Hilarious funny Christmas memes will put any frazzled parent in a good mood this season
Nothing soothes the soul like a good mom meme, and when it comes to the holidays it’s even truer. While our kids are off making merry memories, there’s an army of moms behind the scenes making it all magical––and funny. We’ve rounded up our favorite funny Christmas memes for moms guaranteed to give you a laugh, and if you haven’t had enough laughs, check out some of our favorite funny parents on Twitter.
We can’t wait to try the rosemary pom spritzer holiday mocktail
This season, ward off the winter chill with festive, flavorful mocktails that the whole family can enjoy. These recipes are just the thing for a holiday gathering (or a fun after-school treat), and they’re a delicious way to get cozy on the quick. From slow cooker mulled cider to Harry Potter’s butterbeer, here are our favorite holiday mocktails. Which one will you try?
Grapefruit is in season, and what better way to get your dose of vitamin C than in one of these yummy concoctions? We love the bow for a little extra pizzazz.
Your little ones will feel super fancy sipping this pretty drink from Sugar & Soul—just look at that sprig of rosemary! It's got a bit of everything: bubbles, tart cranberries, and a hint of peppermint.
It's an apple pie meets festive drink! This holiday mocktail recipe from Frugal Momeh combines apple cider, pear nectar, and ginger ale to create a drink that Johnny Appleseed himself would be happy to sip on through fall, winter, and beyond.
Pomegranate is a wonderful winter fruit to use in your holiday mocktail. We love this spritzer from Pinch of Yum, it's got a good mix of sweetness and zing.
This traditional English drink is often used to help soothe cold symptoms. But skip the whiskey for your little dukes and duchesses, and load this hot tea with cinnamon and ginger for a body-toasting effect. Check out this crockpot recipe from Elana’s Pantry.
A steamer is a frothy cup of milk that’s lightly sweetened. It’s a great kid-friendly alternative to hot chocolate and this version has a nice vanilla flavor and an added pink treat: rose-flavored marshmallows! Try it for yourself with the recipe from Boulder Locavore.
As soon as their fingertips have thawed out, put this seasonal frothy eggnog directly in their hands. This rich blended concoction from food blogger A Sweet Pea Chef is a rich drink that's not for the faint of heart as it’s full of sweet milk and thick cream.
You can’t get more classic than a Shirley Temple! It’s pure nostalgia meets cherry flavor—especially if you use mason jars as glasses—and you can adjust the ingredients to suit your kiddos. For an extra kick, add lime! Get the recipe from Kitchen Happiness.
Warm up with a mug of mulled cider! This slow cooker recipe from Boulder Locavore is the perfect comfort drink, full of apple-y goodness and spices. Be sure to strain it for the kiddos, then watch as your whole batch disappears!
Mimosas for everyone! This genius idea takes your fave brunch treat and gives it a non-alcoholic twist (think sparkling apple cider instead of champagne). With no added sugar and a healthy dose of fresh orange juice, it’s a fun treat for the whole family. For the recipe, head on over to Watch What U Eat.
Chock full of antioxidants and vitamin C, this ginger-lime holiday mocktail by paleo-friendly food blog Elana’s Pantry is a must-add drink for dinner or a holiday party.
It doesn't matter if fall is technically over—pumpkin flavor is always in season. We’ve spotted these pumpkin pie shooters A Night Owl. The creamy shots can be made with alcohol for the grown-ups and without for the kids.
This Frost Bite mocktail would definitely be a feature at Elsa's coronation. Made from fruit juices, fresh basil and Sierra Mist, this refreshingly sweet drink is great for families who don’t get a white winter. Get the recipe from The Little Kitchen.
In the books, this drink is described as “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch” that characters get on a chilly day. Sounds like the perfect winter drink for us! While there are many versions of this drink, our favorite way to make it comes from pastry chef Kristin Rosenau’s blog Pastry Affair.
A Roy Rogers is a close cousin to the Shirley Temple drink, and this Coca-Cola concoction is a fun addition to any holiday party. And with only two ingredients, it’s a snap to mix up. For a simple how-to, pay a visit to Sugar and Soul.
My son, Sebastian, and I lived in the same house for 15 years. I gave birth to him. I changed his diapers and taught him to ride a bicycle.
