Barb and I are firm believers in collecting and practicing traditions and celebrations. I have shared with you how meaningful it is to take turns planning our wedding anniversary celebrations. The collection of memories we have recorded make treasured remembrances when we pull out our journal and revisit all those good times. I highly recommend that tradition to your use and enjoyment.
This week’s NUGGET is all about the other special days of celebration during the year when families gather. Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day.
I grew up in a family where our grandparents were experts at guilt-tripping us…every holiday. I cannot count the number of times I heard this whiny refrain from both sets. “You just never come to see us, you always go see your other grandparents. Why can’t you just come see us…yadayadayada.”
I compounded the problem when I married and then 13 years later divorced and ultimately remarried. All of a sudden, we were faced with multiple calls upon our time and attention at holiday seasons. It was worse for our children who then had a family forest and not a family tree to navigate.
By the time our children were grown and also married with families of their own, we made what had turned out to be a wonderful call. We decided we would remove ourselves from the holiday derby and start celebrating the special days either a few days or even a week before or after the calendar dates.
No longer do our kids’ spouses have to come to see us in a huff because “we didn’t go to see MY family.”
When we have our kids and grandkids to celebrations at our home, we are not competing with anybody else. It is absolutely marvelous. Wish we’d thought of it sooner.
Thanksgiving this year was first on the Saturday before and we sat around the table for two hours without anybody looking over their shoulders wishing they were somewhere else. We shared meaningful things for which we gave Thanks together. Awesome.
We are working on Christmas now.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Even Charlie Brown would like this idea:
