--- title: Slowing Down Makes Christmas Memorable description: One dad shares his childhood holiday memories of growing up in the Philippines and how he works to make the season memorable for his kids now! image: https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/file-17575514-jpg/images/xmaslightsmed.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/bid/167231/Slowing-Down-Makes-Christmas-Memorable#main) - [![NFI mark](https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI%20mark.svg)FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://www.fatherhood.org/) - [STORE.FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://store.fatherhood.org/) [![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=149&height=82&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=65&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=66&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=89&height=49&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ](https://www.fatherhood.org) - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Get Informed Get Informed - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - [Father Stats & Infographics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) - Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Find Your Stage of Father Inclusion](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-inclusion) - [How Father Friendly Is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Fatherhood Data & Statistics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - [How Father Friendly is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Other Free Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/nfi-free-resources) - [Talk With us to Get Started](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) National Fatherhood Initiative Blog / [Latest Articles](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood) [holiday](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/topic/holiday) # Slowing Down Makes Christmas Memorable 2 min read ![Melissa Byers](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/melissa_circle_icon.png?width=100&height=100&name=melissa_circle_icon.png) [** Melissa Byers ** ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/author/melissa-byers) Melissa is the Chief Marketing Officer at National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI). Melissa oversees the organization's marketing, communications, graphic design, and product fulfillment functions. #### This is a guest post by Jason Bruce. Jason is the social media specialist for the [Colson Center](https://www.colsoncenter.org/) and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two kids. Follow him on Twitter ([@JasonBruce](https://twitter.com/jasonbruce)) and visit his blog [The Living Rice](http://thelivingrice.blogspot.com/). Jason writes this post for NFI's "The 12 Dads of Christmas." If you are interested in writing for us, send an [email](mailto:rsanders@fatherhood.org?subject=Guest%20blogging%20for%20NFI). The Christmas season becomes more hectic as one becomes an adult and a parent. That’s why memories of my childhood always come to my mind first when I reflect on my most memorable Christmases. ![hectic christmas](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/file-17575514-jpg/images/xmaslightsmed.jpg?width=365&height=273&name=xmaslightsmed.jpg) I grew up in the Philippines and Christmas season there starts as early as September 1st and ends on the first Sunday of January- making the Filipino Christmas celebration the longest in the world. I always remember having fun doing my “Christmas round” every Christmas day. It is when I wear my best clothes and visit nearby aunts, uncles, godmothers and godfathers and collect Christmas gifts from them. I would enjoy coming home with a pile of gifts and some cash in my pocket and comparing it with how much my siblings received. With my own family, we make the season memorable by having the longest Christmas season we can at home. We start putting up Christmas decorations and playing Christmas music sometime mid- to late November and take it all down in January. We let our two kids do simple community activities through our local church during this season in hopes that they understand Christmas is not all about themselves and gifts. To share some nostalgia, we pop some popcorn and bake Christmas cookies. We usually watch our favorite holiday movies together like *A Charlie Brown Christmas*, *It’s a Wonderful Life* and my wife’s favorite, *While You Were Sleeping*. Christmas is all about family closeness and the birth of Christ. These are two important aspects my wife and I hope will be instilled in our children. Spending Christmas eve and Christmas day with extended family members is a priority as well as attending church and re-telling the Nativity story at bed time. These are straight-forward demonstrations that share the values we want our kids to remember—not only during Christmas—but all year round. Slowing down with my kids and engaging them in serious conversations about Christmas and it’s true meaning is always a reason to celebrate in our home. Remember this mom and dad, the most memorable Christmas probably won't be the most hectic one—it'll be the one where you slowed down! ***Join in and share your most memorable holiday by recording a video, sharing a picture, or posting a comment on this blog, [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/nationalfatherhoodinitiative) or Twitter [@TheFatherFactor](https://twitter.com/thefatherfactor).*** photo credit: [MSVG](http://www.flickr.com/photos/msvg/5270349562/) Date Published: 12/13/2012 Last Updated: 06/11/2018 ## Learn How to Build a Fatherhood Program That Works Download this free guide for a proven 7-step roadmap—from making the case and securing funding for your program, to launching and measuring real results! 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