For many of us, our pets are part of the family and deserve to get in the holiday fun.

Kristen Levine, pet living expert, blogger and author of Pampered Pets on a Budget joined us today with holiday gifts for precious pooches and cuddly kitties.

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY PETSMART, MINTED, SAMUEL ADAMS AND TAILORED® PET.

As with most things in 2020, the upcoming holidays are sure to look a little different. In a time when keeping family members safe and healthy is a priority, how you communicate about your holiday plans may take a little extra thoughtfulness and clarity this year.  Lisa Mitchell, Communications Expert & Founder of Power Body Language joined us today to help with that.

1. Start Your Planning Conversations Early  

Even with long-standing family traditions, how you celebrate the holidays this year is going to require a little extra planning and the sooner you start communicating about your plans, your schedules, and even your concerns, the sooner you can start finding good solutions that can keep your family feeling connected and in the loop. Thanksgiving is a little over two weeks ahead, there’s no time like the present to start these conversations with your family. 

2. Be Clear About What You’re Comfortable With This Year 

Nobody wants to feel like they’re disappointing their family, but in this time where keeping family members safe and healthy is priority and a real concern, you need to be clear and firm on what you’re comfortable with in regards to gathering for celebrations. You also need to be willing to accept and adapt to what other family members are comfortable with as well, especially if they are being strict about limiting exposure and keeping their circle small this year. 

3. Be Flexible And Get Creative! 

Just because it might not look exactly like every holiday gathering of years passed doesn’t mean that this holiday season can’t still be meaningful and help you connect with your family in a fun way. 

Maybe it’s enjoying Thanksgiving meals together over FaceTime or streaming in a Facebook Live room together while each family is at their own home. Maybe it’s agreeing to all watch the same favorite holiday movie at the same time and text or call each other at your favorite parts. Maybe it’s playing a game online together instead of being able to sit around a table to play together. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover a fun new holiday tradition to add by getting creative and putting extra effort in to new ways to stay connected, even if you have to be apart this year. 

It’s not unusual for different family households to have different opinions and levels of comfort about gathering for holiday celebrations and it’s going to take a lot of patience, creativity and understanding on everyone’s part to make the holidays feel good to everyone. 

For more from Mitchell, visit her website.