Sheinelle Jones shares holiday advice for every parent: Ignore the mess in the corner

TODAY's Sheinelle Jones has the best mantra for Christmas (and really, year-round): Forget the mess and dance.

The 3rd Hour of TODAY co-host revealed her family traditions in the TODAY AllDay streaming special "Holidays In My House."

Sheinelle has three children — Kayin, 13, and twins Clara and Uche, 10 — with husband Uche Ojeh. They married in 2007.

As Sheinelle revealed in a 2019 TODAY segment, dance parties with her children are her go-to holiday activity, anytime or anywhere (they've been known to cut loose at the corner store).

"My kids are happy and it's what's most important to me," Sheinelle said.

“There may be a pile of laundry in the corner, but I’m so happy that I wasn’t so worried about the laundry that I didn’t miss the moment in front of me,” she said.

When the children were younger, Sheinelle would turn on music and dance, with her kids mimicking their mom.

"We've had routines and I always look at the background and it’s always a mess, and I’m like, 'What was I doing?'" she said. "And then other times, I’m like, ‘You know what? There may be a mess in the background but look how happy they are.' That's what I try to tell myself."

Sheinelle's husband is Nigerian, and their children love wearing traditional clothing from his home country, especially when they can match with their cousins.

"I think it is important to my husband that my kids are brought up knowing his side and his culture," she noted. "So, I actually am happy that every year — and even more than every year, whenever we get together — they get new native wear because as they continue to grow, they continue to get new outfits."

For Sheinelle, "Gratitude is certainly the theme of the season."

"Instead of trying to make everything perfect, I think it's important to be in the moment and to look around at the relatives around you — I have a lot of older relatives in my family and when I close my eyes and think of my fondest memories of Christmas, none of those relatives are here with us."

Focusing on each other, having conversations and sharing meals (without phones or laptops), she said, "Those are the things that are most important."

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This article was originally published on TODAY.com