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Ways to make the winter holidays happy and safe for kids

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The winter holidays will be weird this year. Whether we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus or something else, on that, surely, we can all agree. Gatherings will be smaller, hugs may be virtual and gifts might be exchanged via delivery truck rather than in person. Yet now, as ever, it’s important for parents, grandparents and other adult guardians to help children feel safe and happy during December. There are lots of traditional ways to do that—by driving through neighborhoods with spectacular lighting displays, by Spotifying holiday playlists and by visiting with Santas (albeit socially distanced ones), for example. Here are some other suggestions, cooked up by the merry crew at Las Vegas Weekly.

Collaborate on a holiday meal

This year saw a lot of us spending time in the kitchen, and the holidays are a perfect opportunity to get the kids involved. While celebratory circles will be much smaller, you can still make them special by giving kids a central role in the planning and cooking of the holiday meal.

Your child’s age will dictate the complexity of the dishes you make, but in general, keep it simple. Prepare the main dish yourself—a prime rib or ham, for example—but let the kids choose and help make everything else, starting with appetizers. Pigs in a blanket, deviled eggs, a charcuterie board and a fruit plate are some of the items you can delegate to children of any age.

If you have an aspiring Junior MasterChef, they can shine on the side dishes. Maybe this is the year your teen makes Joel Robuchon’s puree de pomme, the silkiest, most indulgent mashed potatoes on the planet, or Gordon Ramsay’s famous mushroom risotto. Both require a bit of technique and attention, but the results can be culinary showstoppers.

Desserts are perhaps the most fun to make for kids, and you can remove some of the pressure by making them ahead of time. Homemade candies and ice creams can be made the week of, cookies a couple of days before and cakes and pies a day early.

As for beverages, break out the cocktail glasses, and make this the year of the mocktail. Eggnog, punch and fruit spritzers can all be made kid-friendly. For an extra-special treat, make homemade marshmallows for late-night hot chocolates.

And since most of us won’t be with extended family this year, coordinate with relatives to make a family recipe together. Meet up on Zoom as you cook and compare notes. It’s a way to be with our loved ones and share a meal during a year we won’t soon forget. –Genevie Durano

Make DIY ornaments

Sure, you could order some new shapes and sizes online, but why not try these at home?

Salt Dough Ornaments.

Got leftover flour from that short-lived attempt at pandemic bread baking? Use it to whip up some salt dough. The basic recipe, according to BBCGoodFood.com is 1 cup of flour, half a cup of salt and half a cup of water. Mix the dough, and shape as if making Christmas cookies (being sure to leave a hole at the top for a hook). Bake on the lowest setting for about three hours. You can paint and decorate when done. It’s a great project for kids of all ages.

Drop-in Crafting.

If the thought of handling scissors fills you with creative dread, it’s OK to get some outside help. Downtown Summerlin’s Corks ’n Crafts (corksncrafts.com) offers socially distanced drop-in crafting hours. The DIY bar has all the supplies you need to craft a variety of holiday treasures. Downtowners should check out Open Art Las Vegas (openartlasvegas.com) in the Arts Factory for virtual classes for kids and adults.

Create a 2020 keepsake.

Buy some paint and blank wood for slice ornaments from the craft store. Paint a simple masked picture of Santa or a snowman. If you have no painting talent, no worries. The worse your ornament looks, the more it’ll remind you of this crazy year. Hopefully, in 2021, we’ll all be able to look back on these hand-painted keepsakes and laugh. –C. Moon Reed

Create a virtual greeting card

Every year, my father-in-law sends a Christmas letter—a single-spaced, two-page missive of the year’s highlights, with inspirational quotes and uplifting anecdotes thrown in for good measure. It’s folksy and sweet and something my son and I look forward to reading, and it’s as much a part of our holiday celebration as decorating the tree.

Sending greeting cards and letters is well and good, but 2020 has been anything but. So why not make this year’s dispatch reflect the times (or the best of it, at least)? And who better to help than your tech-savvy children?

