Traditions - Old and New

I love this time of year for what it represents. Love, hope, and charity. One of the things I love most about the holidays are the traditions...all of the big and little things we do as a family to celebrate the season.

We’ve always celebrated Christmas just like millions of other families. Great food, enforced family togetherness #:0), and lots of brightly wrapped packages under the tree. But as my girls get older, and the economic state of the country becomes more challenging, we have naturally re-examined our traditions and considered ways to improve on them. Rather than buy each other the obligatory gift each year, my extended family has looked into options such as giving to toy and food drives and have taken great pleasure from helping others. This type of giving is still a priority in my family, but last year we started a new tradition which was meant to take us back to the things that are most important to us, especially in these tougher times. We returned to family.

Everyone came to our little farm for a weekend sleepover. Our goal was just to be together, eat a lot of great food, and share the season in as simple a way as possible. For our gift exchange, each family member was charged with making a simple gift that could be used and loved for years of Christmases to come. Because the gifts were hand made they meant so much more, and it was fun to see what the less ‘creative’ among us came up with! #:0)

Fortunately we had snow so the kids got to be pulled around on sleds behind our utility vehicle. We had a fun scavenger hunt, and took the 15 family dogs for long walks. The weather was mild, the snow was beautiful, and the company was wonderful. Most importantly, for me at least, the weekend reinforced the importance of the season. It should be a time of laughter, of love, of assessing priorities, and of great promise for the coming years together.

Whatever your family’s traditions, may they be wonderful and long lived...and may you and yours continue to enjoy good health and happiness for many, many years to come!

Do you have a family tradition you'd like to share? Leave a comment with your email addy and I'll send you a copy of my new Christmas free read, Astra Gets a Lump of Coal for Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!