you can drop off your homemade treats to essential workers, homebound seniors, or veterans. 3. Make music. The usual school holiday concert may look different this year, if it can be held at all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t host one in your own home. Have your child play a solo in front of the family. Or be like the Partridge Family and encourage
Savor the Season at Home 7 Simple Ways to Celebrate
By Katy M. Clark
T
his year the holiday season may look different. Masks and social distancing have put a damper on the usual gatherings at schools and in our communities. My own kids are sad that their holiday concerts and celebrations have been canceled.
But there’s no need to be filled with despair. After all, it is still the most wonderful time of the year! Why not take this opportunity to rediscover the joy of slowing down and savoring the season right where you spend most of your time? Here are seven sweet and simple ways to celebrate the holidays at home. 1. Send cards in the mail. Now is a great time to rediscover the tradition of sending Christmas cards. There are tons of online photo sites that allow you to personalize photo cards. 10 MendoLakeFamilyLife
Or simply ask your kids to draw or paint handmade greetings. No matter how fancy the cards may be, just imagine how much joy they will bring the recipients, especially grandmas and grandpas who love getting good old-fashioned mail. 2. Bake. Spend time together cutting out sugar cookies, rolling rugelach, or making a special recipe that your family treasures. Tell your kids about the relatives who wrote the recipes in cursive on those cards passed down from generation to generation. Maybe
No matter the temperature, it’s always an excellent idea to head outside. everyone to pick up an instrument for a holiday jam session. Sing your favorite hymns or holiday classics. Most lyrics can be found online. 4. Read together. Be like Clark Griswold and his clan in the classic film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) and gather round to read The Night Before Christmas. Or pick up some picture books such as The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler (Holiday House, 2012) or Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis (Albert Whitman, 2000). There are also classic audio books your family could listen to as you wrap gifts or unwind after work or school. Books are the perfect way to learn about different holiday traditions, too. Look for books about Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or celebrations such as Lucia Day or Three Kings Day. 5. Watch holiday movies. Going to the movies may not be feasible this year, but that only inspires me to
December 2020 www.mendolakefamilylife.com