Start with TikTok. The platform has been a lifesaver for Gen Z during this pandemic. From dance challenges to K-pop activism, the app’s capacity to bring out children’s creativity is unlimited. This year, make a holiday greeting on the app, complete with a choreographed dance. Then send it to your relatives and make them laugh.

YouTube is another playground for the young. Task your kids with compiling short video clips from everyone’s phones throughout the year, and have them edit them into a cohesive supercut, complete with title cards and a royalty-free soundtrack.

An even quicker option? Have kids choose their favorite photos of the year and create a slideshow on their smartphone to send to relatives. For filter-savvy teens, let them create an Instagram-worthy mood board of sorts using personal photos and images from the internet as a way to look back on 2020. –Genevie Durano

Explore family history

My mother has dabbled in genealogy for most of her adult life. Not only has she researched our family’s origins, she’s volunteered at library and church facilities and helped others learn more about their own histories. When the internet gave rise to powerful subscription-based resources like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org and made billions of records available with a few keystrokes, I thought it was cool that many more people were making the kind of illuminating discoveries I had done through my mom’s record-keeping, realizing that just a few generations back my ancestors came to California and Oregon and Texas from Germany and Syria and Hawaii.

My wife’s family uses other methods. There’s a big reunion in Iowa every year and a really big one every five years, and every time I’ve attended, the best-attended activity is the family tree drawing. Each family unit creates its own branch of parents and children, then sticks it to the wall with masking tape and tells the story of how they got here. It sounds corny, but I now know her cousins and uncles better than my own.

The pandemic has taught us that to stay connected to your family, you just need to stay connected to your family, by any available means. Looking at pictures and telling stories is an easy start, and when you run out of those, you can use your magical pocket computer to FaceTime your mom or sister or auntie and look at her pictures and listen to her stories. You might not be in the same room with them all for this year’s holiday celebration, but with a little planning and strategy, you can be surrounded by more family than ever before. And young people can become fascinated with building those branches. Now is the time. –Brock Radke

Help those less fortunate

Children love receiving gifts, but it’s never too early for them to begin learning about the importance of giving, especially to those who may be struggling.

One excellent way to begin that process this year is by donating a Holiday Cheer Box to SafeNest—a local organization focused on helping victims of domestic abuse (safenest.org)—through a program launched by the Vegas Golden Knights and their significant others, led by Marc-André Fleury’s wife, Veronique, and Hayley Thompson, Mark Stone’s fiancée. The instructions: Decorate and fill a shoebox with $50 worth of items “that would make a woman going through difficult times feel special.” Suggested gifts include beauty products, socks, jewelry, perfume, toothbrushes and gift cards. Only new goods will be accepted.

Boxes can be dropped off through December 16 at five locations: City National Arena in Downtown Summerlin, all three Valley Core Pilates locations (9775 W. Sunset Road #101; 2530 St. Rose Parkway #150; 6710 N. Hualapai Way) and Wildflower Collective salon (8975 W. Charleston Blvd. #190). Monetary donations to the program can also be made at gofundme.com/f/the-holiday-cheer-box.

Of course, there’s no shortage of other worthy nonprofits accepting donations during the holidays (and throughout the rest of the year), including but not limited to Boys & Girls Clubs (bgcsnv.org), Catholic Charities (catholiccharities.com), Goodwill (goodwill.vegas), Opportunity Village (opportunityvillage.org), Ronald McDonald House Charities (rmhlv.org), Salvation Army (salvationarmysouthernnevada.org), Shade Tree (theshadetree.org) and Three Square Food Bank (threesquare.org). –Spencer Patterson

Bake cookies

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 egg

• 1 cup butter, room temperature

• 3 tbsp. whipping cream

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method (dough):

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. With a mixer, blend the room temperature butter, egg, whipping cream and vanilla with the dry ingredients. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for three hours.

