Making Holidays New
by Sharon Probst
It’s here—the change has come. You know it before you see it on the calendar. It’s autumn, and with it come the blessings of cooler, drier air, open windows, and the approaching fall and winter holidays. We’re lucky, aren’t we? That just as we might be wondering what to do with ourselves as the outdoors becomes a bit less accommodating, here come the holidays—with buckets of opportunities for family time both indoors and outdoors, and a coming back together after the chaotic events of summer and back-to-school obligations.
The perspective is what I dig here. You and I, well, we’ve done how many Thanksgiving dinners? Twenty? Thirty? More? But your precious grandchildren are seeing this from a totally different point of view, maybe even for the first time, or maybe for the first time that they can remember. You’ve become accustomed to that luscious scent of cloves and nutmeg in the kitchen, but their memories are just now being established. You are a part of that! It’s exciting! Whatever the holiday or occasion
you’re celebrating with your family, this is the thing: Make it new. Possibly it is new to someone there, so see it that way in your preparations. Close your eyes and remember your experiences growing up. Remember how you felt when gathered up in the arms of relatives that you only saw at these special times of the year. Remember how warm it all felt. Cherish those memories and bring them to life now. Kids are kids, and you know, they love to have fun. Don’t neglect the
