What a year, right? With lockdowns, at-home learning, social restrictions, economic concerns and more, we’re willing to bet this has been quite the year for you and your family. But with the end of every year and the beginning of a new one, there’s always a sense of hope and anticipation in the air. 

As we say goodbye (and good riddance) to 2020 and wave hello to 2021, it’s important to end the year on a good and healthy note for your family. And while you may look back on this year and say that’s easier said than done, we’ve got a few tips for you to help.

Ending 2020 on a Physically Healthy Note

First and foremost, as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, it’s important your family continues following safety protocols like social distancing, wearing masks and regularly washing your hands. 

While we all want to see family and gather with friends around the holidays, this year we all need to be safe and be smart about how we do these things, if at all. Sure, virtual Christmas dinners are not the same as sitting down at the same table together, but it is the less-risky way. While you and your kids may miss seeing extended family, it’s unlikely that anyone will miss the busy holiday traveling.

Even without a pandemic, the winter months are traditionally a time of sneezing and sniffles. To protect your family from the cold and flu, make sure everyone is getting balanced, nutritious meals, bundling up warmly when they go outside, washing their hands and getting enough immune-boosting vitamins. 

And don’t forget about physical activity. In the cold winter months it can be harder to get your family outside and moving. Although it’s tempting to spend each day dry and warm inside, fresh air is good for your kids. If they resist your efforts to get them outside, try giving them a new game or activity to do outside. The excitement of new may be enough to get them out the door.

Ending 2020 on a Mentally Healthy Note

But of course, there is more to health than just the physical. While adults carry most of the concerns and responsibilities of the world, it’s naive to think that our children don’t perceive and feel these things as well.

2020 was likely a year of heightened stress and work for you and your family, at least at some point. But as the year comes to a close, it’s time to put that all behind us and end on a lighter note. 

With less traveling and entertaining obligations this holiday season, this is the year to eschew the normal holiday stress and just enjoy spending time with your family. Whether that means scaling down the Christmas meal, avoiding crowded, last-minute shopping situations, or just finding more enjoyment in simplicity, do what you and your family need to have a couple relaxing, life-giving weeks here at the end of the year.

Now is also the time to take our eyes off the stresses and worries of 2020, and shift our minds instead to positivity and gratitude. Sit down as a family and celebrate the good things that did happen this year, no matter how small, and take time to share things you are grateful for. 

Lastly, do something together as a family that you all love. In the busyness of the year, our passions and joys sometimes fall to the side to make way for other priorities and duties. As things slow down for the end of the year, set aside time to do a family activity you all enjoy together. Bake some cookies, do a family craft, curl up together with a storybook and some hot cocoa, or drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Whatever it is, it’s important to have these cherished moments.