Tips and Activities for Type 2 Diabetics Hosting Holiday Dinner this Year

The holiday season is definitely the most lovely time of the year, especially for spending time with those we love. Whether you get to celebrate each holiday with your grandkids or have to wait your turn due to family obligations, you want to make every opportunity with them memorable this season. Hosting a Christmas dinner, on the other hand, might be difficult, especially for those who are older. When you add small grandkids to the mix, there are surely a few things to consider.  

Grandparents have a unique role in children's lives. They have the distinct advantage of developing unique relationships based on friendship, having fun together, and bonding over wonderful traditions. The holidays are an excellent opportunity to emphasize your particular bond with your grandchildren by passing down family traditions and even inventing new ones.

If you'll be spending the holidays with your grandkids, discover how to prepare ahead of time to ensure a stress-free and memorable experience for everyone. We've compiled a list of top suggestions for this special occasion in our guide, as well as some useful advice for grandparents hosting Christmas this year. These suggestions will help make hosting this holiday season a great success, from amusement to comfort and festivities.

Relax as much as you can

The Holiday season can, if you allow it, be a difficult and stressful time of the year. Both for those hosting and the parents of children. So, it’s important to avoid this situation so both you and your guests can truly enjoy this special occasion together. Christmas isn't a competition - it's a wonderful time to be together, and you should relax and enjoy being with your children and grandkids instead of feeling obligated to perform. The Holiday Season is all about spending quality time with family and friends - let go of your perfectionism and just make memories. Enjoy the day. Allow your adult children to take a break from parenting by focusing on your grandkids, and don't compare your Christmas to what you see on social media. Allow yourself to be glad that your family wants to spend Christmas together, and don't get caught up in the specifics.

Delegate and plan ahead of time

If you try to take on all of the tasks on your own, especially when it comes to culinary duties, Christmas may get stressful. It's crucial to feel at ease delegating some chores to family members.

Anyone who has hosted Christmas knows how easy it is to spend the whole holiday season in the kitchen, with little opportunity to interact with your guests. This is especially true if they're only stopping around for lunch. As a result, I would recommend delegating as many responsibilities as possible to family members and delegating vegetable preparation to the frozen food section, allowing you to spend more time with your grandchildren.

Families are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of nutritional requirements - allergies, food intolerance, and lifestyle preferences. So why not invite anybody who has a problem with the main course to bring a dish they know they'll enjoy?"

Childproof your house so it is safe for children of all ages

If you're expecting little children to visit for the holidays, make sure your house is child-safe. Now that your children have grown up and left the nest, your home may not be as kid-friendly as it once was, with sharp corners and harsh surfaces. Consider evaluating the house before the family arrives this Christmas to see if there are any things you can do to make it a safer place for the kids. Steps to childproofing might include:

• Removing important objects from spots where kids can get to them.
• Locking medicine cabinets with childproof latches.
• Matches are kept hidden away.
• Barriers in front of open flames and wood stoves.
• Use safety guards to prevent stairways from being used.

Allow your grandchildren to decorate the tree with you

Decorating the Christmas tree with the grandchildren is perhaps one of the most enjoyable activities you can do with them this holiday season. While you may prefer to have this done for you or have certain preferences for how the tree should appear, doing it with your grandchild is a wonderful bonding experience. If you spend an hour together hanging ornaments and wrapping ribbons around the tree, you will undoubtedly create some lasting memories. Put some Christmas songs on in the background, have some chocolates around, and enjoy yourself. Doing this with your partner might turn into a long-term custom that you both look forward to.

Take time to bake with your grandchildren

Many of us have pleasant memories of preparing delightful Christmas cookies with family members, and many more of us enjoy indulging in these festive delights throughout the holidays. Spending time at home with your grandchildren is a wonderful way to spend quality time together. The youngsters will enjoy participating in the easier activities, and the promise of something tasty to eat at the end will provide even more motivation. Gingerbread takes only a few minutes to bake, which keeps kids occupied, and they also get to decorate it. Accepting that it will be messy is critical, in my opinion. Prepare appropriately with tablecloths, aprons, and other items, and then you can let kids help with the weighing, mixing, and shaping without worrying too much about the chaos!

Introduce one another to games from your childhood

Fun hobbies like yo-yoing and hula hooping will appeal to the child inside us, while Grandma could appreciate playing a computer game. There will also be board games that have been passed down through the years – such as Dixit, Cluedo, Scrabble, or Monopoly – that together we can all enjoy, as well as charades, which have never fallen out of style.

Take out the old photo book

Showing the younger family members images of the family heritage, particularly those of the grandparents when they were younger, will be amusing and enlightening. Yes, grandparents were once youthful as well, back in the day. And parents were babies too!

Make some holiday crafts

Christmas is a terrific time to get out the arts and crafts supplies. Check with Granddad to see if he wants to help make some decorations or sketch any holiday scenes. They might make some Christmas cards to be exchanged on the day if it's in the days leading up to the major event. Engaging in creative activities together not only strengthens bonds but also plays a role in boosting immunity by reducing stress and fostering relaxation.