Christmas and home education: creating a calmer, more connected December at home

Christmas with home education feels different. In the best way.

One of the things I love most about home ed at this time of year is the pace. We can slow right down. We can stay home when the weather is wild. We can choose quiet mornings with fairy lights, biscuits, and a box of decorations tipped across the table. There’s no rush to get out of the house. No last minute costume dramas. No late night baking for yet another school event. Just time together. Talking, making things, pottering, resting. The sort of time that children remember.

As a parent with older children who once went through the school system, I don’t miss the December chaos at all. The endless nativity rehearsals. The fairs where you pay for things your child was told to make. The raffles where you win something you don’t want. The pressure to keep turning up and spending money, even when you’re exhausted...

Instead, we get a gentler version of the season. We keep what feels meaningful and let go of the rest. We decorate when we’re in the mood. We do crafts because the children want to, not because they must. We follow their energy. Some days are full of activity. Some days are just books, blankets, and warm mugs on the sofa. Home education gives us this space. It lets us build a December shaped around family life rather than a school timetable. It lets children enjoy the season without being overwhelmed. And it lets us enjoy it too.