Making Holidays New

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

“easy” moments, the ones you don’t have to plan. There are leaves in the yard, right? Well, you don’t have to be in the kitchen every minute—get outside! Rake ‘em up and jump in ‘em! You’ll hear belly laughs that are never produced by video games, and you might be surprised to find they are coming from your own belly! Once they (and you) are sufficiently “energied out,” bathed, and fed, gather everyone around for a fun, allinclusive, diversion.

My favorite is cookie decorating, because everyone can participate—and who doesn’t love cookies? This is easy prep (make the cookie dough ahead and store in the fridge until whenever the moment arises), and fill small bowls with whatever toppings your mind can conjure. The kids will do the rest, and the results are truly priceless (but alas, will disappear, leaving only crumbs in their wake).

To provide longer-lasting memories, try ornament-making. I remember the very first Christmas with my daughter. Money was tight, but that didn’t matter. We made (and she won’t remember, as she was only one) god’s eyes ornaments of yarn and toothpicks. A tradition of making, saving, and displaying handmade treasures for the tree is one that will keep families talking about old times for years to come. Gather friends, family, children, and grandchildren for a tree-trimming party, and memories will flood to the times that this one or that one was fashioned, and what was happening in people’s lives at those times.

Whatever your holidays are, whatever your traditions already encompass, this season offers us the structure to bring our divergent lives together in a collective spirit. The Roanoke Valley presents opportunities for families to share time together and make positive memories that can be handed over from year to year and generation to generation. From the Drumstick Dash on Thanksgiving morning (drumstickdash.net/), to Dickens of a Christmas downtown during the first three weekends of December (downtownroanoke.org/ events/signature-events/dickensof-a-christmas), to ice skating at Elmwood Park (downtownroanoke. org/events/elmwood-on-ice), there are really no limits to how we can engage with our families, our children, our grandchildren, and even our great-grandchildren, to make lasting memories that will survive us and carry forward our love to future generations.

Look through the eyes of the children that surround you, and in doing so, look through your own eyes and see what is magical. Bring it to life in stories around the fireplace, around the table, or at bedtime. Bring it forward in traditions that have been carried on from prior generations, and in new traditions that reflect the lives of your family members—with an eye to the common past from which we have emerged together. And tie it all together with love.

Sharon Probst lives in Roanoke with her husband, Dave. They have three children and three grandchildren who live in the Roanoke Valley.

Reconnect with what you love.

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