Chances are that at some point between Christmas and New Years, you’re going to want a family movie night, especially now that quarantines and closures are (alas) back in vogue. Here’s the perfect spread to make the night feel extra special no matter what movie is playing!

To build our smorgasbord, we relied on suggestions from Parents magazine to fill out food in four categories. All of our options below were vegan.

Salty:

• Thin pretzels
• Tortilla chips
• Popcorn

Sweet:

• Chocolate candies
• Dark-chocolate raisins
• Red licorice

Hot:

• Spanokopita
• Corn dogs
• Cauliflower bites

Spreads:

• Ranch dip
• Marinara sauce
• Yellow mustard
• Hummus

Don’t forget the holiday napkins!

Veronika loved checking out all the offerings.

Mix, match, and let everyone choose what they want to eat! As for the movie, some favorites around here include: Home Alone, The Polar Express and The Happy Elf. Or, if it’s just the grownups watching, we’ll probably be screening It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard!

If you’ve ever been in a toddler class where the kids are asked to say their name, then you know how likely it is for little kids to clam up instead. We loved these fun suggestions from Parents magazine to address the issue, which helped give Veronika the confidence to introduce herself now that she’s in a preschool setting!

First, simply practice saying, “Hi, I’m [fill in the blank]”. Teach your child to give a big wave instead of a handshake, here in our pandemic era.

Next, we lined up some of her dolls and stuffed friends. She went down the line and said to each one, “Hello cat, I’m Veronika,” or “Hello [doll name], I’m Veronika.”

What great practice! Parents also suggests a trick to help older kids remember people’s names: Always say the name before a sentence. So instead of simply saying, “What would you like to play?” he practiced saying, “What would you like to play… Veronika?”

This can help your child remember new names at school or after-school activities… And heck, it works for grown-ups too!