I was a stay-at-home mom, and he was my only child. We spent hours together every day playing and doing crafts together. He painted the most extraordinary pictures even as a toddler. His existence filled my imagination from the moment that I looked at the faint blue positive mark on the pregnancy test.
But I didn’t truly know Sebastian until he was 15. I didn’t know him, because I didn’t see him.
Nobody saw him. Sebastian is the only person in the world known to see with words like a dolphin sees with sound. His blindness is an invisible disability. He has always slipped through our sighted world with what appeared to be the same ease as a spinner dolphin flying through the air.
Now Sebastian is 18, and every time he hugs me I can still feel the shell of his tiny newborn ear against my lips and his infant body in the nook of my shoulder where his chest meets mine. I always inhale, trying to recapture that baby smell and the tickle of almost invisible hair on my lips. His hair is now thick and smooth, not the dandelion fuzz of pale blond.
I cherished every sweet moment with him when he was small. Every hug, every smile, every game of hide-and-seek. I rocked him to sleep each night when he was little. We read aloud together until he was 12. He still hates Les Miserables. Tolkien was more his thing, with the dragons, wizards, and the magic ring that makes you invisible but also drains your soul.
He still hugs me every night before I go up to bed. Even after everything, especially after everything, Sebastian tells me that he loves me. When his long arms reach around my shoulders and he leans, I can still feel his little sneakers banging my hips and his little toddler arms hugging my neck. I smell the ghost of Cheerios-past every time.
In the car when we talk about the things we’ve been through together, about how I finally came to know him and see him, I reach out my hand to him. Sebastian’s cool, long-fingered artist’s hand lands in mine, squeezing. In his gentle adult grasp, I feel the ghostly hand of a child in mine, much smaller.
What magic ring did Sebastian have that cast its spell so thoroughly over him that it silently saved him while killing his soul? Surely it was not the cloak of invisibility that he wore all through his childhood as he zoomed through my house waving his wand. He was Darry, King of the Fairies and Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He cast his charm all over so thoroughly that I didn’t see him. Nobody saw him.
I remember his eyes, so bright blue and filled with pain as we both sobbed on the kitchen floor. It was January of 2017, and we had just discovered that 15-year-old Sebastian couldn’t recognize his own face and had taught himself to navigate our own home by counting his steps and turns. I had to tell him that he’d been born blind, not understanding how it was possible myself.
After I finally saw him and his invisible disability, I was crushed with guilt. How could I, as his loving mother, not see what was there before my eyes? Not seeing him kept me from giving the support he truly needed.
Yet with time, I came to realize that I had done nothing wrong. Like him, I did not know I was blind: blind to the side of him nobody could see. My intentions were always good and pure. They were rooted in love and tenderness and a desire to be the best mother I could be.
That’s what we all want as mothers. But sometimes, life creates blind spots. When we come to recognize them, we must accept and learn from them.
Now I am privileged to see the man who walks through this world with dignity and grace. His dry, laconic humor cracks me up, and his striking art inspires me. With his help and support, I am fighting to end the discrimination against the millions of people who have cerebral/cortical visual impairment. (CVI was identified as the number one cause of visual impairment in the developed world more than 10 years ago and still doesn’t have a diagnostic code.)
Every day, I celebrate seeing him for the wonderful man he is.
Stephanie Duesing is the author of Eyeless Mind: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen, a true story about the discovery of her son Sebastian’s almost total blindness at the age of fifteen. Stephanie is devoted to raising awareness of Cerebral/Cortical-Visual Impairment (CVI) and advocating for patients with this visual impairment.
I want you to know that everything you do matters.
When you crawl into bed at night, aching from your temples to your toes, know that you have done enough. There may have been no progress made with toileting, feeding therapy or communication today and that is okay.
Your child is safe and so loved.
The weight of hectic schedules, parent trainings, OT, PT and visits with every other MD in-between can feel suffocating.
The research, the meltdowns, the battles over chicken nugget brands and clothing choices, all can withdraw every ounce of patience from your soul.
The smeared feces, the eloping, the pica and other behaviors you watched your friend’s toddlers outgrow. Years later, they remain in your child.
