I thought long and hard about this post when Thorntons asked me to show how I ‘Pass The Love On’ to my family as part of its ‘Continental Journeys’ campaign. My automatic response was to create a Christmas gift, a Christmas Eve Box packed with Thorntons goodies and treats for the whole family. However, the more I thought about it the more I feel being able to reconnect with family at Christmas is way more important.
I created a homemade hamper that we can enjoy whilst spending time together as a family, because , for me, the biggest gift in life is enjoying that special, quality time with family and friends – something that some people sadly aren’t able to do regularly due to being separated by distance.
If you want to see me create my projects, follow me on Tik Tok and Instagram.
What I am really looking forward to this Christmas is taking time to reconnect with my family and having the opportunity to regroup and recharge.
The Thorntons Continental Journeys campaign sees two families physically reunited under the guise of a sensory VR experience this Christmas. I will be sharing more info on this on my social channels soon, so keep your eyes peeled! However, with many families not being able to be together this Christmas it really brings home how important it is to reconnect with family at this special time of year if you can.
For this reason, I decided to create a guide, inspired by Thorntons, giving an example of the ways you can pass the love on this festive Christmas.
My Top Tips To Reconnect With Family At Christmas Time
Time
December is a busy month but the biggest gift you can give loved ones is your time. Take a break from social media or at very least limit your use and be present. It’s so easy to become involved in the online world and what others are doing, however turning it all off every now and then is so therapeutic and essential for family time.
Home
Blank out a day for family and tell teens they are expected to be home on that day. Plan a movie day with snacks, cook a meal together and ban phones, make it quality time together. Also find a space to set up a family activity, maybe a giant jigsaw puzzle, something everyone can nip back to every now and then. By keeping this out all over the festive period, you will be surprised to see how everybody gets involved.
Organise.
Rather than spending a fortune on gifts for friends and family organise a joint family activity. Send token gifts such as Thorntons Chocolates to show friends and relatives you are thinking of them and spend your budget on group activities, like theatre tickets. Whether it’s a meet-up in town or a day out at a theme park, rather than spending money gift, out it towards ways you can enjoy time together making memories.
Reconnect
See those friends you keep meaning to spend time with but are always too busy. Life is short and if we don’t make time it will never happen. How many times have you told friends ‘we must meet up’? Stop saying it and make that time, book in a date.
Nature
Spend time together getting back to nature and taking long country walks. There is nothing better for the soul than walking, stopping for refreshments, snacks and taking in the views along the way.
Talk
Not all relatives are nearby, therefore if you can’t visit relatives give them a ring. Sometimes just hearing someone’s voice and them your time can make their day. Have a phone party, send chocolates and a note to plan a call at a certain time for coffee and a chat.
Observe
It’s important to just sit back, watch and enjoy. Kids grow up so quickly and sadly sometimes we lose people close to us. Record those memories, take photos and video of special moments and enjoy family time, it’s so precious.
New
Make new plans for the year ahead and start as you mean to go on. Put dates in the diary for family time and catching up with friends. We all know if it’s not in the diary it doesn’t happen.
Sing
This is a silly one but try it. I have a voice that can empty a nightclub, but a good old sing song with friends and family is great for the soul. If people love you, your awful voice won’t matter, but you have no idea how a freeing a good singalong with family feels.
Presents are nice, however Christmas is about reconnecting with family and friends and making memories.
Yet we forget that and get wrapped up in buying expensive gifts and thinking that is what matters. So sit back, re-evaluate and give a little time this Christmas.
Christmas is a time to ‘Pass The Love On’ to friends and family and for this reason Thorntons is working with SSAFA. A charity that works with our servicemen and servicewomen, veterans and their families. A donation of sales of all products in the Thorntons Continental range will go directly to the SSAFA.
This post is a paid post created in collaboration with Thorntons, all opinions are my own and I really will be embracing family time this Christmas.