Month: December 2023

My heart is filled with joy! My family’s 2023 Christmas celebration is in the books, and a wonderful time was had by all! I’m happy to report that my perspective of “loving intentionally” was well maintained. Now does that mean that there were no cookie decorating mishaps, white elephant kerfuffles, or “where is everyone going to sleep” queries? Of course not! Our final tally was 33 peeps—how could these possibly be avoided? The upside of this year’s chaotic, exhilarating, absolutely, joyous celebration was a handful of happy revelations as yet another generation takes part in the festivities. Do we plan to host Family Christmas 2024, you may ask? A rousing “YOU BETCHA”, is our answer! Why, it’s only ten days out, and we’re already excitedly planning for next year!

Now that a third generation is able to partake in the fun, we’ve come full circle with the “littles”, now ranging in age from 4 years all the way down to 2 months. These youngsters naturally bring noise and messiness with them wherever they go (whether that means licking utensils mid cookie decorating or wreaking havoc on the toy bin), but we have the “middles” who now step up to help. Our dear sixteen-year-old nephew initiated (along with the help of several other nieces & nephews) a surprise toy clean-up in the basement that made our post-event efforts so much easier!

When it was time for the main meal that’s set in the middle of this three-day extravaganza, there were many dishes to be warmed (we’re talking a full microwave, oven, and toaster ALL at once), and lots of coordination to be had. My dear sister-in-law (truly my sister) stepped in and took control of managing all the prep so that I was able to enjoy our time together without freaking out. Yet another gift of selflessness allowing me to more fully experience the joy of this special time with family! 

During our second night in, I quietly stated, “I’m just too tired to clean this up (referring to our dessert and beverages). I’ll worry about it in the morning after church, choir and the Sunday morning food prep.” My beloved mother-in-law (and dear friend who’s just shy of her 86^th birthday) stepped in and said that she would take care of everything because she just “couldn’t stand to let me deal with this mess in the morning.” Let me tell you, my Sunday morning felt truly blessed thanks to Mom’s hard work, everyone who chipped in to help, and a willing coffee fairy who made sure we all stayed caffeinated. I was again struck by the fact that someone’s sacrifice allowed me to experience joy, a poignant reminder for the reasons we host this party for others in the first place!

One of the biggest struggles at Christmas 2023 was deciding where to put everyone when it was finally time for bed. We’re a late-night game-playing clan, so we were quite tired when it was finally time to figure out sleeping arrangements. In past years, we had carpeted floors from top to bottom, but this year the main floor is hardwood. My husband and I had concocted a rudimentary sleeping floor plan weeks in advance, but it naturally fell apart once we tried to put it into effect at 2am. Enter two of the “middles” (our twenty four year old daughter and nephew—partners in crime since infancy) who swooped into to save the day… or should I say night! They approached the logistical puzzle with a youthful verve, patience and logic, thus landing on the perfect solution for everyone at our “inn.” A good night’s sleep was therefore had by all (except for maybe the two teens on the leaky air mattress, sorry boys), and the following day was so much better because of their timely help!

I’m sure you’re starting to see the trend here. All of this intergenerational collaboration is honestly not something I had previously considered and yet, THIS is what our wonderful annual event is all about; THIS is why I’ve already started planning for next year’s party only a week after our time together has concluded; THIS is why, Lord willing, Family Christmas 2024 will include more family. With two more newly-announced babies announced on their way, an additional nephew with a Christmas engagement recently announced, and several beloved family members who couldn’t make it this year, I’m looking forward to even more joy, Joy, JOY!

Truth be told, our precious & joyful annual celebration helps remind me to view life through an all-encompassing perspective of LOVE—not only our love for each other, but HIS love for us.

I’m wishing you all a spectacular and love-filled New Year!!!

Every year for the last twenty years or so (with the exception of one during Covid, which we celebrated virtually as best we could), my family has hosted a three-day family Christmas celebration in our home. When I say three days, I’m talking Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. This joyous event includes two sleeps in a packed house, and a whole lot of festive fun, food, and fellowship. Our extended family (and whomever they’d like to bring along) who haven’t seen one another for awhile, gather together to enjoy everything from goodies and games, to caroling and crafts. At times, Family Christmas can be a bit of a free-for-all, and over the years it’s sometimes felt as though we were cleaning up round one just to turn around and set up for round two, with no time to enjoy (or even breathe, for that matter).

When many of the children were young, this tradition became very overwhelming. It was after one such chaotic gathering during those early years that my husband and I sat down to do what I like to call a “perspective check”. After much discussion, we pinpointed that we needed to decide what was more important to us: a neat and clean house, or precious time with the people we love. It would seem that such a decision should be a no-brainer; but, lo and behold, we discovered it was more than that. We needed to completely let go of the one to fully embrace the other.

And so we did just that.

We decided that we would do just enough to facilitate the smooth running of the event (which by the way, never runs “smoothly”—how could it, with so many people in the mix) and intentionally turn our focus toward enjoying time with our loved ones. I can honestly say that this was one of the best decisions we have ever made, because it freed us from self-imposed shackles. No one asked for perfection, and quite frankly, how could that even be obtained with twenty to thirty wonderful, loud, loving, and crazy human beings camped-out together in one home for a long weekend? It all came down to our chosen perspective, which allows us to more fully experience joy. 

I am now mid prep for Family Christmas 2023 coming up this weekend (the current attendance tally is 32 and growing). I remind myself to apply the above perspective to all my preparation for the event as well. Making lasagnas, egg casseroles, and three different types of chili for thirty people is a tall order, but for me it’s a labor of love. My “perspective check” rendered laborious tasks joyful, which in turn has fostered a delicious sense of anticipation for the beautiful time I will get to share with my family.

As I cook, I am greatly encouraged by a story that my son shared with me just this past year. My daughter in law was feeling under the weather and commented on how much she would love some lasagna. When my son offered to go out to get her some, she clarified that she only wanted my lasagna because it was made with love. More recently, my daughter who also lives away from home, texted me a picture of a polished-off pan of lasagna I sent home with her after Thanksgiving, along with the note: “Thank you so much for the lasagna Mama!!! I’m getting sick and it’s the perfect comfort food :)” For me, that is what it’s all about. I won’t focus on how good everything tastes (although this is still a very important factor), but rather that I intentionally made it with love (okay, and a little extra ricotta). 

This new perspective guides my writing endeavors as well—I am far more inclined to write continuously and, well… well! Am I meant to view my writing as a chore, or as a creative opportunity to share my words with others? Ultimately, my goal is to be a published author whose books positively affect young readers, but if I were to consider only the complete execution of this goal as a success, then I’m guessing I would’ve hit a dead end long ago. Instead, I am filled with excitement as I type every word (ok, maybe not every single word) of this holiday blog post, which isn’t necessarily directly tied to my primary passion for creative storytelling catered to youngsters. I am once again struck by the fact that life can feel richer than I could ever imagine depending upon the perspective through which I intentionally choose to view my efforts.

Well, it’s about time for me to cheerfully sign off! It’s now T-minus two days until festivities begin, and I still need to make a few pans of lasagna and write another chapter or two. I’ll catch you on the flip side with Part 2 of this blog, to be written post Family Christmas 2023. After all, it’s easier written than said!

Have a blessed Christmas and a joy-filled new year!