Most days are exhausting and thankless and I want you to know that your child appreciates you, they need you, and they love you beyond measure.
You need to know that.
Your child may not be able to express this, some of you may have never even heard your child call you “Mom.”
But they know you are Mom.
Your child is so grateful for all that you do and would be lost without you. Just as you would be lost without your sweet child.
I want you to know that you are not alone.
When your patience has been depleted.
When you’ve cried behind your sunglasses at a park as you watched your child’s differences come to light.
The loneliness you have felt from the long days spent with a child unable to read your emotions.
The difficult medical and educational decisions you struggle to make.
Know that there are so many of us with you.
We have felt the lows and celebrated the victories, too. We know the fear and the worry you wrestle with daily, and the immense pride you feel over the slightest progress.
I want you to find hope.
Today let’s bask in achievements and forget about regressions.
Even if only for one day.
Let your hope be stronger than your fears. With so many unknowns in the future, know that it’s going to get better.
I know this because we will grow stronger.
We will continue to learn, to advocate, to protect and make certain our children know their worth and just how very much they are loved.
I am so thankful for this sisterhood of amazing mothers today and every day.
Lauren is a proud mom of two adorable kids, her son Wilson and daughter Charlie. She is constantly learning from her children and loves to share their adventures from the world of autism on wilsonsclimb.com. Lauren shares her son's journey as one small piece in helping to spread autism awareness around the world.
Take your sandwich to the next level with two ingredients you already have in your kitchen
Tired of your go-to sliced cheddar on white bread? Mix up your routine with this no-brainer recipe from the food bloggers Jennie and Corelynof Garlic My Soul. With two ingredients we bet you already have in your kitchen–apples and jam–the classic grilled cheese gets a major upgrade. The cooks’ secret to this delicious sandwich? Use Fontina cheese, which Jennie and Corelyn swear takes this dish to the next level.
Serves 1
Grilled Cheese with Apple and Jam Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread
2-3 oz fontina cheese
2 tbsp blueberry jam
¼ an apple, thiny sliced
4-5 basil leaves, chopped thinly sliced
butter
soup of your choice, optional
Method:
1. Butter both sides of your bread.
2. Spread the jam on the inside of both pieces of bread, then layer on the cheese, with the basil in the center.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat, and butter well.
4. Cook over medium heat on each side until the bread is well browned. Pro tip: if you want to, you can use a cast iron bacon press or another cast iron to put weight on the sandwich so everyone gets nice and melty.
If there’s one thing we know about parenting, it’s that whether you’re up to your ears in potty training or if you’re trying to navigate the newly-developed attitudes of a tween, there’s hardly a dull moment. We also know that some days can leave you feeling like a super-parent while others can make you seriously doubt your decision to raise another human being. That’s why it’s important to know that you’re not alone. We gathered our favorite quotes for parents to help you keep your soul tank full. Keep reading to see them all, and don’t forget, it takes a village!
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“I came to parenting the way most of us do—knowing nothing and trying to learn everything.” — Mayim Bialik
“Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.” — Lady Bird Johnson
“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” ―Benjamin Spock
“It is time for parents to teach young people that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” —Maya Angelou
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“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future,” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Children are educated by what the grown-up is and not by his talk.” —Carl Jung
"A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's."—Princess Diana
"You don't take a class; you're thrown into motherhood and learn from experience.”—Jennie Finch
“It is easier to build strong children than to “repair broken men.” —Frederick Douglass
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There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.” —Sue Atkins
“My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.” —Kobe Bryant
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” —Anne Frank
“Being a father is the single greatest feeling on Earth. Not including those wonderful years I spent without a child, of course.” —Ryan Reynolds
“There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” —Mahatma Gandhi
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“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” ―Dorothy Parker
“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” ―John Wilmot
Perfection doesn't exist, and I've found what makes children happy doesn't always prepare them to be courageous, engaged adults.”―Brené Brown
“Mother is a verb. It's something you do. Not just who you are.” ―Cheryl Lacey Donovan
"Childhood is fleeting, so let kids be kids and cherish the time you have together." —Abraham Lincoln
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"There are two gifts we should give our children. One is roots. The other is wings." —Unknown
"Motherhood has taught me the meaning of living in the moment and being at peace. Children don’t think about yesterday and they don’t think about tomorrow. They just exist in the moment." —Jesalyn Gilsig
"You will never look back on life and think, 'I spent too much time with my kids.'" —Unknown
"If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money." —Abigail Van Buren
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You’ll be criticized either way." —Eleanor Roosevelt
Let’s not undervalue the importance of taking care of ourselves.
