4 Holiday Sleep Permission Slips You Might Need Right Now

The holidays have a way of making us question everything we thought we had figured out about sleep.

Bedtimes drift later. Routines fall apart. Family is in town. Kids are wired. Parents are exhausted. And suddenly that familiar thought shows up. Great, now we’ve ruined sleep.

Let’s slow that down a bit.

Here are a few permission slips you are absolutely allowed to use this season.

Permission Slip #1: It’s Okay If Bedtime Is Later This Week

You have permission to let bedtime slide during the holidays.

Late dinners. Christmas lights. Family gatherings. Special events. All of this is part of what makes this season feel special. A later bedtime for a weekend or even a week does not undo months or years of healthy sleep habits.

Sleep routines are not that fragile. They can bend and come back when life settles down again.

If a later bedtime means less stress, fewer battles, and more enjoyment of the season, that tradeoff can make a lot of sense right now.

Permission Slip #2: You Can Deviate From the Bedtime Routine

You also have permission to break the routine once in a while.

Stay up late tracking Santa on a tablet. Everyone piled into one bed. A cookie snuck in after teeth brushing. A movie that runs way past the usual lights out time.

One night or even a weekend like this is not going to erase everything you have worked on.

If making magic in your house tonight does not include the bedtime routine, it is okay to let that go.

Routines are there to support your family, not to add pressure or steal joy.

You can always return to them when things feel calmer.

Permission Slip #3: Sleep Does Not Have to Be the Priority This Week

You have permission to not make sleep the priority for a short stretch.

The holidays are about what is meaningful to you. For some families, sticking to their usual routines is what feels best. For others, that just is not realistic right now.

If your main goal this season is connection, memories, or simply getting through a busy stretch with a little less stress, it is okay if sleep does not make the list this week.

That does not mean you do not value sleep. It means you are choosing what matters most right now.

Permission Slip #4: Flexibility Is Not Failure

Let’s say routines fall apart a bit. Or nights look messier than usual. Or you are doing things you swore you would never do again.

That does not mean you failed.

Sleep is not meant to be perfect every week of the year. Holidays are disruptive by nature. Travel, excitement, and late nights happen.

Being flexible does not undo good sleep. Beating yourself up about it does way more harm than the late bedtime ever will.

Notice what helps even a little. Let the rest go for now.

A Gentle Reminder

The goal during the holidays is not perfect sleep.

The goal is regulation, connection, and making it through the season with as much calm as possible.

If that means later bedtimes, skipped routines, or sleep taking a back seat for a bit, you are allowed to choose that.

Sleep will still be there when the holidays are over. And so will your ability to gently guide things back into place when you are ready.

Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do is give ourselves permission to stop trying so hard.