5 Tips for a Special Family Holiday Season

by Ana Palles

Celebrating the holiday season is all about spending time together with the ones you love. It is a time when we slow down and treasure each memory, each tradition and give thanks for those who share our life. This is the season of hope, of love and joy. It’s all there, the bubbles of laughter, the tender caresses, and the warm looks from family, friends, and sometimes, strangers passing us on the street, remembering that it's Christmas.

This holiday, make it a point to truly enjoy your family. Here are some suggestions for activities you might find in your area.

• Holiday Lights Tour Many area newspapers print a guide to the best decorated homes in your community. Make a list of 6 or 7 holiday decorated homes in your area, pack the kids in the car with a thermos of hot chocolate and share some ooos and ahhs. This has been a family tradition for us for the past 15 years. We bring Christmas music and sing along while driving to each beautifully decorated house. This idea has caught on in popularity and some towns have tour operators offering Holiday lights tour quite reasonably priced.

• Weekend CabinThis is a perfect time of year to spend a weekend by the fire in a snowy mountain cabin. Many of the national parks, some state parks and YMCA’s offer well appointed cabins in beautiful mountain areas. Bundle up and go for a short hike along a wooded path. Really take in that winter landscape. See if you can find animal tracks, or glimpse a deer through the trees. Enjoy the serene surroundings even if it's just for a little weekend getaway. Sometimes, those short trips are the best ones.
  
  Cozy winter evenings are made for S'Mores and family games. Bring some graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, some fun board games and a good book. You will be amazed at how much fun you can have playing those old favorites. Keep things mellow, slow paced and warm.

• Holiday PerformancesI love the Holiday Pageant scene in the movie Love Actually. Aside from chuckling at the Christmas lobster and octopus, it is fun to see how the different subplots and characters come together around a family event. Look for opportunities to bring the family together for these happy, seasonal events.  If you have school age children, really give your full attention to their school performances.  Smile radiantly at your terrified kids standing up on stage. They will be searching the audience for you, so beam them loving support.  Really notice the work that went into it, the emotions on the children’s faces, and the way things come together at the end.
  
  And don’t forget to check out local theatre companies for seasonal plays. Watching a play is a rich experience. And you’d be surprised at the caliber of some of the local performances. Do something special for yourself and your family and try out a play.

• Work of your HandsIt may sound cliché-ish but the most satisfying gift to give is one that you have made yourself. I know that between work schedules and our multitude of obligations, our time runs short. But baking up a batch of cookies or a jar of refrigerator jam is fairly simple and a lot of fun. My son in law likes to make what he and his brothers call “gramma rolls” every Thanksgiving. They are lovely little cinnamon rolls that start out life as a mix. In about an hour, he has a pan of luscious, moist, beautifully swirled rolls. For me, there is nothing quite as decadent as a gooey cinnamon roll to savor with my hot cup of coffee.
  Figure out what you like to make, whether it is something from the kitchen, a hand sewn pillow, a simple carving or a poem or story you wrote. Gather your family together and plan an afternoon where you can make gifts together. A local bath and body shop has a do it yourself day where you can mix up your own blends of salt scrubs and pillow spritzers. Free up your creativity! Think of the person who is receiving the gift and bless your work.

• Storytelling Check out your local museums, bookstores, libraries and neighborhood centers for storytelling events. Storytelling is a powerful experience where we participate in life, myth and new possibilities.In olden times, the storytellers were responsible for carrying the memory and passions of their people. Professional storytellers, such as the folks at www.storytelling.net and www.storytellersunlimited.com, weave a path through each tale, placing us there amongst the characters who become our own.  Each of us is a storyteller, each of us carries knowledge, wisdom and voices from our roots. Share these.
  
  Watch a professional storyteller perform, and then sit with your family and tell your own tales. Ask the kids to make a picture book of a family story for a grandparent. Ask the child to play the part of the storyteller when presenting the gift book. It will be a treasured gift and cherished memory!

There is nothing more valuable than our family. Whether that family consists of our blood relatives, or those who have chosen to join us in our life journey, nothing is more important. This holiday season, don’t miss an opportunity to spend time enjoying your loved ones. Love is the true light of the holiday season.  Shake out your sparkles!