Kids
Enjoying the festive season without stress, how does Maartje Diepstraten do it?
02 December 2024
The days are getting darker and streets are lit up by tiny lights. The festive season is on its way! December is a hectic month, before you know it, it’s Christmas already. In our series ‘how do they do it?’ we talk to parents about relatable moments with kids. This time, we talked to Maartje Diepstraten, influencer and founder of Dutch lifestyleplatform Barts Boekje. What does the month December look like in her household?
How important is the festive season to you? Do you go big or rather keep it small?
‘Important’ is not the right word for us: Christmas is a moment we really look forward to as a family. But when something fun becomes ‘important’, I think it puts too much pressure on it. Some years we celebrate modestly, some years with family and the next we celebrate abroad, but we always look forward to it. Christmas is the whole period for us. Because of that, a perfect 25th and 26th of December are less important. We always go all out, but we tend to spread it out over the whole month (or sometimes even longer!)
What does the festive season look like in your household? Lots of family visits, or just time with the kids? Chaotic or peaceful?
It depends: oftentimes we’re abroad with the kids, but we always make sure to celebrate at the beginning of December: classic style, with lots of yummy food. All month, we have busy and chaotic Christmas celebrations, so on the 25th we can chill with the kids or relax in the sun enjoying a holiday.
Do you have any traditions? Do tell…
We got married on Christmas Eve in Antwerp. Not even because of that, but we’re always in Antwerp for a few days before Christmas. In the past years we’ve been abroad around Christmas, and from Antwerp it’s not too far to visit our families in Breda. At the start of 2025 we’ll be moving to Breda ourselves, and since we already had to move out of our house in Amsterdam in October, we’ve taken the opportunity to stay in Antwerp for four months. It will be during our beloved festive season and we’re really looking forward to it!
How do you get through the hectic days leading up to the holidays in a good way? Or are you just surviving?
Like mentioned above: we love Christmas, but always make sure not to focus to much on the 25th. I’m pretty sure we’ve done that before, and it’s never really fun or relaxed, not even for the kids. We’re always really flexible with Christmas! We check what family is around with nieces, nephews, and partners and we adjust if we’re in the area. Sometimes we’ll spend Christmas Eve somewhere, Christmas at home with the kids and 2nd or 3rd Christmas day (since we have those in The Netherlands) with our families. It all works for us!
What is your favorite tradition or moment during the holidays? What do you always look forward to most?
Antwerp :) Strolling around the Christmas Market, starting the day with champagne, and if we can, packing our bags for a trip to the sun. We’re not going to that this year around because of our move and to be honest, I’m looking forward to spending the season ‘at home’.
Do you give each other presents and how do you approach it?
We give each other small presents: for the presents we celebrate Sinterklaas, but a little gift under the tree really sparks the Christmas spirit. We don’t have any special way of doing it: on Christmas day, or another day we choose, in the morning with the kids and within 5 minutes we’ve unwrapped and continue our day.
What tips would you give other parents for the festive season?
Distributing the festivities is key for a relaxed and fun Christmas: you really don’t have to fit everything on that one Christmas day. Our kids get way too overstimulated from it, so why put all that pressure on ourselves and on them?