Festival Season Parenting: Creating Memories Without the Meltdown

Festival week is here! From Dhanteras to Chhoti Diwali, Diwali’s Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj, and finally Chhath Puja, it’s a beautiful, busy time for Indian families. The lights, colors, sweets, and celebrations bring double the joy. But if you’re a parent, you probably already know it also means double the work, noise, and sometimes, meltdowns.

If you’ve ever tried to dress your baby in itchy, fancy clothes just for that “perfect” photo and ended up with tears and tantrums instead, you’re not alone. Or if you’ve been chasing kids around the house who have “accidentally” grabbed the expensive flower garlands, that’s part of the festival parenting reality too. This is the season when our hearts are full, but so is our to-do list, like cooking, cleaning, decorating, entertaining, and keeping our tiny humans happy.

So, how can we, as parents, handle this festive season without losing our cool? How can we create memories that bring smiles, not stress? 

Your first instinct is probably to do everything at once. Deep clean the entire house, decorate like a professional, cook five different dishes, and have the kids looking picture-perfect. Stop.

Pick 2-3 things that matter most to your family. Maybe it's decorating the entrance, making one special sweet together, or doing an outfit photoshoot. Let go of the rest. Your kids won't remember if you didn't polish every inch of the house. They will remember if you were stressed and snappy all day.

Bored kids = chaotic kids.

Messy kids = stressed parents.

So flip the script. Give them jobs. Let your five-year-old arrange cushions for the puja corner (yes, they'll do it wrong, but that's okay). Have your older child help with simple cooking tasks. Let them place the diyas around the house. Make a treasure hunt to find all the decorations. When kids are engaged and feel useful, they're less likely to create their own entertainment by destroying things.

Plus, this is how memories actually form. Not because they look pretty in a photo, but because they do something together.

Don't fight the itchy clothes battle on the day of the festival. Sort this out a week before.

If your kid hates their traditional outfit, find out why. Is it the fabric? The fit? Too many layers? Once you know, fix it. Pair a heavy lehenga with a comfy t-shirt underneath. Pick breathable fabrics. Let them choose their own outfit from the two options you've already approved. When kids have agency, they complain less.

Pro Tip: If they're still not comfortable, skip the fancy outfit for that one hour. Let them wear regular clothes for the celebrations. One uncomfortable photo isn't worth an entire day of tears and complaints.

You're so busy trying to get the perfect shot that you're missing the actual moments happening right in front of you. Here's what actually works: set a "photo hour" and then let it go.

Say, "Okay, guys, for one hour after lunch, we're taking our family photos. Then phones down, we focus on celebrations." This way, you're not constantly trying to position kids and adjust their dupatta. You get your photos. Everyone's happy.

And honestly? The best photos are the ones you didn't plan. Your kid laughing while helping light the diyas. You and your partner stealing a moment while cooking. These candid shots matter way more than the stiff, perfect ones.

Festivals are sensory overload for kids. Loud sounds, new decorations, relatives coming over, lots of activities. Their nervous systems are working overtime.

Build in quiet pockets. A 20-minute break where everyone just sits together, has some water, and maybe reads a short story. Not everything has to be high-energy.

Your house doesn't need to be spotless. Your food doesn't need to be restaurant-quality. Your outfit doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy. Your kids don't need to be perfectly behaved every single moment.

Real festivals are messy. There's flour on the kitchen counter. Someone spilled juice on the carpet. Your son is wearing his regular pants under his sherwani because nothing matched. And guess what? It's still magical.

Let it be imperfect. That's where the actual memories live.

In all this planning and prepping, remember this: your kids won't grow up and remember the perfectly styled home or the pristine outfit. They'll remember the time you laughed together while making preparations. They'll remember how you made them feel valued when you asked for their help. They'll remember the festivals as a time when the family was together and it was fun.

So this festival season, give yourself permission to do less, be more present, and actually enjoy it. The memories you create don't have to be perfect. They just have to be real.

Now go light those diyas and have some actual fun.