people, really do come in all different shapes and sizes, which means that there is no ‘right’ way to do the festive season!” Nicole Phillips, Associate 

“It’s never too late to make a Christmas wreath for the door” Victoria Nottage, Practice Development Lawyer 

“Christmas celebrations don’t need to be exclusively focused on, or lead up, to the 25 December (“the big day”); if you are not spending Christmas Day with your children, Christmas Eve can be made to be as equally as special (as is the case in Germany, Austria and Poland). In fact, children will welcome the extended period of excitement!” Rory Collett, Associate