If you are a mom who does #allthethings and you are having trouble remembering the last time you did something for you, then it might be time to take a few minutes for you.
Because you can’t give what you don’t have. In other words, in order to take care of others, you must take care of yourself FIRST.
Self-care looks different for everyone. And, I like to divide all self-care into three categories: Mind, Body and Soul
So, here are some simple, inexpensive ways for you to get back to taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority again.
Self-Care for the Mind
1. Read a few pages in a personal development book.
2. Spend some time journaling.
3. Write down three affirmations.
4. Create a vision board.
5. List ten gratitude statements.
6. Watch an inspirational video.
7. Take a few minutes to read part of a fiction story.
8. Learn how to do something new.
9. Paint something.
10. Walk around a museum for an afternoon.
11. Create a piece of pottery.
12. Sketch a picture of your favorite scenery.
13. Make yourself a cup of tea.
14. Go window shopping. Alone.
15. Buy yourself a new outfit.
16. Wear perfume.
Self Care for the Body
17. Take a walk around your neighborhood.
18. Go on a hike.
19. Make yourself a healthy meal.
20. Stretch.
21. Go to bed early.
22. Sleep in.
23. Treat yourself to a healthy dessert.
24. Plant some flowers.
25. Ride a bike.
26. Play a game of mini-golf.
27. Go for a swim.
28. Dance.
29. Get your hair done.
30. Give yourself an at-home facial.
31. Give yourself a pedicure.
32. Take a bath.
Self-Care for the Soul
33. Meditate.
34. Count your breaths up to 10 and then back to zero.
35. Practice Yoga.
36. Take a nap.
37. Say three affirmations aloud.
38. Watch the sunrise.
39. Watch the sunset.
40. Listen to some music.
41. Play some music.
42. Light some scented candles and relax.
43. Diffuse some essential oils.
44. Listen to a guided meditation.
45. Say no to something that you don’t want to do, without explaining yourself.
46. Celebrate YOU.
47. Look through pictures that make you smile.
48. Take an impromptu day trip to the beach.
49. Have lunch with a friend.
Self-care doesn’t have to take a long time or cost a lot of money. I like to recommend taking 15 minutes per day to invest in you. The key is to take this time without interruptions or distractions.
Bridgette is married with three daughters (twins plus one.) She hates to cook, loves to write, and is addicted to inversions. She believes that we aren't just meant to SURVIVE motherhood, but to THRIVE through motherhood.
I listen to way too many podcasts—the ones that make you feel more aware, upset, unsure and fascinated. I meditate sometimes and I drink enough water. I’m definitely putting in the work to try to remember who I am, in addition to being a mom, a wife and a business owner.
My “to-do” list, like most caregivers, is long. It lives in my phone and on my mind and if I forget it, it pings me back into submission. It keeps me busy—doing and going, going and doing my way to a satisfactory life. And it makes me feel 82% numb and substantially less alive.
The routine dulls my senses and for a not-new human like myself, it bores me to death sometimes. Sincere gratitude aside, being a mom of young kids is majority monotonous and minority former-self fun. Today, as I was driving home from a meeting, I realized that I had a full tank of gas, my suitcase and not one but two credit cards. I thought, “I could just get away for the weekend, run off and be alone for a full 48 hours. The kids would be fine, my husband would understand.” In fact, he was the one that told me, “I can’t make you happy.”
I wanted to drive far away today and to leave my problems behind. The idea perculated fuzzy in my head, as my fomer-fun self suddenly perked up, like a breath of fresh air had entered my lungs and was pumping life back into me. But as regularly programmed, I instead reverted back to my “to-do” list and pushed the novel-yet-non-sensical idea aside.
Annoyed, I drove back into the mind-blowing experience of modern motherhood. I was driving myself numb and not doing anything about it. Why? Because motherhood is unconditional and transformative. It’s damn beautiful and in that beauty is also a breakdown, an experience of the soul. And because as mothers, we’re trained not to rock the boat. Heck, we are the boat keeping everything afloat.