Method (cookies):

In a separate bowl, combine 4 tbsp. flour and 2 tbsp. sugar. Cut a piece of dough the size of your fist, and pat it flat. Sprinkle with flour and sugar mixture. Flour a cutting board, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to your preferred thickness, about 1/4 inch. Flour both sides of the dough. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough and lay them onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove once the bottom of the cookies begin to turn a light golden brown. Let cookies cool. Decorate!

Chocolate Crinkles

These rich delights were a staple in my home growing up, and my mom never failed to make them around the holidays. These beautiful, snowy cookies are aptly named for the cracklelike formation they develop on top, and they’ll make your house smell equally delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 4 oz. melted, unsweetened baking chocolate (cooled)

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 tsp. vanilla

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Method:

Mix the oil, melted (but cooled) chocolate, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix in one egg at a time. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for three hours. Grease a cookie sheet and heat the oven to 350 degrees. With a teaspoon, drop pieces of the dough into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll the dough into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges look firm. Enjoy! –Leslie Ventura

Play these games

It’s not a family holiday unless somebody—usually the youngest cousin—cries over a game of Monopoly. This year, let’s move beyond a glorification of crushing capitalism with these fun options.

Chess

This ancient game is cool again, thanks to a boost by Netflix’s hit show The Queen’s Gambit. Accommodate younger players by buying a version called No Stress Chess.

Codenames

More than 5 million copies of this word-association party game have been sold. Play involves two rival spymasters who give single-word clues to their secret agent. Fun ensues … unless you accidentally call up the assassin. Expansion packs and online versions are also available.

Dreidel

Traditionally played as part of Hanukkah celebrations, this four-sided spinning top game is fun for all ages. Play with pieces of chocolate, and win the whole pot if you’re lucky.

Pandemic

Too on the nose for 2020? Probably, but this cooperative board game allows you to do what humanity has yet to do: work together to save the world. Multiple expansion packs keep the viral fun raging.

Puzzles

The best way to have holiday fun—and possibly drive yourself crazy in the process—is to find a really difficult 1,000-piece holiday-themed puzzle and dump it all on the kitchen table. Leave it there until the dang thing is solved, you trash it in a fit of rage or the pandemic ends, whichever comes first. –C. Moon Reed

Watch these films

If you’ve had your fill of A Christmas Story, the assorted Grinches and, um, Die Hard, you’ll be happy to know that your streaming services are filled with (mostly) family-friendly holiday classics you haven’t yet seen a thousand times—or at all.

Netflix is all-in with holiday originals like the romantic comedy Holidate and the Kurt-Russell-as-Santa Christmas Chronicles movies, but we recommend the Dolly Parton-starring Christmas on the Square, because Parton is a heckin’ national treasure, that’s why. (As is her co-star, Christine Baranski, who plays a Scrooge-like character.) The stop-motion animated Christmas episode of Community is here—a gem. And if you want to get meta, watch The Holiday Movies That Made Us, a documentary series that goes behind the tinsel on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Elf.

Naturally, Disney+ has the holidays on lock, with its (surprisingly well-reviewed) Lego Star Wars Holiday Special; classics like Miracle on 34th Street and the aforementioned Nightmare Before Christmas; originals starring Jillian Bell (Godmothered) and Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader (Noelle); all the Tim Allen Santa Clauses; all the Home Alones; all the Simpsons holiday episodes (and all the others, too); The Muppet Christmas Carol; and—why not?—a three-hour yule log video inspired by Frozen. But we strongly recommend 2004’s Millions, directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later), in which a virtuous boy (a note-perfect Alex Etel) finds a bag of stolen money and tries to give it to the poor; the ensuing complications range from good-natured confusion to nail-biting suspense. Imagine Boyle’s Trainspotting, but for kids. It’s an unsung classic.

