Holiday Activities

Somewhere between Pinterest idyllic and reality, there is what we hope to establish in our home during the holidays.  For many, it is a time of increased togetherness.  The children are off from school and perhaps you are off from work for an extended period of time.  Perhaps you are a stay at home parent and you are always “off.”  Or perhaps, no such luck, you have to work increased hours over the holidays because of the kind of work you do.  Regardless of your exact situation, I am sure that some of what you are hoping for during the holidays is a sense of familial togetherness, fun, new memories; and meaningfulness. –More on that in a moment.

Rest assured, even the plans and holiday idylls that do not go as planned can be of lasting memory.  We still talk of the “Pink Eye Christmas” when we recall memories of Christmas past.  Our daughters had an awesome case of conjunctivitis, that was worsened by an allergic reaction our youngest girl had to eye drops.  She had a distinct resemblance to Rocky Balboa after a hard fight, that Christmas!  We still laugh at the Christmas mouse, from growing up.  As teenagers, my siblings and I had a mouse run across the floor during our Christmas meal.  A fond new memory is from a few years back when our girls received a package of pacifiers or “bobos” from Santa and the Bobo Fairy.  She had come about a year prior, when our daughter gave up her bobo.  This is how they found out their mother was expecting their little brother.

Somewhere between your holiday idylls and the bickering that arises when all the children are home together for an extended period of time; the pulls and demands of time, money, and limited energy reserves; and the unexpected that is all but a guarantee in life, is a chance for some great times together.  The folks at the great website “Parent map” offer 15 great ideas for making the most of your time together during the holidays.  From game nights by the Christmas tree and volunteering as a family to great craft ideas and journaling suggestions for recording the year’s highlights, there are some fantastic suggestions here.  Wishing you togetherness, laughter, fun, new found memories, and meaning this holiday season! Happy Holidays!

Sunday Morning Shout Out

Image Source: http://www.culinary.net/recipes/RecipeDetail.aspx?ID=2513&CourseName=Holiday+Treats&CourseID=25

There was the extra seat we always left at the Christmas Eve meal table.  This was set for the wise men on their way to Bethlehem.  There was the special wafer or platek that was broke at this meal.  We each broke a piece off of it and shared Christmas and New Years wishes with one another.  It was a meatless meal at Wigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve meal growing up.  Herring or another type of fish was eaten, usually with mushroom soup.  Quite often, pierogis were also served.  This special meal has got to be one of my favorite Christmas traditions from growing up.  While not all of it is done each year in our home, we maintain aspects of it.  The beautiful thing about traditions is the way in which they do dearly connect us to our heritage, our past, family, friends, and memories from growing up.

Sometimes our world today can seem a million miles away from traditional customs and our unique heritages.  For many of us, the holidays are time when we connect to them.  Some people I know are searching for new traditions for their families or at least different ones to make the holidays more personally meaningful.  Traditions, whether food related or activity related are such important anchor points for are our families.  Cozi.com, a website for today’s busy families, offers some great new traditions to bring to your family this year. From food traditions and gift giving traditions to volunteering and special family activities for the holidays, there are many great ideas here to ponder and perhaps implement.  What are some of your favorite traditions?  How do you make the holidays meaningful?

Sunday Morning Shout Out

Image Source: http://fatchicksings.com/2012/11/13/plan-ahead-to-deal-with-holiday-stress/

Most parents I know, throw myself in the bunch, are in a bit of a small panic at this point in the holiday season. –Or so it seems. There are those lucky few that seem very excellent at taking things in measured stride. –You know, those moms you meet that planfully buy things throughout the year.  I even have a dear friend who keeps a running spread sheet and does this bold feat.  I have other friends who start baking in the beginning of November and have it done, along with lasagna for their Christmas meal just waiting to be pulled out to eat.  To some extent, I wish I was like these amazing friends.   Yet natural tendencies and a heart and mind that get caught up in the excitement of the holidays, and the daily demands of living, prevent such organization.  Yet, even if this be my proclivity or yours, there are things we can all choose to do to make the holidays more meaningful and sane.

There are some wonderful blogs and articles that discuss this very issue.  For those who are more into the sacred sense of Christmas and Hannukah, the article “40 Ways to Keep Christmas Simple and Meaningful,” by Victor Parachin offers some inspiring, lovely, and practical ways to keep the sacred and spiritual in Christmas.  From reminding the reader of scripture verses to hold on to and encouraging the “spirit of the innkeeper” to rethinking habits; exercising the word ‘no’ to all the shoulds and have to’s that we impose upon our lives this time of year; and doing more to keep it simple, there are some great things here for the traditional Christmas soul.  The “Jewish Woman Magazine” offers some tips for keeping Hannukah more meaningful and sane.  From tips on establishing limits to suggestions for meaningful gifts, experiences, and sharing of beloved traditions, there are many helpful nuggets for the stressed out Jewish parent.   For the more secular family, there are great article and blog offerings to read on this subject.  The “Frugal Girl” blog offers some great ideas and ways to maintain a simpler and saner Christmas.  In fact , she has a whole series on the subject.  One I particularly enjoyed was “Making Christmas Merry, More Experiences, Less Stuff.”   She discusses what she remembers most from her childhood. While she recalls liking her stocking and the presents under the tree, what she most cherishes are memories with her grandparents making pfeffernusse and stringing cranberries and popcorn around her tree with her family.  Indeed the latest video game and plastic toy may seem exciting, but what lasts are the intangibles: the things we hold meaningful and time well spent with the ones we love making memories…..

 

 

 

 

Sunday Morning Shout Out

Image Source: http://twenty-firstcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/12/feast-of-st-nicholas.html

Last week my children found St. Nicholas booty in their booties, well sneakers and boots to be exact.  Carrying on the tradition I grew up with in a Catholic household, our children know St. Nicholas Day. This day as described by the St. Nicholas Center celebrates the life of St. Nicholas, for both religious and secular societies worldwide. Pretty well known, our modern day Santa Claus has his roots here.

Isn’t roots, what traditions are all about? Whether you are marking Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Ramadan, or another holiday during the year, traditions are the true gift that keep on giving. I know many people who are hard pressed to come up with their holiday traditions when asked. I think that some things have become so mainstay, that these dear people have forgotten that some of what  they do is a tradition in and of themselves. —-Think Christmas tree or cutout cookies!

I came across some good articles (Article 1, Article 2, Article 3) that look at what holiday traditions bring to our families and tips for starting some new ones. What I like best about traditions are their grounding force in our lives and how they help us teach cultural and familial identity. Our children get a little bit more of their Polish, Czech, Italian, and Irish heritage during the holidays, than other times of the year. Let’s face it, not passing down or sharing in time honored traditions just means they are lost! Two of the blog spots talk about creating new, modern traditions. Article 3 even goes as far as to suggest 50 winter holiday traditions you can select from!

What I particularly love about many of the suggestions are their emphasis on giving back to the community and the less fortunate. They are also full of some fun ideas for meals, entertainment, and wise gift giving.  As you celebrate the holidays with your family, I hope that it is filled with new and old traditions. Know that what you are choosing to do to mark the holidays has a lasting impact  As my children checked their shoes for evidence of St. Nicholas this morning, I look forward to the day when their children are doing the same….