Deep inside my sticky sense of resentment, hand-dipped in disappointment, I heard my husband say it again inside my head: “I can’t make you happy. You have to do that yourself.” He was right. This, “But what happened to my life?” baggage wasn’t his or theirs to carry. It was mine, all mine. There was no one left to blame. So now what?
I noticed a motorcyclist driving in front of me and he was masterfully pulling up his front wheel and rocking a wheely. I was at once, in awe and in admiration and also moderately concerned for his health and well-being. We exchanged a thumbs up as I drove by, congratulating him on his fearless feat and in that flash of a moment, I saw a twinkle in his eyes. They were sparkling like sunlight on the water. They were eyes of someone who was happy in that moment. It was that undeniable look you have when you’re doing something that makes you feel alive. When you’re not asking for anyone’s permission to live out loud and disappointing the world by not caring what anyone else thinks. Carl Jung calls it, individualizing, a way of being open-hearted to life.
That’s what I’m looking for. That look, that feeling.
I then have another idea and refuse to let my “to-do” list dictate my decision. I ask Siri, “How far is Coney Island from here?” She answered, “12 miles.” I veered my car off and decide to take matters into my own hands. To dedcidedly be happy by doing something that actually makes me happy. It was pretty simple: I was going to hit the coasters, because I love riding roller coasters. I took myself on the date night I’ve been so desperately missing and I ended up riding the Thunderbolt front row next to a mom and her daughter. We held hands and screamed our heads off. When I picked up my souvenior picture to remember this version of me that I’ve longed for, I noticed something in my eyes looking back at me. It was that same shine. There’s the me underneath the “to-do” lists and it’s just waiting to come out if only we can allow ourselves to unappolgetically do whatever makes us happy, no outside assistance required.
I’m a beauty hunter, a dreamer, a learner and a doer. I'm also a mama to 2 wild ones (Lily Love + Bear). As a self proclaimed forest fairy + forest school founder, I believe in nature and magic and know that growth happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.
Naomi Campbell is a new mom! The 50-year-old model surprised the world with an Instagram post today, accompanying an image of her hands cradling tiny baby feet.
“A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother, So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love,” she wrote in the caption.
A British model, actress and businesswoman, Campbell broke multiple barriers as the first black model on the cover of TIME, French Vogue and Russian Vogue. She’s appeared on more than 500 magazine covers and is also heavily involved in charity work. She supports the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and amFAR and founded Fashion for Relief, uniting the fashion industry to support those in adversity.
Last year Campbell told the New York Times, “I’ve always been raised, by my mother, my nana, the wonderful strong women in my family, from this strong ancestry to understand that, whatever I was going to do, I had to do it 110 percent.”
With today’s announcement, another strong woman joins the Campbell family! Congratulations to Naomi!
Parenting a pet is a lot of work, but new data shows that furry friends make life better. A survey of over 2,000 U.S. pet parents revealed that four-legged companions are calming, improve moods and “nourish the soul.”
A study conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Fuzzy—The Pet Parent Company, found that pets are significantly improving their parents’ lives. Seventy-nine percent of pet owners said they wouldn’t be as happy as they are now without their pet, 76 percent said that having a pet nourishes their soul and a whopping 82 percent said having a pet in the house provides a sense of calmness throughout the home.
Just like parents of human children, pet moms and dads have their fair share of concerns. Almost half (44 percent) worried about becoming parents for the first time and over half (54 percent) didn’t expect to spend so much money on their canine or feline companion.
“Pet parents are often surprised by the unexpected costs and time required to be a good pet parent. From medical bills to toys for playtime it’s a full-time responsibility. Having a pet by your side, however, is worth the cost” says Dr. Cherice Roth, Chief Veterinary Officer for Fuzzy.
Survey respondents certainly seem to agree that it’s worth the cost. And even as the pandemic brought many unwelcome changes to the world, 69 percent said they used the time to bond with their pet more than ever before. Turns out your fur baby might be even more essential than you think!
—Sarah Shebek
Video courtesy of Fuzzy and OnePoll/Feature photo: Annenberg PetSpace
