As Christmas quickly approaches, I (like many parents) am trying to keep our kids' focus on spending time together and creating memories rather than solely on the gifts they will receive. From the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade to the Holiday Train to the reindeer at the California Academy of Sciences, there is always something festive going on.

As a kid, I don't remember Christmas festivities lasting all month long. We put up a tree and rehearsed for various celebrations at church, but most of my Christmas memories as a child are from actual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My grandparents leaving soot footprints by the fireplace so my brother and I would think Santa had come. And spending the day opening presents, talking, and eating a fancy meal together.

Maybe it's because holidays with young kids don't always go as planned. Kids get sick, tired, hungry or just have "off" days. Or maybe it's because pregnancy is similarly making my own energy-level and mood a bit less predictable this year. But by celebrating throughout the month, rather than waiting for one specific day, our family's been able to create holiday memories together even with the ups and downs that come with pregnancy and little ones.