Holiday Productive Uncertainty

• Mistletoe Magic: move certain decorations around daily (e.g. hang mistletoe and move it to a different place every day for a surprise).

• Decorate each other with garland, ornaments or lights when you're decorating your home or the tree.

• Make it snow: rip paper into tiny pieces and throw it into the air together.

• Plan "Secret Santa" surprises for mom, dad or siblings every day and enjoy reactions together.

• Go on a gift-planning treasure hunt: i.e. "Not sure what to buy dad, I bet he needs socks!" Then go hunt where dad keeps his socks to decide whether he already has enough or not.  "Oh no!  Dad already has lots of socks!  Hmmm." and so on.

• Build anticipation and facilitate taking on another's perspective: have chilld and one parent place a gift in a small box, and then place that box into a slightly larger box, etc.

• Play hide and seek in the Christmas tree lot.  Sneak up on family members with Silly String.

• Play "follow my eyes to the candy cane" (or other ornament)

• Put holiday window clings on a window/door/mirror: move around each day and do a scavenger hunt to find the clings.

• Sample a variety of candy canes ("same, but different" theme)

Version 1, November 2005

Thanks to Certified Consultants: Katherine Lee, Nicole Beurkens, Michelle Broeckelmann, Amy Cameron, Kim Downey, Barbara A. Duckett, E. Cheryl Fletcher, Nicole Labonte, Trudi Pacheco, Lisa Palasti and the Trainees who contributed to this handout.  ©2005, Connections Center, All rights reserved.  www.rdiconnect.com