Other streaming services have their bright spots, as well. Prime Video offers the animated Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You; It’s a Wonderful Life, regular and (ugh) colorized; and dozens more holiday films of dubious quality. AppleTV+ has A Charlie Brown Christmas locked up (though it’s allowing PBS to show it once, on December 13). Hulu offers several Christmas Carols—FX’s dark retelling looks intriguing, though not kid-friendly—Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and the hilarious 2015 comedy The Night Before, which definitely ain’t for kids. (It’s also one of too few movies—including Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, only on Showtime—that nods to Hanukkah.) And HBO Max, bless it, has Die Hard. Yippee-ki-yay, Santa lovers! –Geoff Carter

Take a hike

Feeling like getting away with the kids for the holidays? Travel isn’t recommended due to COVID-19, but there are plenty of nearby hikes available if you want to add some nature into your holiday plans.

Calico Tanks at Red Rock.

The national conservation area now requires a reservation before you go, but that’s no reason to shy away from this beautiful canyon. The 2.2-mile (round trip) trek is rated moderate to difficult due to its undulating landscape, which requires a bit of bouldering and maneuvering. The payoff is the view of the city at the end, even more beautiful if you happen to go during snowfall. Dress warm and check the weather before you go, and as always, be sure to bring enough water, food and clothing for a two-hour trip or longer.

Mouse’s Tank at Valley of Fire.

This relatively flat basin should be easy enough for the whole family, and you can see ancient petroglyphs along the gorgeous golden-red and orange route. The area gets its title from Southern Paiute native Little Mouse, who used the giant rock formations to hide after he was accused of shooting two prospectors. Bundle up and bring your camera.

Kyle Canyon Picnic Area at Mount Charleston.

Other picnic areas, like Foxtail and Old Mill, will open once enough snow has fallen, but in the meantime, you can still enjoy family time in the Spring Mountains at this beautiful nature and picnic area, with views of the lush mountains and foliage. Check the weather report, and make sure to head back when there’s snow on the ground for a white Christmas with the kids. –Leslie Ventura

Become a gifting elf

By now, many of you have surely heard of—if not been on the receiving end of—Halloween neighborhood boo’ing. Ever year in October, communities around the Valley participate in the cheery program, which directs residents to deliver goodies in secret to nearby homes, along with instructions on how each recipient can pay it forward.

This year, more than ever, it only feels natural to do the same for the winter holidays, and it doesn’t take much to get it going: Simply put a few treats and/or toys in a gift bag, include a note explaining the concept and leave it on someone’s doorstep. If your neighbors also adopt the practice, great, but that’s a bonus. Mostly, it’s a way to begin teaching young children about the joy of anonymous giving, without expectations of anything in return. –Spencer Patterson

Read this book

Penned by former Nevada Assemblywoman Patricia D. Cafferata, 2014’s Christmas in Nevada collects memories and traditional ways Nevadans have celebrated the holidays since 1858. Browse through the stories of notables, including Mark Twain, Robert Laxalt and more than one governor. With each of our state’s 17 counties represented, regular revelers are featured, too. Nearly 60 historic photos complete the collection. Proudly display this beauty on your coffee table during the holiday season to remember that home really does mean Nevada. –C. Moon Reed

Build a blanket fort

Thanks to plot-driving appearances in three (!) memorable episodes of Dan Harmon’s cult favorite comedy series Community, this classic rainy-day activity has acquired modern cachet. It’s easy, and a perfect way to engage your kids on a quiet, pajama-clad holiday morning: Simply raid the linen closet, use chairs, sofas and broom handles for support beams, drape the sheets and blankets over them and build a structure that feels like “crawling through a hug.” (If you have an excess of pillows, you could try building a pure pillow fort, but that’s tougher to pull off; it’s the prog rock of soft enclosures. Best to go with a hybrid.) If you feel you’re too grown for this, just remember the words of Community’s Troy Barnes (played by Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino): “We could vault the ceiling; bump up the square footage. Make this a blanket fort for men.” –Geoff Carter

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