For parents, by parents: #HolidayZen tips
Last Wednesday, our #TalkEarly program asked parents on Twitter, “How do you find your #HolidayZen?” We wanted to know, do parents face the holidays with tidings of stress, joy or some combination?
Research showed that the average American squeezes an additional 42 hours out of their already busy schedule for additional holiday activities.
What did we want to learn?
· We wanted to know how parents tackle these extra holiday challenges.
· What parents most look forward to about the holidays with their families
· How they talk to their kids about drinking, particularly before heading out the door to holiday parties
Like a snowflake in a winter blizzard wind, we were blown away by the response! Our #HolidayZen Twitter party became the No. 2 trending hashtag on Twitter in the US. During the Twitter party, over 200 parents, mostly moms, participated and shared their thoughts, concerns and joys over the holidays. Over 11.5 million impressions on Twitter were generated using #HolidayZen and @TalkEarly!
What answers did we unwrap?
· We learned that moms do find the holiday time to be stressful, but they also enjoy this time of year.
· They look forward to Christmas morning and cuddling up with their kids to watch holiday movies.
· They worry about money, budgets and finding the time to get all the holiday cards done.
· But we learned they love to bake cookies with their kids and relax with a good book.
On the subject of modeling healthy behavior with alcohol, we heard from parents about the importance of talking with their kids about responsible consumption before going to parties and they echoed their interest in our new #TalkEarly program. We were proud to have tweeted out our new holiday "Zenfographic." Our number of @TalkEarly Twitter followers increased by 100 percent.
Going into the event, did we expect our #HolidayZen Twitter party to trend nationally?
We weren't sure, but the reaction on Twitter to our questions shows these efforts are resonating and moms want to talk about stress, about joy, about the holidays and about modeling good behavior for their kids.
Here's a snapshot of some of the most used words during our #HolidayZen party. Share our #HolidayZen Word Cloud and spread some cheer with your friends!
How do you find your #HolidayZen?
